Highlights
- Atari will partner with Universal Pictures and Entertainment 360 to adapt 10 classic game franchises into films.
- The first film project is already underway, written by Matt Reilly and Carl Hampe.
- The movie deal follows Atari's recent expansion through the Hipster Whale acquisition and leadership growth in Europe.
Atari has signed a deal with Universal Pictures to develop feature films based on 10 of its classic video game franchises, in partnership with Entertainment 360. The deal marks the company's latest push to expand its intellectual property (IP) beyond gaming.
Deadline first reported the agreement, with the first feature film already moving forward under the partnership.
Atari's Classic Video Game Franchises Head to the Big Screen
The first film will draw from Atari's IP, with Entertainment 360's Guymon Casady producing. Matt Reilly and Carl Hampe wrote the screenplay and are also attached as producers.
The collaboration grew out of an original spec script by Reilly, a former Universal executive turned screenwriter, and Hampe, whose previous credits include Hellboy and Jungle Cruise.
The deal includes several of Atari's best-known game franchises, including Asteroids, Pong, Missile Command, Breakout, Adventure, Berzerk, Centipede, Crystal Castles, Millipede, and Yars' Revenge. The companies plan to adapt them into large-scale action-adventure films.
Atari Chairman and CEO Wade Rosen described the company's games as a lasting "part of popular culture." He said the collaboration with Universal and Entertainment 360 will bring those iconic franchises "to a new medium."
Movie Deal Follows Atari's Broader Expansion
Casady stated that Reilly and he grew up playing Atari 2600 games and believed the screenplay captured the spirit of the originals. He added that it builds "an original, large-scale adventure" inspired by those classic titles.
The announcement comes as Atari continues expanding its business.
In June 2026, the company acquired Australian mobile game developer Hipster Whale in a deal worth up to $39.3M USD. Earlier in July 2026, it appointed Andreas Deptolla as president of Atari Europe to oversee its growing operations across the region. Rosen also recently highlighted Atari's focus on retro gaming and nostalgia, supported by acquisitions including Nightdive, Digital Eclipse, and Hipster Whale.
The agreement reflects Atari's broader effort to turn decades-old gaming franchises into entertainment properties for a new generation.
