In celebration of Atari’s 50th Anniversary, the company has announced a new series of Limited Edition collectible cartridges of the Atari 2600. There will be a total of 10 cartridges that will feature Atari’s most iconic titles. The collection will launch over the next six months, beginning with Adventure and Missle Command which are now available for preorder on the Atari XP official website and on Limited Run Games for $99.99. Preorders will close on July 31.
Adventure, recognized as the first action-adventure video game, enthralled players when it was released back in 1980. Adventure features an explorable map, hidden rooms, randomly appearing objects, and roaming enemies. The game is also the first commercially available console video game to include a hidden easter egg. Developer Warren Robinett included the easter egg because the company policy prohibited developers from being credited on packing or in-game at the time.
In Missle Command, players use missle batteries to defend six cities from attacks by bombers, satellites, and ICBMs. The game was first designed by Dave Theurer as an arcade game, it was released as a cartridge for the Atari 2600 in 1981. It went on to sell 2.5 million copies and became one of the most popular and recognizable video games ever.
The Limited Edition cartridges feature striking, reimagined artwork on the front label and are adorned with an acrylic logo on the top of the cartridges, unique to each respective title. They will light up when being played. The cartridges will ship in newly designed boxes inspired by the colorful and iconic packaging of the original Atari 2600 games.
Last week, prior to the 50th Anniversary, the company revealed new logo which features Atari’s signature Fuji above the number 50. Atari also announced at the time a direct sequel to the Atari 2600’s famous Yars’ Revenge. In a special Anniversary interview, Atari CEO Wade Rosen and Founder Nolan Bushnell discuss Atari’s legacy of creativity and innovation, its formative role in the development of the modern video game industry, the Atari brand’s sustained role in popular culture, and what will define the company as it pushes forward for the next 50 years.
“The story of the early days of Atari is, in many ways, the history of the birth of video games,” said Wade Rosen, Atari CEO. “I’m excited to share this very special conversation with founder Nolan Bushnell as we celebrate the tremendous impact of Atari on popular culture and the video game industry over the past fifty years.”