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Your Atari 2600 probably hasn’t gotten much use in recent… decades, but that could change very soon. Via its Atari XP initiative, Atari is releasing three new cartridges for the system this May, complete with an entirely new physical design and unique numbering for collectors. One of these games is the successor to an absolute classic, and in the future, a fourth particularly legendary Atari game is getting the treatment, as well.
Shipping this May, the three Atari 2600 games coming via Atari XP are Yars’ Return, Saboteur, and Aquaventure. In contrast to the basic labeling of original-era 2600 games, these limited-edition versions have detailed illustrations on the label. Yars’ Return, for instance, shows a big creature front-and-center with the environment in the background. None of these games got releases on the original 2600, though Saboteur was designed by Yars’ Revenge (and ET) creator Howard Scott Warshaw and had been planned for it. Yars’ Return did not feature his involvement, nor did Aquaventure.
One more game is planned for the program at a later date: Adventure. The legendary game did release on the Atari 2600, so we may get more popular games from the console in the future.
Limited-edition bundles for Atari XP games come with the cartridge, an “extended instructional manual with bonus material,” an enamel pin, a collectible patch, and a digital version playable on the new Atari VCS console. You can read more about the program on the official website, and you can check out Howard Scott Warshaw’s book Once Upon Atari to see how the legendary designer “killed an industry” that was already heading into a death spiral when he had to create ET in just five weeks.
