Atari Signs with Universal to Turn 10 Classic Games into Films

Atari’s long-running game library is getting a major Hollywood push: Universal Pictures is developing large-scale films based on 10 classic Atari titles. The move matters now because it signals confidence that even extremely simple arcade-era mechanics can be stretched into ongoing movie franchises—and because it places Atari alongside the growing list of console-to-theater successes.

What happened

Atari has signed a deal with Universal Pictures to develop movies based on 10 of its most recognizable classics. The slate includes Pong, Asteroids, Centipede, and Missile Command, alongside Adventure, Berzerk, Breakout, Crystal Castles, Millipede, and Yars’ Revenge.

The announcement was confirmed by Atari chairperson and CEO Wade Rosen in an interview with Deadline. Atari’s partners on the development side include Universal and Entertainment 360. Universal is already reported to have a screenplay written by Matt Reilly and Carl Hampe, giving the project more momentum than many game-to-film attempts that can stall before a script ever lands.

Entertainment 360 executive Guymon Casady—previously a co-executive producer on Game of Thrones—is attached to the first project. Casady’s framing of the appeal is that Atari’s games may be small in scope, but they’re evocative enough to leave room for audiences to imagine what’s missing—an approach that can translate well when expanding a game’s core premise into a full narrative structure.

Atari’s own history helps explain why these specific titles are in focus. The company was a formative force across arcades, home consoles, and early personal computing, and its cartridge-based Atari 2600 era helped cement gaming in the living room. Several of the selected games—like Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, Adventure, and Yars’ Revenge—are still widely remembered as genre-defining classics.

Why it matters

The biggest question is also the most interesting: many of these games don’t come with built-in stories by modern standards. That’s exactly why the adaptation challenge could become a creative strength. A game such as Asteroids already suggests a space-adventure framework—pilots defending Earth or surviving a debris-filled catastrophe—while Adventure naturally points toward fantasy themes like castles and dragons.

Even titles built around minimal gameplay loops can be reinterpreted. Pong, for example, could become thematic inspiration for a drama if writers lean into the contrast between simplicity and meaning—though the source material notes that this would require “clever writers” to handle the creative leap.

This deal also arrives as Hollywood’s attitude toward video game adaptations continues to improve. The source highlights the Super Mario films as a standout example of the genre’s mainstream pull, with the franchise surpassing $1 billion worldwide. It also points to other major releases in the pipeline, including Capcom’s Street Fighter (scheduled for October 2026) and Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda live-action feature (targeting May 2027).

Atari’s proposal for 10 movies doesn’t guarantee that every game will immediately become a standalone film. Still, the breadth of the slate suggests the industry is willing to treat classic Atari titles as franchise material rather than one-off curiosities.

What to watch next

The path from announcement to theaters is rarely straight. The source stresses that scripts can be rewritten, projects can change hands, and some may never reach production.

There are already signs that timing and development history will matter. Universal previously acquired rights for an Asteroids film in 2009, while separate Missile Command and Centipede projects were announced years earlier but did not reach theaters. Compared with those earlier efforts, the current agreement has stronger immediate footing because a screenplay is already in place.

As development moves forward, the key things to track will be which title becomes the first active production, how the team expands gameplay concepts into narrative arcs, and whether Universal’s confidence turns into a full multi-film rollout—or a smaller set of films that prove the most adaptable.

Practical takeaways for fans

• Expect creative reinterpretations: several Atari picks are simple arcade concepts, so the films will likely build new story frameworks around them.
• Watch the first project closely—Entertainment 360’s Guymon Casady is attached, which may set the tone for the rest of the slate.
• Don’t assume all 10 become standalone movies immediately; the deal signals potential franchise plans, not guaranteed one-film-per-title production.
• Follow early script and casting developments, since past Atari-related film attempts didn’t always reach theaters.
• If you’re a competitive or esports viewer, keep an eye on how these adaptations might influence future game narratives and branded events—especially for classic mechanics.

Expert View

Atari’s move is a smart bet on a specific kind of IP: iconic mechanics rather than prepackaged lore. For players, that’s exciting because it invites fresh interpretations of games that were never built to be cinematic. For Universal, it’s also a test of whether the industry’s current appetite for game-based franchises can sustain adaptations where the “story” has to be invented from scratch. If the first film lands well, Atari’s classics could become less like museum pieces and more like durable franchise engines—exactly the kind of mainstream continuity Hollywood has been chasing.