Video game giant Atari scrap online casino
Atari's online cryptocurrency casino is no more
One of the most famous video game titans, Atari, have announced that they are shelving their online casino based in Africa just a few months after launching.
The cryptocurrency online casino with Decentral Games launched on April 28th 2021 as Atari wanted to enter the iGaming and cryptocurrency market. The casino boasted various casino games such as online slots and lottery games that can be played with real money or virtual currency.
Ideally, Atari wanted to make cryptocurrency casino games based on their old titles and it was due to be built in a virtual world called Vegas City in which players create an avatar to interact with.
They previously created a decentralized cryptocurrency, called the Atari Token, based on the Ethereum (ETH) blockchain designed by Atari. This was created to become the token for the interactive entertainment industry and became available for sale to the public on 30th October 2020. Ultimately, this can be integrated with the existing Ethereum currency.
Who are Atari?
Atari is known for iconic video games such as Asteroids, Centipede, Pong along with various early game consoles. In April 2021, the company restructured their gaming by splitting into Atari Games and Atari Blockchain. Atari Games focuses fully on videogames whilst Atari Blockchain focuses on cryptocurrency, blockchain and iGaming.
After a review in July 2021, Atari decided to invest in the development of premium games instead of an online casino. The online casino offered gamblers the chance to deposit cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum instead of typical payment methods. With the rise of online currency, Atari wanted to join the wave of cryptocurrency popularity.
Focus on premium games
“We believe premium gaming is more representative of this type of gaming experience and Atari’s DNA. Despite this new focus on premium games, we remain committed to growing and developing our successful free-to-play games currently on the market,” said Atari CEO Wade J. Rosen.
Atari has accepted a loss of €5m ($5.9m) for the fiscal year ending March 31st 2021 but is optimistic about this move.
"These changes will have an impact on our 2020/21 results and will generate a depreciation of €5m ($5.9m) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021," said Wade J. Rosen. "This reorientation will give Atari a unique opportunity to make the link between the past and the future of video games, and I look forward to implementing these changes.”
Future for Atari?
In addition to closing down Atari Casino, Atari are planning to sell or discontinue five of their games. These are free-to-play games and include RCT Stories, Crystal Castles & Catapults, Ninja Golf and Atari Combat: Tank Fury.
As for the future of Atari, they are delivering premium console and PC games which should look to arrive later this year. So, it looks like the iGaming world is saying goodbye to Atari - at least for now.