If you were a 90's kid, get ready for a fur-tastic announcement! Atari, the grand old dame of video games, might just give the world another round of Bubsy. This isn't a drill people, the Bobcat could be back!
In a recent spend-a-thon that would make a tech billionaire blush, Atari open their pocketbooks and made a shopping spree that included Nightdive Studios, Moby Games, and AtariAge. The binge-buying didn't stop there; these guys splurged on the rights to countless old games from the likes of Micropose, Infogrames and Accolade. And right there in the midst of all those purchases lounged our dear feline hero, Bubsy.
If Bubsy were an actual bobcat, it'd be dead by now (bobcats only live about 7 to 10 years in the wild). But Bubsy, a brainchild of the late Michael Berlyn, is playing for immortality. In its heyday, Bubsy wowed millions with its platforming shenanigans in the unforgettable '90s series, Bubsy in Claws Encounters of the Furred Kind.
Atari's CEO, Wade Rosen, and his unhidden love for puns, had a chat with MinnMax and let slip that our striped friend might just get a new lease on life. In his words: "I think eventually, a good Bubsy game needs to be made. That's a good example of an IP you think people might like... if there's good Indie platforming teams and they want to reach out, we'd certainly be interested in hearing those things."
Oh, the twinkle in his eyes and the mischievous grin suggests that this CEO might just have more than catnip up his sleeve!
Calling all indie developers! This is your golden furreal chance to polish up those pitch decks and hurl your brilliant idea at Rosen and his gang. Who knows? You might just be the lucky one to take Bubsy from the dusty old shelves of the last millennium to the shiny new screens of this era.
Already, Atari has flexed its spending muscle by buying the rights to over 100 retro games, including our clawed crusader. The passing away of Bubsy’s creator, the legendary Michael Berlyn, makes it a bittersweet moment to see the game usher into a new era.
Despite having to endure the heartrending spectacle of Atari burying millions of dollars in unsold games in the New Mexico desert around 40 years ago, fans of the company have held out hope for better days.
So, after a trip down memory lane, we are finally back to our platform-hopping bobcat. Could we see a Bubsy game that takes us on an adventurous journey once more or a battle royale with bobcats? Will Bubsy finally land safely on its feet or will it fall flat, just like Atari’s unsold games?
Look forward to the future, young indie developer. Take a leap, swipe at your sharpest wit, and bring back Bubsy in his true furred glory. Do your thing because the bobcat's future depends on your clawsome pitch!
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