Atari 50 Expansion Adds Over 30 Games And New Timelines This October

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Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration is already a fantastic history lesson and playable compilation of Atari’s heyday, but it’s about to become even more comprehensive. The 2022 interactive documentary is getting an expansion that adds new timelines and 39 games.

This new version of the game is called Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Expanded Edition, and it arrives on October 25. It will be released as DLC to Atari 50 owners and as a standalone title, both digitally and physically. Developer Digital Eclipse (which Atari acquired in 2023) is bolstering the compilation with two new timelines.

First is "The Wider World of Atari", which features 19 playable games and eight video segments. Topics discussed include Pong creator Al Acorn discussing the birth of Breakout, a spotlight on artist Evelyn Soto, who helped create Atari’s "Fuji" logo, and a deep dive into Stern Electronics’ Berzerk. 

The second timeline is called "The First Console War" and includes 20 playable games. It features six video segments and focuses on the rivalry between the Atari 2600 and Mattel’s Intellivision, with interviews from former Intellivision game director Don Daglow, Activision’s David Crane and Garry Kitchen, M Network programmer Jne Terjung, and more. This timeline also features playable M Network games (which, for the unaware, were Mattel-produced games for the 2600) and rare Atari 2600 and 5200 prototypes. 

Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Expanded Edition Steelbook Version (Switch only)

Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Expanded Edition will be available for PlayStation and Xbox consoles, Switch, and PC. The standalone standard edition costs $39.99. The physical Switch version is getting an exclusive Steelbook version for $49.99 and includes extras like a replica of Al Acorn's business card, Atari 2600 art cards, and miniature arcade marquee signs (as seen in the graphic above). Atari did not reveal how much the add-on will cost for existing Atari 50 owners. 

For more on the collection, read our glowing review of the original game here. Be sure to also listen to our interview with current Atari CEO Wade Rosen on this episode of All Things Nintendo.

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