How important is Alone in the Dark?

The infamous publisher Atari was just recently removed from The NASDAQ Global Market due to the fact that the company's shares are worth less than $15 million dollars. Atari is expected to appeal this decision, but one can only wonder if this is a hole that they will be able to pull out of.

The removal from NASDAQ is just one of Atari's recent setbacks. Earlier this year, the company had their CEO, David Pierce, quit after only a year of holding the position. In February 2008, Atari had reported a $20 million loss in the nine month period ending on December 31, 2007. This report was followed by NASDAQ threatening to delist Atari. On May 7, 2008, NASDAQ followed through with their threat and removed Atari from its listings.

What will happen to Atari next?

Atari's majority shareholder, Infogrames, has announced that they will be purchasing the remaining shares of Atari and making it a wholly owned subsidiary. The purchase price for the remaining shares of Atari has been locked in at US $1.68. This, of course, is based on the value of the company before the release of Alone in the Dark. This also means that Infogrames will be getting a great deal if Alone in the Dark rings up strong sales receipts.

The opposite could be true as well. Should Alone in the Dark fail to register impressive sales numbers, the future of the Atari brand will be rather cloudy. Infogrames could potentially dissolve Atari and take control of its remaining franchises. This would certainly seem like the next logical step in the event of a flop, especially considering the fact that Infogrames previously licensed the Test Drive franchise from Atari.

The ground work for this may have even started in late 2007 when Atari stated in a press release that the company had “agreed to the transfer of certain employees, with such employees' acceptance, from the production and development businesses of Atari, Inc. to Infogrames.” Although the actual positions moved to Infogrames were not announced, one can only speculate that this was in preparation for the transfer of Atari franchises under development to Infogrames.

Law and Order Meets Demons

Alone in the Dark provides gamers with a cinematic style of gameplay. Atari has stated that development team has modeled the game after TV show dramas and even went so far as to bring Lorenzo Carcaterra, a New York Times best-selling author, in to write the script. The goal was to not only model the game after a TV Drama, but to also add an element of mystical evil to it. To help convey this feel, they have also put a lot of effort in bringing Alone in the Dark up to par with other games on the market.

Alone in the Dark is set in New York City and revolves around the idea that Central Park is a safe haven for things not of our known reality. The truth behind the park had been guarded for generations, until Edward Carnby, a paranormal investigator, begins to unravel the true dark purpose behind Central Park.

Gameplay

Atari claims that individuals will be able to do anything that is possible in the real world within Alone in the Dark's world. Supposedly, gamers will be able to use various objects within the game to create weapons that they can use on the in-game enemies. If Atari is indeed able to live up to their promise, than we may find ourselves ditching Garry's Mod for Alone in the Dark.

Each part of the game is presented in a variety of chapters, much like those on a DVD. This helps to further project the overlying theme of a TV drama. It also helps to bring in a much broader range of audiences, who may not have the time to play through the entire game. This feature will definitely help bring in the more casual adventure gamer, but have enough action to bring in the more mainstream audience.

Graphics

Ever since the first showing of Alone in the Dark in E3 in 2006, the graphics have been taken to an even further detailed level. For example, your inventory is actually shown as the jacket your character is wearing. Eden Studios, the development team behind Alone in the Dark, has even gone so far as to create very detailed fire effects that will help to immerse you into the story. All of this is tied into a graphics engine that uses multiple light sources, High Dynamic Range lighting and other special camera effects that will help to create a feel of drama.

Final Thoughts

Alone in the Dark is only about a month away from release. If Atari is able to truly immerse the player and deliver on its promises, than they may be in luck. A big hit could lead to further sequels that will help bring Atari out of the red and into the black. However if they are not, than this may be one of the last titles we see with the Atari branding.