Atari has acquired emulation studio Implicit Conversions for an undisclosed amount.
Implicit Conversions specialises in porting classic games to modern consoles using proprietary emulation technology, enabling titles to be brought to platforms regardless of the availability of source code.
The studio notes in a blog post that it has worked with Atari over the last year, through preservation firm Digital Eclipse, on Mortal Kombat: Legacy Collection, Rayman, and more titles to be announced.
Implicit Conversions co-founders Bill Litshauer and Robin Lavallée have assumed new roles, with Litshauer as head of operations and Lavallée as studio head.
As part of the agreement, Implicit Conversions will provide additional support to Atari “in various capacities.”
“Implicit Conversions’ ability to work with 32-bit era games using their proprietary Syrup engine complements our existing expertise with 8 and 16-bit era games,” said Atari CEO Wade Rosen.
“Alongside the Bakesale Engine (Digital Eclipse) and the Kex Engine (Nightdive), we now have an enviable source of proprietary tools, and more engineering talent that will enable us to continue to expand our capabilities across our own catalogue as well as the back catalogue of our IP partners.”
Lavallée added: “Implicit Conversions, Atari and their amazing studios have a shared passion for retro games, and a shared belief that accessibility is the cornerstone of preservation.
“When you combine our large portfolio of owned-IP and our strong relationships with major IP holders, we have a lot of opportunity in front of us. We look forward to working with even more owners of classic-IP to fully take advantage of these exciting technologies.”
Atari acquired Quake developer Nightdive Studios for $10 million in March 2023, making it a wholly owned subsidiary.
The following October, Atari acquired Digital Eclipse for $20 million. The studio is best known for remastering retro games such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Cowabunga Collection.
