Atari: "We don't have room for mistakes"

David Gardner, chief executive officer of Infogrames, has told GamesIndustry.biz that the rejuvenated Atari business doesn't have room for mistakes.

New Atari products have got to sell well for the publisher as it reboots the business, with Gardner keenly aware of the increasing competition in the videogame market.

"There are always competitor threats, because we can't control the competition," detailed Gardner, speaking exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz at a publisher event in Paris.

"I think the steps that we have to take have to deliver - we don't have a lot of room for mistakes, we're threading the needle a little bit.

"When you're smaller it's just not as easy to recover when things don't sell," he added.

The company still plans to release traditional videogame products – classic franchise Alone in the Dark is set to return this June – but it's the company's developments in the online space where it hopes to innovate and carve out a lucrative niche.

Joining the company earlier this year, Phil Harrison, former Sony Worldwide Studios boss and now president of Infogrames, stated that his reasons for getting behind the Atari brand were its willingness to embrace the future of online gaming.

Speaking in Paris this week, Harrison further detailed the company's interests in online gaming.

"One is that the Flash technology is getting better all the time, so there is just a rising tide that means in-browser doesn't mean simple 2D any more," he said. "You can have 3D really immersive experiences."

"The second thing is for downloads that actually, clicking and buying, or trying and buying, and downloading - you have the rising tide of broadband speeds and the ubiquity of connections in the home.

"Both of those we can turn to our advantage," added Harrison.

The full interview with David Gardner and Phil Harrison we be published on Monday.