We have reported several times on Ubisoft's financial difficulties, with a number of high-profile missed sales targets in recent years. This led to them being forced to enter into an in-depth partnership with Chinese company Tencent this spring.
We don't know if there are any links to today's events, but it is now confirmed that they have also sold a number of their smaller - but acclaimed - franchises to Atari. The press release tells us that these are Cold Fear, I Am Alive, Child of Eden, Grow Home, and Grow Up. Atari's vice president of new business, Deborah Papiernik, is naturally delighted with this and comments:
"Millions of players have experienced these worlds over the years, and this will open the door for long-time players to revisit those memories while inviting new audiences to discover them for the first time. Atari has a rich gaming legacy and deep appreciation for these classic titles, we're excited to see how they'll evolve and connect with players in fresh, meaningful ways."
Atari boss Wade Rosen also had some official comments about the acquisition, explaining that the company is "excited to reintroduce these titles while also exploring ways to expand and evolve these franchises."
Atari has obviously bought these series to use them, so hopefully it won't be too long before they reappear in revitalised form, and perhaps there will even be a sequel or two?