Alone In The Dark Delayed as Atari Stalks More Profitable Days

Atari recently hold its annual press event in Las Vegas and laid down the details for its upcoming lineup of games. In June, Atari reported earnings for its 2006 fiscal year, which turned out to be one of its worst on record. This time, the game publisher kicks off with the grand scheme to come back in business with a vengeance. There was talk of external development, better quality control, and a new presence over the Internet. The next step for Atari is the September release of Test Drive Unlimited for Xbox 360, key move towards "improving profitability". The game will arrive on PC and PlayStation 2 the following month and PlayStation Portable will follow soon, in November.

We learn more via Gamespot. Atari boss Bruno Bonnell thinks the increased power of next-gen consoles will help lower development costs over time. In a conference call, he told analysts that another of Atari's most awaited games won't be out until its 2008 fiscal year (which starts in April 2007). "We are announcing effectively Alone in the Dark as one of our franchisees for the future. It will be probably the hit of our next year." After confirming that the game was coming to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Bonnell talked about the future of the brand. "We actually are extending Alone in the Dark to some other formats right now we have not even announced yet I don't want to be forward, but it will be announced shortly." No PC version was mentioned.

Bonnell also revealed the Driver/Reflections and Stuntman/Paradigm deals are part of a bigger campaign, with the latest chapter in Atari's ongoing property sell-off saga being the April sale of TimeShift to Vivendi Games. The three deals raised a combined value of $37 million, with TimeShift's price tag of $4 million. With several franchises sold and Alone In The Dark delayed, one can't but wonder just how much is left from the old Atari, the company that used to be a landmark in the game developing scene. We'll have to wait one more year and see if the delay was justified, or simply wishful thinking.