Universal is making movies out of 10 classic Atari games

Atari and Universal Pictures have signed a deal to develop 10 classic video game properties into feature films. The partnership, produced alongside Entertainment 360, aims to turn early arcade and Atari 2600 titles into large-scale action-adventure movies.

The list of properties includes Asteroids, Adventure, Berzerk, Breakout, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Millipede, Missile Command, Pong, and Yars' Revenge. According to Deadline, Universal has already purchased the first project from this batch.

A script for a game with no plot

The first film stems from an original script written by Matt Reilly and Carl Hampe, with both serving as producers alongside Entertainment 360's Guymon Casady.

I am genuinely curious how a studio writes a high-budget action script for Pong or Breakout. Turning a paddle hitting a square dot into a cinematic universe requires a level of creative gymnastics I have to respect. Some of the other titles offer a bit more narrative scaffolding. Missile Command is rooted in Cold War nuclear anxiety, tasking players with defending coastal cities from ballistic strikes using a trackball. I mean, the Battle Ship movie exists, so anything is possible. Yars' Revenge, the best-selling original game on the Atari 2600, involves an insectoid alien attacking a shield. You can easily see how a Hollywood production team could stretch those concepts into a two-hour sci-fi movie.

Even Adventure has some cinematic potential. The 1980 Atari 2600 game is famous for containing the first widely known video game Easter egg, hidden by developer Warren Robinett. A movie about navigating a maze to find a chalice while avoiding dragons shaped like ducks practically writes itself in the modern fantasy landscape.

The Wade Rosen era continues

Atari has spent the last few years aggressively consolidating its legacy. Since Wade Rosen took over as CEO in 2021, the company pivoted away from speculative ventures like crypto and focused entirely on retro gaming. They acquired Nightdive Studios, Digital Eclipse, and the Intellivision brand, while releasing excellent historical packages like Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration.

Pushing these classic IPs into film and television is the next logical step for a company trying to monetize a 50-year-old catalog. Video game adaptations are currently a safe bet in Hollywood. Following the massive box office returns of The Super Mario Bros. Movie and the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, major studios are buying up gaming properties as fast as they can.

We do not know which of the 10 games the Reilly and Hampe script is actually adapting yet. The release date and casting details are still unannounced. Universal will likely share more details once the project moves further into pre-production.

Pick up Yars' Revenge on Humble Bundle.

Some links in this article are affiliate links. Purchases made through them help support Pants Pants Revolution at no extra cost to you.