Atari is bringing its classic games Asteroids and Breakout to blockchain technology in a partnership with Coinbase.
The games will likely be a part of the Onchain Summer celebration and the latest Onchain Arcade, where players can compete for a spot on the leaderboard to earn rewards. Proceeds from Mint go directly to the creators who helped bring these games to life.
Atari and Coinbase said today’s web needs an update, as the corporate web often squeezes creators with arbitrary rules, censorship, digital theft, middlemen, and transaction fees. That’s why Coinbase and Base they began cooperation with Atari, Stack and a handful of creators launched Onchain Arcade, bringing beloved Atari classics including Asteroids and Breakout to the blockchain.
Tyler Drewitz, director of Atari Club and Atari X, told GamesBeat that Coinbase has over 100 million users of its cryptocurrency wallets and services.
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Drewitz said Atari has been involved in blockchain and cryptocurrencies for some time. Former CEO Fred Chesnais was a big blockchain gaming enthusiast and launched a variety of initiatives. After his departure in 2021 (and from the board in 2022), Atari disassociated itself from many previous blockchain gaming projects. However, the company has reconnected and launched Web3 projects with The Sandbox and Polycade in 2022.
“We’re starting out with licensing, and now we’re in the creation phase, working with people who are doing really cool things in this space,” Drewitz said. We’re also launching our own projects.”
Drewitz said Web3 is close to Atari because the company likes to serve and reward individuals who engage with the Atari brand.
“That’s where Atari Club came from. We’re building it and it’s like a reimagining of Atari Club from the ’80s, being able to reward people for interacting with the community and building it in a very native and fun way,” Drewitz said. “We love that partnership. And we did what we’re doing now for the second year in a row as part of Onchain Summer. So last year was a test. See if we could create a cool experience and a cool summer camp party vibe and some exclusive items.”
The Onchain Summer partnership ensures that revenue from game sales is robotically and fairly distributed to the creators — artists, game developers, and others — who bring these beloved games and artworks to life. This solves the problem of creators only receiving a small share of the profits generated by their content and allows them to have more control and be fairly compensated for their work, the corporations say.
You can now relive your childhood memories with Atari classics in the latest Onchain Arcade. Players can prove they are the best and receive exciting prizes including Atari 2600+, gadgets, game codes and more. Weekly prizes will likely be awarded until August 30.
“For over 50 years, Atari has been known for innovation in the gaming industry, and our early adoption of Web3 technology is no different,” said Drewitz. “We’ve found that blockchain technology helps us engage with our community in a variety of ways, from collaborating on new products and social activities, to creating competitive leaderboards and rewarding members for participating. This is our second year participating in Onchain Summer, and we’re excited to delight both new and longtime fans with classic Atari games Asteroids and Breakout on Onchain Arcade.”
Start playing
Players can win every game, participate in competitions, and compete for a spot on the Asteroid (available today) and Breakout (coming soon) leaderboards.
To do this, players need to click on a link, connect or create a cryptocurrency wallet, deposit $5 into the game, and then try to get on the leaderboard and win prizes.
Onchain Summer features special mints, exclusive experiences, and a loyalty game that rewards players with free onchain avatars, prizes, and more.
Onchain technology gives everyone the likelihood to build and create onchain experiences, then get paid directly each time someone mints their work. This Onchain Summer, Atari and Coinbase are encouraging everyone to change into a builder, and users can now visit the Onchain Summer website to discover featured and popular mints.
Players can discover the latest and previous drops, including from Adidas, Team Liquid, Doodles, and onchain creators like Clement Cases x Bendito, on onchainsummer.xyz.
Transition to blockchain light
Drewitz said the team selected Atari’s Asteroids and Breakout because they’re such accessible games and fun to use to spark competition on leaderboards with prizes at stake. Drewitz sees Atari’s approach as “blockchain light,” with Base being a particular focus.
“You’ll be able to buy one of these games with a credit card in a super easy way. It’s very low friction,” he said.
Drewitz said public acceptance of blockchain technology has modified.
“The more really valuable experiences you have and the more fun or interactive games you have within the chain, the better it will look overall,” Drewitz said.
Coinbase is building Base, which is the foundation of the Atari approach.
“They’re focused on implementation and showing people value,” Drewitz said. “Overall, there’s less friction. They’re also trying to create a product that’s quality and just good. They want people to build on the chain, and that’s what we’re supporting here. As this partnership grows, we hope to see more IP with different creators and different owners across our large IP catalog.”
Interoperability has come a great distance in recent years, and that’s one of the goals of Coinbase’s Base. Drewitz said Coinbase does a good job of constructing it easy to play and transact across several types of Web3 games, and it integrates with Web2 platforms as well.
“I think it’s a natural evolution where the underlying technology will enhance the experience,” he said. “From an ease-of-use standpoint, that’s where cross-chain comes in. We’re no longer talking about HTML on the web or web servers on the web. The main selling point is the game.”
Drewitz hopes Atari will help tame the image of the Wild West on Web3, so that folks feel comfortable and understand that being on chains is secure and fun.
“That’s where Coinbase is really pioneering, especially with this whole Onchain Summer thing that they’re doing. And that’s what we’ve seen over the last few years. That’s why we wanted to be a part of it last year. And that’s what we’re seeing this year,” Drewitz said. “They’re really making it accessible and fun. And that’s the next step. And then once people understand that it’s not all bad, and it’s fun and easy, they can continue to do more of it.”
Players will receive advantages from blockchain purchases, resembling Easter eggs and exclusive items, Drewitz said. There will likely be some exclusive Easter eggs. Atari is running a summer camp based on old Atari video games from the Nineteen Eighties, where players could experience retro experiences.