Atari 50 says ‘Happy Holidays’ with 12 pack of new games in free update

The celebration of all things Atari is about to get quite a bit bigger. An update with 12 new games is heading to the game this week.

Twelve classics, under the tree

Released in 2022, Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration was already one of the best ‘collections’ in recent years. Loaded with titles from throughout the company’s eight console-deep history, it’s was a roster that actually included Jaguar games, revisiting that era for the first time ever.

But that wasn’t all, as the bundle also provided an interactive museum of sorts, allowing fans to read and watch historic tales. If you missed it, and you’re an Atari fan, it’s worth another look even in its base form. Now though, even those who played the stock set of titles to death will probably want to fire it up again.

Just today, Atari announced that 12 more games are making their way to the set for December 5th, all of them from the legendary 2600 console. And lest you think even that’s it, think again. Atari and developer Digital Eclipse are preparing even more for Atari 50, as this is just the “first of many” updates set to drop.

Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration’s holiday update brings 12 new titles to the anthology, giving novice gaming historians an even deeper look into the legacy of the grandfather of the gaming industry. A mix of prototypes, homebrews, and official titles, this new update seeks to expand the library of the interactive virtual museum Atari 50 brought to players in 2022. This update isn’t exhaustive, though — it’s the first of many planned by Atari and its partner in video game preservation Digital Eclipse. Future planned updates will expand the title’s repertoire with more games, concept art, and additional behind-the-scenes interviews with industry legends.

Atari press release

You’ll note that there are no actual game titles in that announcement, and there are none in the remainder of the press release either. So it does seem as though Atari means to surprise with what’s included. The publisher does state that this first dozen will be “fan-favorite” games though, so you can use your imagination as to what will be on the list.

And again, this is just the first. With more planned, Atari fans can start dreaming now about what might be aimed at future drops. Personally, we’re hoping that some of the licensing gets sorted for a few of the Jag’s biggest and best games, since those games aren’t readily available in any form today.

Stay tuned.