Titles such as Shadow Ops, a new Test Drive, a new T3 game and UT Editor's Choice are coming this fall while games such as Axis & Allies, RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 and Forgotten Realms : Demon Stone will be on shelves before 2005.
Atari, according to its recent financial report, has had a dismal fiscal 2005 first quarter but even bad financial news can carry some interesting morsels of information for eager gamers.
Atari CEO Bruno Bonnell, speaking immediately after the report, tried to appease investors by mentioning that Atari still has the rights to two more Enter the Matrix SKUs, going on to add that we should expect more information ...in the coming weeks. The Wall Street Journal seems to confirm Atari's CEO as it claims that Larry and Andy Wachowski have also admitted that their latest project involves the creation of ...an Xbox Matrix game for 2005.
Bonnell also mentioned that it had become difficult for Atari to hold on to Epic but he did claim that ...the relationship with Epic remains friendly.
The other news to come out of the rather downbeat report was a list of release dates and titles that Atari has in the oven.
For the second quarter ending September 30, 2004:
Backyard Skater (PC), Deer Hunter 2005 (PC), Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone (PS2), Shadow Ops: Red Mercury (PC), Asterix & Obelix (PS2), Terminator 3: The Redemption (PS2, Xbox, and GameCube), Test Drive: Eve of Destruction (PS2 and Xbox), Unreal Tournament Editor's Choice (PC), YuYu Hakusho: Dark Tournament (PS2), Zoids: Legacy (GBA), and Zoids: Battle Legends (GameCube).
For the third quarter ending December 31, 2004: Axis & Allies (PC), Backyard Basketball (GBA), Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 (PS2), Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury (GBA), Duel Masters Cobalt (PS2), Duel Masters 2: Kaijudo Showdown (GBA), Forgotten Realms: Demon Stone (Xbox and PC), Godzilla: Save The Earth (PS2 and Xbox), RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 (PC), Sid Meier's Pirates! (PC), and YuYu Hakusho: Tournament Tactics.
Finally for the fourth quarter ending March 31, 2005: Atari confirms that revenue will be driven by releases from both the lucrative Dragon Ball Z and Dungeons & Dragons franchises.
In order to add a positive note to the report the Atari Chief also confirmed that the company will delve deeper into new Intellectual Properties (IPs) while trying to hold on to lucrative franchises such as Dragon Ball Z and Dungeons & Dragons. Let's hope they do a better job on those than they did on the UT brand name.
