Online game writer Atari has purchased the rights to Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 from developer Frontier for $7m.
(To be clear, Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 itself is value a lot much less – round a fiver on Steam.)
The deal means Atari might be thought-about the sport’s writer going ahead, and is now the only real writer of all main Rollercoaster Tycoon video games – the great ones and the unhealthy ones – within the veteran theme park sim sequence.
“As we have a good time the twenty fifth anniversary of Rollercoaster Tycoon with [series creator] Chris Sawyer, I’m actually happy that we will unite this necessary and profitable title within the sequence with the remainder of the franchise,” mentioned Atari boss Wade Rosen in an announcement.
Precisely what this may imply for the franchise going ahead (are we now due a RCT3 remake? a brand new cellular port?) is unclear, although Rosen talked about “new alternatives for Atari” and “advantages to the followers of video games throughout the Rollercoaster Tycoon franchise”.
Atari already owned the rights to most different Rollercoaster Tycoon titles, together with (deep breath): Rollercoaster Tycoon Basic, Rollercoaster Tycoon 2, Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, Rollercoaster Tycoon Deluxe, Rollercoaster Tycoon Joyride, Rollercoaster Tycoon World, Rollercoaster Tycoon Puzzle and Rollercoaster Tycoon Contact.
The writer has plans to create new video games and proceed promoting the previous ones, in addition to to “discover model and merchandising collaborations as part of a long-term plan to bring the franchise to new heights.
Atari’s possession of Rollercoaster Tycoon up to now has not been with out controversy. Its 2016 effort Rollercoaster Tycoon World was extensively panned (we warned readers to remain effectively clear in Eurogamer’s Rollercoaster Tycoon World review), particularly after the launch of Frontier’s personal Planet Coaster.
In 2017, Frontier announced it was suing Atari over unpaid royalties regarding Rollercoaster Tycoon 3, and claimed it was owed $2.2m.
In 2020, Atari announced it was turning RollerCoaster Tycoon into a match-three game, dubbed RollerCoaster Tycoon Story.
I may go on. On the upside for Frontier, nonetheless, the British firm will seemingly be completely satisfied to get the money, following a interval of uncertainty that has prompted it to refocus its efforts after suffering layoffs and lackluster game sales.