Atarisoft was a

brand name A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create a ...

used by

Atari, Inc. Atari, Inc. was an American video game developer and home computer company founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. Atari was a key player in the formation of the video arcade and video game industry. Based primarily around the Sunny ...

in 1983 and 1984 to market

video game Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, game controller, controller, computer keyboard, keyboard, or motion sensing device to gener ...

s the company published for home systems made by competitors. Each platform had a specific color attributed by Atarisoft for its game packages. For example, video games sold for the Commodore 64 came up in green packages, games for the

TI-99/4A The TI-99/4 and TI-99/4A are home computers released by Texas Instruments in 1979 and 1981, respectively. Based on the Texas Instruments TMS9900 microprocessor originally used in minicomputers, the TI-99/4 was the first 16-bit home computer. T ...

in yellow, games for the

IBM PC The IBM Personal Computer (model 5150, commonly known as the IBM PC) is the first microcomputer released in the IBM PC model line and the basis for the IBM PC compatible de facto standard. Released on August 12, 1981, it was created by a tea ...

in blue, and so on. Atarisoft was so successful during the Christmas 1983 shopping season that the company released games for the discontinued 99/4A. By 1984 a rumor stated that Atari planned to discontinue hardware and only sell software. Despite being in existence for less than two years, Atarisoft had a huge video game library with dozens of game versions being released for various home computers and consoles. Almost all of the Atarisoft titles were produced by third-party software companies, as Atari only developed for their own systems. The Atarisoft label did not bear Atari's recognizable "Fuji" logo nor the official logos of the games, rather, the game names were written in a different typeface. The Atarisoft label as utilized by Atari Inc. was discontinued shortly after

Warner Communications Warner Media, LLC ( traded as WarnerMedia) was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate. It was headquartered at the 30 Hudson Yards complex in New York City, United States. It was originally established in 1972 by ...

sold Atari Inc's consumer division to

Jack Tramiel Jack Tramiel ( ; born Idek Trzmiel; December 13, 1928 – April 8, 2012) was an American businessman and Holocaust survivor, best known for founding Commodore International. The Commodore PET, VIC-20 and Commodore 64 are some home compu ...

in 1984. Many additional titles were in production at the time. Most of these went unreleased although a few were eventually released by other companies. Some titles originally planned for cartridge release such as the C64 Mario Bros. were released on disk instead for cost reasons. Other titles such as the IBM port of Stargate were completed, but never published; they were leaked to BBSes. The new

Atari Corporation Atari Corporation was an American manufacturer of computers and video game consoles. It was founded by Jack Tramiel on May 17, 1984, as Tramel Technology, Ltd., but then took on the Atari name less than two months later when Warner Communica ...

initially used the Atarisoft brand as well. Several

Atari 8-bit family The Atari 8-bit family is a series of 8-bit home computers introduced by Atari, Inc. in 1979 as the Atari 400 and Atari 800. The series was successively upgraded to Atari 1200XL , Atari 600XL, Atari 800XL, Atari 65XE, Atari 130XE, Atari 800XE ...

titles (both game and non-game) were published by Atari UK and Atari France using the Atarisoft label in 1985. Atari did not use the Atarisoft label again after 1985.

Cross-platform games

Released

These were published during 1983–84. Most were released by Atari, Inc., but some of these were released by Atari, Corp. later in 1984. * '' Battlezone'' (

Apple II The Apple II (stylized as ) is an 8-bit home computer and one of the world's first highly successful mass-produced microcomputer products. It was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak; Jerry Manock developed the design of Apple II's foam-mold ...

, C64,

VIC-20 The VIC-20 (known as the VC-20 in Germany and the VIC-1001 in Japan) is an 8-bit home computer that was sold by Commodore Business Machines. The VIC-20 was announced in 1980, roughly three years after Commodore's first personal computer, the ...

, VIC-20) * ''

Centipede Centipedes (from New Latin , "hundred", and Latin , " foot") are predatory arthropods belonging to the class Chilopoda (Ancient Greek , ''kheilos'', lip, and New Latin suffix , "foot", describing the forcipules) of the subphylum Myriapoda, an ...

'' (Apple II,

ColecoVision ColecoVision is a second-generation home video-game console developed by Coleco and launched in North America in August 1982. It was released a year later in Europe by CBS Electronics as the CBS ColecoVision. The console offered a closer exp ...

, C64, VIC-20, IBM PC,

Intellivision The Intellivision is a home video game console released by Mattel Electronics in 1979. The name is a portmanteau of "intelligent television". Development began in 1977, the same year as the launch of its main competitor, the Atari 2600. In 1984, ...

, BBC Micro) * ''

Crystal Castles Crystal Castles was a Canadian electronic music group formed in 2006 in Toronto, Ontario, formed by songwriter-producer Ethan Kath and singer-songwriter Alice Glass, who later left and was replaced by Edith Frances. Crystal Castles were known ...

