Atari Inc. – Business Is Fun

The true story behind the company and brand that was synonymous with ‘video games’ in the 1970s and 80s, told by the people who were there making history. Dominating both the arcade and home – and fueled by the public’s ‘obsession’ with technology, Atari pioneered high tech fun for a new generation. The ripple effect of Atari’s influence in technology and pop culture has resonated throughout the decades, and into the 21st Century.

 

In an age where Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft now dominate the consumer industry, Gen-Xers and those lucky enough to have grown up during the “Age of Atari” still cling fondly to the memories of this period.

 

With roots dating back to 1969, when Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney formed a small engineering partnership, these two California entrepreneurs took a chance and introduced an exciting new technology to the world at a time when pinball was king. Forming Atari Inc. on June 27th, 1972, together they launched a company that would come to dominate and innovate what people did with their leisure time.

 

Purchased by Warner Communications in 1976, the sale of the company to this entertainment industry titan would ensure Atari invaded all areas of American culture, enabling the company to stake its claim as a worldwide phenomenon. Rapidly expanding into other forms of entertainment, computers and advanced high-tech research, Atari’s innovation and influence was comparable to Apple’s preeminence today.

 

… that is, was until Atari imploded spectacularly in 1984, taking most of the US video game industry with it. As a result, its cadre of talented people and advanced technology were unleashed across Silicon Valley. Many of these individuals are still working in the industries they helped pioneer.