Atari and developer Digital Eclipse have shared details about an upcoming paid expansion for "Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration," a notable compilation that combines a collection of Atari’s games with a documentary about the company’s fifty-year history. The second DLC, titled "The First Console War," focuses on Atari’s rivalry with Mattel’s Intellivision, its initial major competitor in the console market.
The new bundle includes 19 additional games and eight video segments that explore this rivalry, as well as the developments that led to Mattel creating games for Atari’s systems. According to Atari and Digital Eclipse, the DLC features more than just games; it also includes interviews, vintage advertisements, and previously unseen historical artifacts that narrate the story of the clash between Atari and Mattel. Ultimately, Atari emerged victoriously, as evidenced by its acquisition of the Intellivision brand earlier this year.
Among the offerings, the DLC contains prototypes and other games that were previously unreleased. The complete list includes titles such as:
- Air Raiders — 2600 M Network
- Antbear — 2600 M Network (unreleased, based on Stern IP)
- Armor Ambush — 2600 M Network
- Astroblast — 2600 M Network
- Frogs & Flies — 2600 M Network
- International Soccer — 2600 M Network
- Dark Cavern — 2600 M Network
- Star Strike — 2600 M Network
- Super Challenge Baseball — 2600 M Network
- Super Challenge Football — 2600 M Network
- Swordfight — 2600 M Network (rare, unreleased)
- Sea Battle — 2600 M Network (rare, unreleased)
- Tower of Mystery (unreleased prototype, recently rescued)
- Video Pinball — 2600
- Basketball — 2600
- Hardball — Atari 8-bit (XE)
- Final Legacy (prototype) — 5200
- Xari Arena — Atari 8-bit
- Desert Falcon — 7800
This DLC follows the previous expansion, "The Wider World of Atari," which arrived in September and added another 19 games to the collection. With these two expansions, "Atari 50" will have approximately 130 games in total.
For those who own "Atari 50" on PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, and PS5, "The First Console War" will be available on November 8. Atari VCS owners will receive the DLC as a complimentary update early next year.
Additionally, those interested in acquiring a package consisting of the base game and both expansions can purchase what is known as "Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Expanded Edition," available on November 8. The physical edition for the Switch and PS5 is priced at $40. A special steelbook version for the Switch, which includes Atari 2600 art cards and other extras, is available for $50.
