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A modern-day Asteroids could combine space and survival

With Atari back from the brink of extinction once again, the publisher has shifted its focus from a game maker to a license holder that finds development partners to create modern-day interpretations of its library of classic franchises.

In an interview during PAX Prime 2014, Atari CEO Fred Chesnais explored his ideas for a modern-day Asteroids experience, saying it could combine the franchise's classic gameplay with survival concepts found in popular titles like Day Z.

"So for Asteroids, the initial game was – you remember the game – you get crushed by the asteroids. So what happens now? You land on the asteroid. And then what you have to do is you have to survive on the asteroid. So you can have an Asteroids game, which is basically a survival game in space," Chesnais tells Joystiq.



"You can have a survival game on an asteroid that combines crafting, space survival, PvP, PvE. And I think that's very relevant in the current world when you have games like Day Z and Nether, that are doing very well on Steam. Just to give you an idea."

"The games are great. They're awesome. We love them and we're passionate about them. They were made very well the first time," Senior Product Lead Peter Banks says. "We've done plenty of exercises where we've remade them as they were, but the reality is there's so much more to them. So much more to the idea of the IP, so we're not just bringing them back exactly as they were. We're putting our 2014 glasses on: 'What would this game be if we made it today?'"

When asked if his concept was stream of consciousness during the interview or an actual product in development, Chesnais says: "Coming soon. And I would play that game."

"Stay tuned," Banks adds.

[Image: Asteroids, Nether]