Atari timeline, 1971 to today

1. 1971

   • DecemberNutting Associates put Computer Space, the coin-op game designed by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, into production.(They Create Worlds (Alexander Smith))

2. 1972

   • JuneArticles of incorporation for Atari, Inc., successor to the Syzygy Company of Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney, were filed in California on June 27.(Michael Current)
   • SeptemberAtari, Inc. put a Pong prototype in a table-top cabinet and placed it on test at Andy Capp's Tavern in Sunnyvale, California.(Michael Current)
   • NovemberAtari, Inc. introduced Pong by selling twelve of the thirteen upright prototype cabinets built so far, ten of them to three California distributors.(Michael Current)

3. 1973

   • SeptemberKee Games was incorporated on September 25; majority owned by Atari, Inc., it was run to appear as an upstart rival.(Michael Current)

4. 1975

   • MarchAtari, Inc. agreed with Sears to sell its home Pong only through Sears until the end of 1975, under the Sears Tele-Games brand.(Michael Current)

5. 1976

   • OctoberWarner Communications acquired all the stock of Atari, Inc. for about US$12 million in cash and US$16 million in debentures.(Michael Current)

6. 1977

   • Atari, Inc. launched the Video Computer System, later called the 2600, with Combat as its pack-in cartridge.(Atari Archive)

7. 1978

   • DecemberOn December 28 Nolan Bushnell became a creative consultant and Ray Kassar became president and chief executive of Atari, Inc.(Michael Current)

8. 1979

   • AugustAtari, Inc. released Lunar Lander, its first coin-op to use the QuadraScan vector display.(Michael Current)
   • OctoberFormer Atari, Inc. programmers Alan Miller, David Crane and Bob Whitehead founded Activision with Jim Levy on October 1.(Michael Current)
   • OctoberAtari, Inc. shipped its first home computers, the 400 and the 800.(Michael Current)
   • NovemberAtari, Inc. released the upright Asteroids cabinet and introduced the game to operators at the AMOA trade show.(Michael Current)

9. 1980

   • MarchAtari, Inc. released Space Invaders, licensed from Taito, for the VCS.(Atari Archive)

10. 1981

    • OctoberAt the AMOA show Atari, Inc. released Tempest, its first game with the QuadraScan Color vector display.(Michael Current)

11. 1982

    • AprilAtari, Inc. marked the release of Pac-Man for the VCS with a National Pac-Man Day on April 3.(Michael Current)
    • OctoberAtari, Inc. shipped the 5200 console, in its original four-port model, with two controllers.(Michael Current)
    • DecemberOn December 8 Warner announced that quarterly earnings would fall far below Wall Street's expectations, citing a sudden slump in sales at Atari, Inc.(Michael Current)
    • DecemberAtari, Inc. introduced the 1200XL home computer at the Plaza Hotel in New York on December 13.(Michael Current)
    • DecemberAtari, Inc. released E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial for the 2600.(Michael Current)

12. 1983

    • JuneAt the Summer CES in Chicago Atari, Inc. introduced the 600XL and 800XL home computers.(Michael Current)
    • JulyWarner announced on July 7 that Ray Kassar had resigned as chairman and chief executive of Atari, Inc. and would be replaced by James J. Morgan.(Michael Current)
    • SeptemberThe Alamogordo Daily News reported that Atari, Inc. was crushing and burying truckloads of games at the local landfill in New Mexico.(Michael Current)

13. 1984

    • MayAtari, Inc. introduced the 7800 ProSystem at a press event in New York on May 21.(Michael Current)
    • JulyWarner sold the home video game and computer businesses of Atari, Inc. to Jack Tramiel's Tramel Technology, Ltd. on July 2.(Michael Current)
    • JulyOn July 11 Tramel Technology was renamed Atari Corp., and Warner's remaining Atari, Inc. became Atari Games, Inc.(Michael Current)

14. 1985

    • JanuaryAtari Corporation showed the 520ST, a 68000-based computer with 512K of memory, at the Winter CES in Las Vegas.(Compute!, issue 59)
    • FebruaryWarner agreed to sell control of the Atari coin-op business to Namco through a new company, AT Games, which would operate as Atari Games.(Michael Current)
    • JulyAtari Corporation shipped the 520ST in the United States with a mouse, a disk drive and the SM124 monochrome monitor.(Michael Current)

15. 1986

    • JuneAt the Summer CES in Chicago Atari Corporation said the 7800, packed with Pole Position II, was now shipping.(Michael Current)
    • NovemberAtari Corporation made its initial public offering of shares on November 7.(Michael Current)

16. 1987

    • FebruaryAtari Corporation introduced the XE Game System, sold with a keyboard, joystick and light gun, at the Toy Fair in New York.(Michael Current)

17. 1989

    • AprilAt Spring COMDEX in Chicago Atari Corporation introduced the Portfolio, a handheld PC developed by DIP, at US$399.(Michael Current)
    • JuneAt the Summer CES Atari Corporation introduced its Portable Color Entertainment System, which would ship as the Lynx.(Michael Current)
    • NovemberAtari Corporation held the US launch event for the Lynx in New York on November 21, at US$179.99 with California Games.(Michael Current)

18. 1992

    • AugustAtari Corporation introduced the Falcon030 multimedia computer at the Atari Messe in Düsseldorf, Germany.(Michael Current)

19. 1993

    • NovemberAtari Corporation announced on November 23 that the Jaguar was shipping to stores in the New York and San Francisco areas.(Michael Current)

20. 1994

    • SeptemberUnder agreements signed with Sega on September 26, Atari Corporation licensed a library of its patents for US$50 million and sold Sega US$40 million of its stock.(U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission)

21. 1995

    • SeptemberAtari Corporation announced the release of the Jaguar CD drive at US$199, bundled with Blue Lightning and Vid Grid.(Michael Current)

22. 1996

    • FebruaryAtari Corporation and the disk drive maker JTS announced on February 13 that they had agreed to merge.(Michael Current)
    • MarchWMS Industries acquired Atari Games Corporation from Warner Communications on March 29.(U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission)
    • JulyJTS Corporation completed its acquisition of Atari Corporation on July 30.(U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission)

23. 1998

    • FebruaryJTS sold the Atari intellectual property rights and license agreements to HIAC XI, a Hasbro Interactive subsidiary, for US$5 million in cash.(U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission)

24. 1999

    • MayHasbro Interactive released its rights to the Jaguar, so developers could publish Jaguar software without a license from Hasbro.(Hasbro Interactive press release, via Internet Archive)
    • NovemberAtari Games Corporation was renamed Midway Games West on November 19, and the Atari Games brand gave way to Midway.(Michael Current)

25. 2001

    • JanuaryInfogrames Entertainment completed its US$100 million purchase of Hasbro Interactive, whose assets included Atari, on January 29.(GamesFirst! (press release))

26. 2003

    • MayInfogrames, Inc. changed its name to Atari, Inc. on May 6, with the new NASDAQ ticker ATAR.(U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission)

27. 2009

    • Infogrames Entertainment, parent of Atari, Inc., reported that its board had decided to rebrand the French group as Atari.(Game Developer)

28. 2013

    • JanuaryAtari, Inc. and three other US companies of the group filed for Chapter 11 in New York on January 21 to separate from their French parent.(PR Newswire)

29. 2014

    • AprilExcavations at the Alamogordo landfill in New Mexico recovered Atari cartridges buried in 1983, among them copies of E.T.(The Henry Ford)

30. 2026

    • JulyAtari SA completed its cross-border conversion into a Luxembourg société anonyme, effective July 6, moving its seat from France.(Atari (press release))