'' (Apple II, C64) * '' Defender'' (Apple II, ColecoVision, C64, VIC-20, IBM PC, Intellivision, TI-99/4A) * ''

Dig Dug is a maze arcade game developed by Namco in 1981 and released in 1982, distributed in North America by Atari, Inc. The player controls Dig Dug to defeat all enemies per stage, by either inflating them to bursting or crushing them underneath rock ...

'' (Apple II, C64, VIC-20, IBM PC, TI-99/4A, Intellivision) * ''

Donkey Kong is a video game franchise created by Shigeru Miyamoto and owned by Nintendo. It follows the adventures of a gorilla named Donkey Kong and his clan of other apes and monkeys. The franchise primarily consists of platform games—originally s ...

'' (Apple II, C64, VIC-20, IBM PC, TI-99/4A) * ''

Galaxian is a 1979 fixed shooter arcade video game developed and published by Namco. The player assumes control of the Galaxip starfighter in its mission to protect Earth from waves of aliens. Gameplay involves destroying each formation of aliens, who ...

'' (Apple II, ColecoVision, C64, VIC-20, IBM PC,

ZX Spectrum The ZX Spectrum () is an 8-bit home computer that was developed by Sinclair Research. It was released in the United Kingdom on 23 April 1982, and became Britain's best-selling microcomputer. Referred to during development as the ''ZX81 Colou ...

) * ''

Gremlins ''Gremlins'' is a 1984 American black comedy horror film directed by Joe Dante, written by Chris Columbus, and starring Zach Galligan, Phoebe Cates, Hoyt Axton, Polly Holliday, and Frances Lee McCain, with Howie Mandel providing the voice ...

'' (Apple II, C64, IBM PC) * ''

Joust Jousting is a martial game or hastilude between two horse riders wielding lances with blunted tips, often as part of a tournament. The primary aim was to replicate a clash of heavy cavalry, with each participant trying to strike the opponent ...

'' (Apple II, IBM PC) * ''

Jungle Hunt re-released as is a side-scrolling action game developed by Taito and released for arcades in 1982. It was originally distributed as ''Jungle King'', then quickly modified and re-released as ''Jungle Hunt'' due to a copyright dispute over the ...

'' (Apple II, ColecoVision, C64, VIC-20, IBM PC, TI-99/4A) * ''

Mario Bros. is a 1983 arcade game developed and published for arcade game, arcades by Nintendo. It was designed by Shigeru Miyamoto and Gunpei Yokoi, Nintendo's chief engineer. Italians, Italian twin brother plumbers Mario and Luigi exterminate creatu ...

'' (Apple II, C64) * ''

Moon Patrol is a 1982 arcade video game developed and released by Irem. It was licensed to Williams for distribution in North America. The player controls a moon buggy which can jump over and shoot obstacles on a horizontally scrolling landscape as well a ...

'' (Apple II, C64, VIC-20, IBM PC, TI-99/4A) * '' Ms. Pac-Man'' (Apple II, C64, VIC-20, IBM PC, TI-99/4A, ZX Spectrum) * ''

Pac-Man originally called ''Puck Man'' in Japan, is a 1980 maze video game, maze action game, action video game developed and released by Namco for Arcade game, arcades. In North America, the game was released by Midway Manufacturing as part of its l ...

'' (Apple II, C64, VIC-20, IBM PC, Intellivision, TI-99/4A, ZX Spectrum) * '' Picnic Paranoia'' (TI-99/4A) * ''

Pole Position In a motorsports race, the pole position is usually the best and "statistically the most advantageous" starting position on the track. The pole position is usually earned by the driver with the best qualifying times in the trials before the ra ...

'' (

BBC Micro The British Broadcasting Corporation Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, is a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers in the 1980s for the BBC Computer Literacy Project. Designed with an empha ...

, C64, VIC-20, TI-99/4A, ZX Spectrum) * ''

Protector II ''Protector II'' is a video game written by Mike Potter for the Atari 8-bit family and published by Synapse Software in 1982. It is a sequel to 1981's ''Protector''; both games are horizontally scrolling shooters inspired by '' Defender''. ''Prote ...

'' (TI-99/4A) * ''

Robotron: 2084 ''Robotron: 2084'' (also referred to as ''Robotron'') is a multidirectional shooter developed by Eugene Jarvis and Larry DeMar of Vid Kidz and released in arcades by Williams Electronics in 1982. The game is set in the year 2084 in a fictional wo ...

'' (Apple II, BBC Micro/

Acorn Electron The Acorn Electron (nicknamed the Elk inside Acorn and beyond) was a lower-cost alternative to the BBC Micro educational/home computer, also developed by Acorn Computers Ltd, to provide many of the features of that more expensive machine at a p ...

