Every Atari Game By Activision To Be Re-Released In Original Physical Form

This was rather unexpected. Atari (which is not the same company as the Atari from 50 years ago) and Activision (which is now owned by Microsoft) will be teaming up to re-release all 39 of the latter company’s software titles next year. We don’t mean on a new compilation for modern systems. We mean for the ORIGINAL system…the Atari 2600.

Activision was the very first third-party video game maker. Until then, all games for a home console were made in-house by the console makers themselves. But after becoming fed up with the lack of credit paid to their talented team, several members quit and founded their own unapproved 2600 games division, which was fully possible since Atari never put a lockout chip in the machine. Why would they; third-party games weren’t even considered to be a possibility.

Activision’s 2600 games were the best that the system ever had, beating Atari’s own offerings in quality, gameplay and graphics, and the games gave proper credit to their designers. Activision’s bold move was an important step toward the games industry as we know it, and now that action will be honored with the reissue of their games in their original cartridge format. All you need is a 2600 (and, preferably, a CRT with the proper connections to hook it up to).

“In 1979, a group of Atari programmers set out to prove that great games could come from independent creators and ended up changing the industry forever,” says Atari’s VP of hardware Matt Burnett. “The Atari x Activision Collection brings that legacy to life through the games themselves, giving fans an opportunity to experience, collect and preserve the work of the developers who helped establish a new model for the video game industry.”

The games will be released in waves starting this November with the “Standard Collection” that includes Pitfall!, River Raid, Megamania, Enduro, Kaboom!, H.E.R.O., Pressure Cooker, Private Eye, River Raid II, Keystone Kapers, The Activision Decathlon, and Pitfall II: Lost Caverns. Here’s the planned rollout:

• Treasure Collection (November 2026): A 10-game collection featuring Pitfall!, River Raid, Megamania, Chopper Command and Grand Prix.
• Speed Collection (Spring 2027): 10 high-octane titles, including Enduro, HERO, The Activision Decathlon and Laser Blast.
• Secrets Collection (Summer 2027): Nine classics featuring Kaboom!, Keystone Kapers, Private Eye and Starmaster.
• Victory Collection (Fall 2027): Ten 2600 titles, including Pitfall II: Lost Caverns, River Raid II, Pressure Cooker and Beamrider.

For the hardcore only, there will also be a Complete Collection that includes all 39 physical carts and can’t be obtained for anything less than a cool grand. I’ll leave it up to your judgment if you want to go that far.