// startup autopsy

Atari SA

The French-American publisher of Atari, Driver, Roller Coaster Tycoon and Dungeons and Dragons filed Chapter 11 in January 2013 after decades of mismanagement.

founder chaosSlow Death

Years-long decline before final shutdown · Fatal mistake: Strategic Failure

Founded	1999
Closed	2013
Country	France
Sector	Gaming

Key Events Timeline

1999-01

FOUNDING

Atari SA founded

2006-06

CEO CHANGE

Leadership crisis or CEO change

2013-06

SHUTDOWN

Slow Death: Atari SA ceases operations

Full Analysis

Analyst plan

Documented cause

Atari SA (formerly Infogrames) was a French game publisher that acquired the Atari brand in 2008. Multiple blockbuster franchise mismanagement: Driver series declined, Dragon Age-style games missed, Ghostbuster...

s underperformed. Restructured through multiple subsidiaries. The US unit filed Chapter 11 January 2013 to separate from the French parent. The Atari brand sold to an investor group.

Verified lesson

“Gaming brand acquisitions without first-party game development investment are extractive, not creative. The Atari brand ...”

Unlock full lesson →

€1.2B

Peak valuation

HypeCycle · MoatType · ResearchTags

Atari SA raised €500M before strategic failure ended it. See the documented cause, verified lesson and all failure signals.

Unlock full analysis →Create free account

See all plans·Analyst plan — €149/mo

Key Events Timeline

Documented cause

Verified lesson

Similar patterns