, C64, VIC-20, IBM PC) * '' Shamus'' (TI-99/4A) * ''

Stargate ''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien Einstein–Rosen b ...

'' (Apple II, C64) * ''

Track & Field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

'' (Apple II, C64)

Unreleased

Promoted, partially developed, or fully completed games, but Atari did not publish them. * '' Asteroids Deluxe'' (BBC Micro) * '' Battlezone'' (BBC Micro/Acorn Electron) * ''

'' (IBM PCjr) * ''

'' (IBM PC) * ''

'' (BBC Micro/Acorn Electron, ColecoVision, Intellivision, ZX Spectrum) * ''

'' (BBC Micro/Acorn Electron, IBM PCjr, ZX Spectrum) * '' Donkey Kong Jr.'' (BBC Micro) * ''

'' (Intellivision) * ''

'' (BBC Micro, ColecoVision, C64, Intellivision, VIC-20, TI-99/4A) * ''

'' (Intellivision) * ''

'' (VIC-20, IBM PC, TI-99/4A) * ''

Missile Command ''Missile Command'' is a 1980 shoot 'em up arcade video game developed and published by Atari, Inc. and licensed to Sega for Japanese and European releases. It was designed by Dave Theurer, who also designed Atari's vector graphics game ''Temp ...

'' (Apple II, ColecoVision, C64, VIC-20, IBM PC, Intellivision, TI-99/4A) * ''

'' (ColecoVision, IBM PCjr, ZX Spectrum) * '' Ms. Pac-Man'' (BBC Micro/Acorn Electron, ColecoVision, IBM PCjr, Intellivision) * ''

'' (ColecoVision) * ''

'' (Apple II, Intellivision) * ''

'' (TI-99/4A, ZX Spectrum) * ''

Sinistar ''Sinistar'' is a 1983 multidirectional shooter arcade game developed and manufactured by Williams Electronics. It was created by Sam Dicker, Jack Haeger, Noah Falstein, RJ Mical, Python Anghelo, and Richard Witt. Players control a spacecraft p ...

'' (Acorn Electron, BBC Micro) later published as '' DeathStar'' by Superior Software) * ''

'' (VIC-20, TI-99/4A, IBM PC) * ''

Super Storm ''Slime'' is a video game for the Atari 8-bit family of home computers written by Steve Hales and published by Synapse Software in 1982. The player attempts to protect their ship from a rain of enormous drops of slime by deflecting them into ca ...

'' (TI-99/4A) port of ''

Slime Slime may refer to: Biology * Slime mold, a broad term often referring to roughly six groups of Eukaryotes * Biofilm, an aggregate of microorganisms in which cells adhere to each other and/or to a surface * Slimy (fish), also known as the pon ...

'' * ''

'' (IBM PC) * '' Typo Attack'' (Apple II, C64, VIC-20, IBM PC, IBM PCjr) * ''

Vanguard The vanguard (also called the advance guard) is the leading part of an advancing military formation. It has a number of functions, including seeking out the enemy and securing ground in advance of the main force. History The vanguard derives f ...

'' (Apple II, C64, VIC-20, IBM PC, Intellivision, TI-99/4A)

Releases by Atari UK

Atarisoft Paint and The Pay-Off Floppy Disk

All released in 1985. * ''Chess'' (Atari 8-bit) * ''

Eastern Front (1941) ''Eastern Front (1941)'' is a computer wargame for the Atari 8-bit family created by Chris Crawford and published through the Atari Program Exchange (APX) in 1981. A scenario editor and assembly language source code for the game were also sold ...

'' (Atari 8-bit) * ''

European Countries and Capitals European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine European cuisine co ...

'' (Atari 8-bit) * ''

An Invitation to Programming An, AN, aN, or an may refer to: Businesses and organizations * Airlinair (IATA airline code AN) * Alleanza Nazionale, a former political party in Italy * AnimeNEXT, an annual anime convention located in New Jersey * Anime North, a Canadian an ...

'' (Atari 8-bit) * ''

The Lone Raider ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' (Atari 8-bit) * ''Software Pack'' (''

The Home Filing Manager ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in E ...

'' and '' The Pay-Off'' / ''Paint'') (Atari 8-bit)

Releases by Atari France

All released in 1985. * '' Cameléon'' (Atari 8-bit) * '' Énigme du triangle'' (Atari 8-bit) * ''

Nostradamus Michel de Nostredame (December 1503 – July 1566), usually Latinised as Nostradamus, was a French astrologer, apothecary, physician, and reputed seer, who is best known for his book '' Les Prophéties'' (published in 1555), a collection ...

'' (Atari 8-bit) * '' Promoteur'' (Atari 8-bit)

References

{{reflist Atari Video game companies established in 1983 1983 establishments in the United States