Atari today posted a wider quarterly loss, as sales fell 44 percent mainly due to it releasing fewer titles amid a transition to new video game console technology. Net loss for the quarter was $25.2M, compared to a net loss of $16.9M at this time last year. Marc Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure is getting pushed back from its November release date to Q4 (Jan-March 2006). Read more for further details ...

Atari and Rising Star Games today announced a deal which will see Atari distributing Rising Star's five upcoming titles. A joint venture between Japanese publisher Marvelous Interactive Inc. and long-standing Japanese Nintendo distributor Bergsala AB, Rising Star's mission is to bring the very best Japanese titles to PAL territories worldwide.

Meridian4 is thrilled to announce that it has signed a deal with Atari to exclusively distribute their games in North America throughout all retail channels, starting with the Sci-Fi Action/RPG, Space Hack.

X05 is being held today, and here is a deluge of screens from the various X360 titles that are being presented:

• Alone in the Dark
• Test Drive Unlimited
• Timeshift
• Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure
• Driver Parallel Lines

Video game publisher Atari said on Friday it signed a deal to sell its Humongous Entertainment studio business for $10.3 million to Atari's controlling parent, France's Infogrames Entertainment.

Atari announced today that it will showcase three of its most eagerly anticipated video games at Gen Con Indy 2005, taking place August 18-21, 2005, at the Indianapolis Convention Center in Indianapolis, IN. Titles scheduled to be on display include Dungeons & Dragons Online: Stormreach, Dragonshard, and The Matrix: Path of Neo.

Last week Atari has its annual gamers/press day, Atari University 2005. We have fresh new screenshots for you to check out from the follow games :

• Dragon Ball Z:Budokai Tenkaichi
• Dragonshard
• Dungeons and Dragons Online
• Mark Ecko's Getting Up Contest Under Pressure
• RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Wild!
• The Matrix: Path of Neo
• Indigo Prophecy

With a new engine, improved graphics and an extended list of features, GT Legends will provide high authenticity, a detailed presentation and thrilling entertainment behind the steering wheel of an untamed racing beast. 10TACLE Studios concludes a far-reaching distribution agreement with Atari for its new motor sports simulation GT Legends, extending their sales territory to Scandinavia and the German-speaking countries.

Atari today announced financial results for Q1 2006, ended June 30, 2005. Net revenue was $24.2M, down from $108.1M from Q1 2005, and net loss for the quarter was $32.8M, compared to net income of $12.1M at this time last year. The revenue drop is primarily due to the success of last year's DRIV3R (PS2/Xbox) and Atari's decision to release fewer products in order to focus on producing higher quality titles. Read more for further details ...

Atari today announced that it will publish new vehicle action title 'Crashday' developed by new teams Moon Byte and Replay Studios. Crashday blends elements of all the best action games such as Burnout, Stuntman, Destruction Derby, Flatout, Track Mania, Tony Hawk and Carmageddon into one glorious package for destruction fans.

Atari announced today that it has signed a licensing agreement with Activision to include Pitfall! and River Raid in Atari's forthcoming Atari Flashback 2. Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Atari's first home game console, PONG, Atari Flashback 2 features more than 40 classic games, including arcade classics, previously unreleased titles from the Atari vault and rare homebrew games created by fans and supporters of Atari's early console models.

With the first Rollercoaster Tycoon 3 expansion pack Soaked! only a few weeks out in stores, Atari has revealed that Frontier Developments is already working on a second expasion pack for its theme park simulator. Atari Germany has 'RollerCoaster Tycoon 3: Wild!' scheduled for a November release, although no further details as to what the expansion pack will include are available at this point. More to follow soon no doubt ...

Atari today announced that it will distribute the forthcoming addictive puzzler 'Archer MacLean's Mercury' in key territories UK, France and Germany. Published by Ignition Entertainment and developed by Awesome Studios for PSP, Mercury has been specifically designed for the new gaming PlayStation Portable, which launches across Europe in September 2005.

