Mobile gamer Animoca Brands has hooked a big fish, signing a deal with famed video game producer Atari to make blockchain versions of two of its mobile games.
Animoca Brands (ASX:AB1) has ramped up its move into blockchain this year with a number of games designed to teach users how cryptocurrency works.
And this morning the company announced its biggest news yet: it will make blockchain versions of Atari’s mobile games RollerCoaster Tycoon Touch and Goon Squad.
Atari, founded in 1972, was one of the pioneers of the video game industry. It made and released table tennis simulator Pong in the same year.
The deal will also see the two companies “explore mutual opportunities in gaming, product development, blockchain, and other areas”.
Atari will take a strategic investment in Animoca, insured by way of US$250,000 worth of Animoca shares.
Frédéric Chesnais, chief of Atari Group, hoped the deal would lead to further collaboration.
“We hope that this agreement paves the way to further cooperation on other Atari products,” he said.
“We are proud and delighted to enter into this long-term and strategic relationship with Animoca Brands, which also allows us to become a shareholder in one of the most exciting innovators in the world of decentralised gaming.”
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Yat Siu, co-founder and chairman at Animoca, said his company aimed to start publishing the games late next year.
“This deal marks a special moment for me because I started my career working with Atari and using Atari computers,” he said.
“The RollerCoaster Tycoon franchise is, like many of Atari’s properties, a true evergreen, having been around for two decades. Given the strategic and commercial elements of this incredibly fun simulation, it is a perfect candidate for blockchain adaptation.”