Who says you can’t teach an old dog a new trick? When one of the most iconic brands in gaming announces its partnership with an IoT communications company to produce the next generation of connected products, it’s certainly a tough sell.
Though it may not be obvious at first glance, Atari and Sigfox have a lot in common. Despite the companies’ varying branches of tech innovation, they’re similar in that their end goal is innovation. Atari and Sigfox are both pioneers in their own right.
The veteran of gaming, founded in 1972, and the world’s largest provider of IoT communications services, founded in 2009, have announced a partnership that will see the release of a new line of connected devices based on the Atari brand.
“Sigfox is transforming the way people are connecting to their objects in a simple and intuitive way. By partnering together and using Sigfox’s dedicated IoT connectivity, we are going to create amazing products with our brand,” said Fred Chesnais, CEO of Atari, in a statement sent to MobileSyrup.
“We look forward to our collaboration with Sigfox and releasing new products to the mass market on a global scale,” Chesnais continued.
Very few details have been provided about the pending releases except that more information about the products will be provided soon.
It’s important to note Atari is not the same company that was founded in 1972, nor the same one that released the Atari 2600 in 1977. The brand has been passed around repeatedly since the floundering video game company was born.
The original gaming firm was founded by Nolan Bushnell in ’72, before changing hands in the 80s and then again in the 90s. Despite the successful titles associated with Atari, the company has recorded incredible losses since the early 2000s.
The company’s 40-year history has seen it attempt to reinvent itself before, making multiple transitions over the years from arcade games, to consoles, to handhelds and most recently, to an LGBT-themed social game and a move towards online gambling.
Having seen little success with its latest ventures, a move in a new direction makes sense. The products will largely developed by Sigfox and will run on the IoT company’s global network.
Atari will therefore reap the benefits of Sigfox’ resources while Sigfox has the opportunity to place the name that’s credited with commercializing video games next to its own.
Sigfox CEO Ludovic Le Moan explained in a statement that this partnership is essentially one between innovation and imagination. Despite the lack of information surrounding the announcement, it’s likely that the mystery devices will fall into the entertainment and gaming spectrum.
“Atari, which has disruption rooted in their DNA, was quick to envision the transformative role that the Internet of Things can play in interactive entertainment. Our network bridges the virtual and physical worlds simply, reliably and inexpensively and this collaboration will launch a new dimension to gaming, while supporting features that are limited only by the imagination,” said Le Moan in a statement sent to MobileSyrup.
Atari understands that in order to save its brand, which is still beloved to many gamers around the world, it needs access to the resources that will allow it to play on the same level as the flashiest connected devices that have been stealing headlines this year.
For what’s essentially a trick play, it appears to be a smart one.
Image credit: moparx
Related reading: Telus report reveals that smart devices will be commonplace in 2 years
[source]Atari[/source]
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