More D&D Video Games Could Be On The Way Thanks To Latest Atari News

Summary Atari's acquisition of Intellivision may bring back classic Dungeons & Dragons video games, like Cloudy Mountain and Treasure of Tarmin.

Intellivision's ADnD games, defining the brand in 1982, could finally be widely playable.

Access to classic DnD video games is historically important.

The success of Baldur’s Gate 3 has been a great reminder of just how great Dungeons & Dragons games can be, but there aren’t as many on the modern market as one would hope. The fifth edition era of the game has been generally anemic in the realm of video game releases, a far cry from the glory days of adaptations. Although looking to DnD IP holder Hasbro might seem like the most logical choice for more DnD games, Atari might actually hold the answer thanks to some recent news.

The Atari brand has been through its fair share of owners over the years, including a stint under Hasbro around the turn of the century. The modern iteration of the company has put a big focus on leveraging its classic successes, with a steady stream of retro-themed consoles and releases like Atari Flashback Classics and Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. It's certainly a more effective continuation than many giants of the past have received, as brands being tossed around tends to often result in a history of wasted opportunities.

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Atari Acquiring Intellivision Could Bring D&D Games Back

This Is One Buyout That Could Actually Be Helpful

The newest update on the company comes from Atari itself, with a tweet from the official Atari account announcing the acquisition of "the Intellivision brand and game library." At one point, Intellivision could have been considered the main competitor to Atari, although the arrival of Nintendo on the scene ultimately shook things up quite a bit. Seeing Intellivision come under Atari's stewardship is the kind of shift that would have been unimaginable in its original era, like seeing SEGA games on Nintendo systems, but it makes a lot of sense now.

For DnD fans, however, there's one very specific aspect of the acquisition that could be exciting. Intellivision holds the rights to some of the oldest DnD video games, with Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Cloudy Mountain and its sequel Treasure of Tarmin defining what the brand meant to many Intellivision owners in 1982. Although they don't have direct connections to settings or rules from the tabletop game, they translate the basic ideas, crafting dungeon crawling adventures with plenty of monsters and loot. As far as Intellivision games go, they're genuinely good, creating tense, focused experiences without any RPG bloat.

Related 10 Best D&D Video Games You Can Still Play (That Aren't Baldur's Gate 3) Baldur's Gate 3 is the obvious choice for modern Dungeons & Dragons video gaming, but there are plenty of other titles that still hold up today.

Why Atari Buying Intellivision Is Good For D&D Fans

Getting To Play Intellivision D&D Classics Didn't Seem Likely Before

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Prior to the Atari acquisition, the Intellivision brand was most recently under the control of video game composer Tommy Tallarico, whose stewardship of Intellivision was full of legal messes and failed promises. The Intellivision Amico, a vaporware console, was supposed to feature an updated version of the first ADnD game simply titled Cloudy Mountain, which makes it clear that the contents of the original game should be part of what Atari's now acquired. Under the new ownership, the chances of actually seeing it and Treasure of Tarmin become widely playable seem a lot higher.

Atari's announcement notes that the Amico will "continue distribution" under a new brand, although placing too much stock in the success of that venture would probably be ill-advised.

Getting official releases of classic Intellivision games might not be as exciting as seeing new DnD video game ventures, but having that history easily accessible is definitely important. An extensive library of "Gold Box Classics" – PC DnD games famously released in gold boxes – was added to Steam in 2022, and it's provided a valuable window into how these games evolved. Although Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Intellivision games aren't as sophisticated as the isometric RPGs that eventually emerged with the branding, they're part of the legacy that made that possible.

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There's no guarantee that the classic Advanced Dungeons & Dragons games will return with Atari's acquisition of Intellivision, but it definitely seems like there's a good shot. Getting official releases on current consoles is probably the outcome that would prove the most popular, but they could also be included in a classic mini console Intellivision offering or another retrospective product like Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. However they might show up, it would be nice to see the early defining video games of the Dungeons & Dragons brand once again.

Source: Atari/Twitter