Atari today announced that James Caparro has resigned his position as Atari's President and CEO, effective immediately. The board of directors appointed current Chairman and Chief Creative Officer, Bruno Bonnell, to act as CEO on an interim basis.

Atari has named Marc Metis as its Senior Vice President, Marketing, effective immediately, it was announced today by Jim Caparro, President and Chief Executive Officer. Metis will be responsible for driving the marketing for all of Atari's interactive products and will oversee the Marketing team, including advertising, media buying and channel marketing, product marketing and publicity, and market research.

Atari today announced the summer launch of Atari Flashback 2.0, the follow-up to the holiday 2004 hit, the Atari Flashback Classic Game Console, which shipped more than 550,000 units to retail. Atari Flashback 2.0 will be modeled after the Atari 2600 console and heralds in the 30th anniversary of Pong.

Atari today announced that Hollywood actor Arnold Vosloo will lend his likeness to Saul Meyer, the hero of the forthcoming PC title Boiling Point: Road to Hell due for European release in May 2005. Players will come face to face with Vosloo’s well known features during the game’s many cut scenes, as well as on the front of pack and in advertising for the game.

Atari announced today that it has entered into an exclusive agreement with Spark Unlimited for worldwide publishing rights across all media to all future titles developed by the award-winning creative team at Spark Unlimited, the studio behind the recent hit console game Call of Duty: Finest Hour.

Moonbyte Studios and Replay Studios are happy to announce that the stunt racing game "Crashday" will be published by Atari in Germany and is going to be released in late 2005! Crashday puts you in a world of stunts, dents and adrenalin. Your task is to scrap your vehicle with breathtaking stunts or to wreck cars in aggressive street races, showing your opponents that they made a fatal mistake in choosing you as their enemy.

Atari announced today that it has signed a worldwide publishing agreement with French developer Quantic Dream, and will be bringing Indigo Prophecy to North America. Indigo Prophecy, previously known as Fahrenheit, is a spectacular interactive thriller, set in New-York, gives gamers the unique chance to play both hunter and fugitive, which in turn leads them to speak, explore, interact, fight and confront unknown dark forces.

Right after its financial results last year, Atari shut down Unreal 2 developer Legend Ent., and a few months later Deer Hunter powerhouse WizardWorks was next. This year is not looking any different as Atari revealed its still dropping financial results and to no surprise, decided to close down its publishing studios in Santa Monica, CA and Beverly, MA, and moving the functions handled by those studios to Atari's HQ in New York. On top of that the results also reveal that Liquid's Dragonshard and Deep Shadows' Boiling Point have been delayed until fiscal 2006, anywhere between April 2005, all the way to March 2006. We tried to contact Atari for comments but so far no replies.

Metropolis Software and licensing partners Schanz International Consultants are happy to announce Atari, Deutschland as the German partner fro the sneak-em-up action game, Aurora Watching from the house of Metropolis Software in Poland. Atari, will distribute this exciting action packed game in all German territories and bring it to stores in March 2005.

Atari announced today that it will continue its long-standing successful relationship with FUNimation Productions, Ltd. through a new five-year exclusive license for the Dragon Ball franchise covering the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa. Under the new agreement, Atari will have the rights to develop interactive video games based on the Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT animated series and characters for all current and future gaming consoles and portable gaming devices, such as the NDS and PSP.

Atari will revisit the roots of modern video games with a contemporary spin with its upcoming Retro Atari Classics for the Nintendo DS. The game, expected to be available in March 2005, will reinvent 10 classic Atari titles with fresh graphics provided by world renowned graffiti artists. The game will also take advantage of all Nintendo DS innovations, including dual screen gameplay, touch screen controls, and wireless play.

Atari has appointed entertainment industry veteran James Caparro President and Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately, it was announced today by Bruno Bonnell, Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of the Company. Mr. Caparro, who has been a Member of Atari's Board of Directors since February 2002, assumes the responsibilities of the Chief Executive Officer previously held by Mr. Bonnell.