Depending how old a gamer is will depend on what they think of when they hear the word "Atari". Older gamers will think of the Atari 2600 console that came out in the late 70's, and others will just think of video games in general. For years, until the NES came out anyway, Atari meant video games.
This morning, Atari Inc. officially filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy (restructuring). The primary goal is to separate itself from Atari SA, the French parent company and become an independent business.
Atari Inc.'s plan is to sell off it's assets within the next 120 days, which include the "Pong" and "Asteroids" franchises, along selling off the logo that's been with the company since the 1970's. The company has been able to get pre-approved for a $5.25 million in debtor-in-possession investment, from Tenor Capital Management.
It's been a long time since Atari produced consoles, instead they've spent the last fifteen years developing games for various systems. They've also been bought and passed through a number of different owners over the years. They were finally bought by Infogrames Entertainment in 2008, before renaming themselves Atari SA in 2009.
While the restructuring bankruptcy doesn't mean Atari is completely going under, they are trying to remain their own company, it'll be interesting to see who ends up with the various franchises they own.
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