Atari Shifts Towards Online Gaming As Profits Fall

With only games like Blade Kitten and the remake of Haunted House to rely on for the past six months, revenue for the publisher dropped a whopping 56.8%. So where does Atari go from here?

Gamespot is reporting that Atari's half-year earnings (ending September 30) fell from $94 million to $40.8 million, in light of not having a blockbuster similar to Ghostbusters: The Video Game in the past six months. Although the company released fewer games in this window, they were more profitable, resulting in Atari's losses also dropping, from $37.2 million to $12.7 million.

Along with the reported earnings, Atari claimed that it will be focusing more on online, casual, and social gaming in the future. Atari's online revenue, headed by Star Trek Online and Champions Online, rose 43.6% in the same window, so it's probably a smart move for the publisher.