Home Gaming Atari’s bringing Asteroids back…as an MMO?

Atari’s bringing Asteroids back…as an MMO?

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asteroids

Remember Atari’s classic arcade game Asteroids. Yes, the one that features a little vector ship going about shooting at and breaking up space blocks? Well it’s coming back. Atari’s rebooting the franchise. So what’s it going to be? A Space shooter in the vein of Elite or Star Citizen? An arcade space shooter? It has to be about dudes in spaceships shooting at asteroids right? It has to be! Nope. Asteroids is coming back as an open-world survival MMO. You can’t make this stuff up.

Called Asteroids: Outpost, the brand new, PC-exclusive MMO has you playing as a miner trying to survive on an asteroid.

“Asteroids: Outpost reinvents the classic Atari title as an open-world, sandbox-style, survival experience, where players mine, build and defend their base and grow their fortune as they go ‘from rocks to riches,'” Atari said in an announcement. “While on a massive, unforgiving asteroid, players face the challenges of exploring the asteroid, collecting resources, scavenging for ore, crafting equipment, and expanding their territory as they build highly customised bases – all while forming alliances and fighting off other players in challenging multiplayer gameplay.”

asteroidsOutpost

Beyond being set on an asteroid, there’s very little this game has to do with them, or the arcade classic. More of a survival MMO in the vein of DayZ, it has the tiniest, most tenuous link to its forebear: “Recurring showers of smaller asteroids represent a source of wealth and a threat as players shoot down these incoming projectiles to defend their claims and harvest their components.”

Why does this even have the Asteroids name attached to it?

“We’re paying homage to the original Asteroids by incorporating classic features such as asteroid blasting capabilities, while introducing a completely new premise and gameplay,” said Atari CEO Fred Chesnais . “Asteroids: Outpost will appeal to both fans of the classic Asteroids as well as enthusiasts of immersive survival games and expansive MMOs.”

Okay then.

Last Updated: February 11, 2015

16 Comments

  1. RinceThis

    February 11, 2015 at 10:09

    What? $5 to kill a rock?

    Reply

    • DJSkippy

      February 11, 2015 at 10:25

      You see that red switch? The one used to fire the weapons…Well that’ll be five dolla

      Reply

      • Hammersteyn

        February 11, 2015 at 10:36

        10$ to prevent loadshedding

        Reply

        • DJSkippy

          February 11, 2015 at 10:44

          Your Stars Foretell : By S. Com (The Future Made Clear – dark, but
          clear-eish)

          Aries
          (Mar 21 – Apr 21) : Things will be pretty dark for you today, unless you
          remember to buy new torch batteries.

          Taurus
          (Apr 21 – May 21) : You’ll probably eat cold, raw food again today. Try
          to remember to get that gas cylinder filled! Be cheerful, though, and
          remember that your ancestors lived like this and survived – 25,000 years ago.

          Gemini
          (May 21 – Jun 22) : There will be a programme on TV tonight that you’ll love.
          Bummer that you can’t watch it ’cause it’s on during your allotted
          “block” in the Eskom disco derby…

          Cancer
          (Jun 22 – Jul 23) : Thought you were smart buying that generator? But we
          know you’re going to run out of fuel tonight and the nearest working petrol
          station is 20km away. As you get there, we’ll cut their power… Sorry.

          Leo
          (Jul 23 – Aug 24) : Another morning without that essential cup of coffee awaits
          you… If you make it to 10am we’ll reward you with enough power to make
          some, but by then you’ll probably have killed 3 people and severely injured a
          4th. (Don’t worry, though. This is the New SA – you’ll probably get
          away with it.)

          Virgo
          (Aug 24- Sep 23) : Not for very much longer… What else is there to do
          after dark?

          Libra
          (Sep 23 – Oct 23) : Your star-sign stands for fairness and justice.
          That’s why we’re going to hit your area with three 2hr outages a day,
          while the area where your local MP stays will enjoy uninterrupted power
          throughout.

          Scorpio
          (Oct 23 – Nov 23) : Your area’s assigned outage “block” is from 10:00
          to 12:30. Expect the power to go off any time before or after that.
          And don’t think it will only be out for two-and-a-half hours, either.

          Sagittarius
          (Nov 23- Dec 22) : Today you’ll buy some food that is apparently within its
          sell-by date. What you won’t realize is that the sell-by date is for food
          that has been stored in a constantly operating fridge…. Although you’ll
          get severe food poisoning, we think you may survive if you can find an
          emergency ward that has back-up generators. Good luck!

          Capricorn
          (Dec 22 – Jan 21) : Don’t bother to go to work today. During the hours
          when you actually will have electricity, your network provider will not, so you
          won’t be able to do anything anyway. Stay home and well…. there’s not
          much to do there either, is there?

          Aquarius
          (Jan 21 – Feb 20) : Today you’ll get so fed up with our incompetence that
          you’ll decide to emigrate. We regret to inform you that this is no longer
          possible… The airports have all shut down, because – well think about
          it! They need electricity to run the place!! You ain’t going –
          nowhere…

          Pisces
          (Feb 20 – Mar 21) : Today all your hopes and dreams will come true.
          You’ll have power during “Days of Our Lives”.

          If
          today is your birthday
          : Use lots and lots of candles on that cake – even if they don’t reflect your
          age. How else are you going to see to open the presents?

          You
          will receive the ideal gift – your very own miner’s helmet!!

          Reply

          • Hammersteyn

            February 11, 2015 at 11:09

            Lololololol

  2. Ghost In The Rift

    February 11, 2015 at 10:14

    Yeah, wait….now i can react Armageddon with a bunch of weird dudes online????

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief

      February 11, 2015 at 10:23

      As long as you don’t wanna close your eyes…

      Reply

      • Ghost In The Rift

        February 11, 2015 at 10:26

        LOOOOL

        Only loved that song in Saints Row 4!!

        Reply

  3. RinceThis

    February 11, 2015 at 10:21

  4. Admiral Chief

    February 11, 2015 at 10:23

    Needs more subscriptions and F2P model and microtransactions and then it will be complete

    Reply

  5. Viking Of Science

    February 11, 2015 at 10:33

    Go home Atari, you’re drunker now than in 2008…

    Reply

  6. Hammersteyn

    February 11, 2015 at 10:35

    Asteroids: Outpost sounds more like Missile Defender

    Reply

  7. Gareth L (That eXCheez Guy)

    February 11, 2015 at 10:40

    One fault I have with your headline, Geoff. Atari today is (or was) Infrograms, renamed and rebranded; it is not the same “Atari” that made Asteroids. 😉

    Reply

  8. CrasH

    February 11, 2015 at 13:04

    Soo… space engineers… just with 1 server?

    Reply

    • Happy Meal

      February 11, 2015 at 13:37

      sounds like you hit the nail on the head

      Reply

  9. Kromas Votes LAG WCMovie Event

    February 11, 2015 at 14:05

    Already made. Go check out space engineers.

    Reply

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