Atari to step up its game in 2009

Atari steps up its game in 2009, with a slew of new announcements this week
Atari steps up its game in 2009, with a slew of new announcements this week

Atari means business next year, with major blockbuster gaming titles such as Ghostbusters due and a number of new AAA-games announced at a London event this week.

The hope is that with the recently instated Phil Harrison at the helm, the much-loved gaming brand that has been dogged with financial problems in recent years can finally start to publish some major games and move back to the forefront of gaming.

Perhaps the biggest announcement today was that the superb-looking Ghostbusters game will launch on all formats in June 2009.

Mizuguchi announces new games

For TechRadar, the most exciting news from Atari's winter press shindig today was that Q Entertainment's Tetsuya Mizuguchi is developing a new music game for the Wii with the working title QJ.

Atari is also set to release a boxed compilation disc of Miz's classics, including Rez HD, Lumines Live and Every Extend Extra Extreme, called Q3 ("Cubed").

Nice work, Phil! Keep it up.

Arnie and Becks get Ready to Rumble

There is already huge anticipation for the game,penned by original Ghostbusters writers Harold Ramis and Dan Aykroyd and reuniting members of the original cast for the first time in 20 years.

In other Atari news, the publisher will be releasing Demigod in February 2009, described as an 'action RTS' from the same developers at Gas Powered Games that brought us Supreme Commander.

Console wise, Atari will be publishing its PC favourite The Witcher on XBox 360 and PS3.

The publisher also announced Ready 2 Rumble Revolution on the Nintendo Wii, due for next March, featuring boxers based on Arnold Schwarzenegger, David Beckham, Brad Pitt and John Travolta!

Adam Hartley