Atari Joy Stick
Image: Atari

In the latest of a long line of corporate takeovers, this one is admittedly much smaller in scope, but significant nonetheless: Atari has acquired MobyGames for $1.5 million.

MobyGames is a highly regarded and renowned video game database that stores information on the medium spanning back to the 1950s. It's a time capsule with thousands upon thousands of resources, including data on just about every single Nintendo release ever along with releases across dozens of platforms.

Atari CEO Wade Rosen had this to say about the purchase:

“The MobyGames community has played a sustained and important role in the documentation, celebration, and preservation of video games, and supporting MobyGames allows us to give back to the community and contribute to its growth and success."

“It’s important to Atari that MobyGames retains every bit of its integrity, and we’re committed to supporting the site in ways that improve the experience for both contributors and users."

It's a bit more of a surprising purchase than other recent major acquisitions in the industry, but Jeremiah Freyholtz, General Manager of MobyGames, who will fortunately be keeping his role at the website, sounds optimistic about the purchase:

“In Atari, MobyGames has found a partner that will provide the investment and support we need to complete long-planned site improvements. I am confident this transition will allow MobyGames to remain an important community-driven project and that Atari’s involvement best positions us for long-term stability and success.”

Atari's unconvincing forays into new retro-styled hardware and other less game-focused areas of business in recent years may give the MobyGames community pause. Hopefully the database will remain a valuable resource for enthusiasts around the world, and Atari keeps to its promise of supporting the site and improving user experience.

These takeovers are becoming a bit of a thing, aren't they? How do you feel about this most recent acquisition? Let us know in the comments.