Top 10 of 2009: News
What were the key stories running through the past year? Find out here
Number 9: Atari, the Trickiest Brand?
Atari's fall from grace in the past few years is well-documented, but 2009 should have been the realisation of a new set of forward-thinking ambitions based on new, agile development methods and the prioritisation of the online business model.
In 2008 a new management dream team consisting of well-respected pair David Gardner and Phil Harrison - of EA and Sony pedigree respectively - was unveiled, with other key talent including SingStar's Paulina Bozek joining not long afterwards.
A little over a year ago I sat with then-president Phil Harrison on the eve of the Unity Conference in Copenhagen as he took me through the new strategy for the firm, which had been in turmoil for a number of years as Infogrames.
Then - and now - that business philosophy is compelling, but as as 2009 unfolded, so the plans seemed to unravel as the worldwide economic situation grew steadily grimmer and a quick return on investment for shareholders became an increasing (and unrealistic) priority.
At the end of March Atari announced that it had brought forward its planned divestment of the remaining share in the distribution joint venture set up with Namco Bandai in a move which gave the company a bit of breathing space.
But May was probably the most significant month, starting with an agreement with Sony to publish flagship title Ghostbusters, with exclusivity for the PlayStation platforms - although at the time doubt was cast over whether the non-PlayStation editions would ever see the light of day.
Shortly thereafter it officially pulled out of exhibiting at E3 in a bid to keep costs down, while at the end of that month Harrison left his role as president of the company.
"Because of a shift of business operations to the US, Phil Harrison will move from the role of president to that of non-executive director of the group. As all board members, he will continue to assist, support and guide the company's strategy," said Atari, not mentioning anything about the plans he'd initially mapped out.
Financial results subsequently indicated that the US distribution business - the bit not sold off in the Namco Bandai deal - was the company's biggest earner, contributing over 83 per cent of its Q1 revenues.
But the year ended with the news earlier this month that Gardner also left his role, replaced as CEO by former Take-Two exec Jeff Lapin, who'd been with Atari since 2007 and was promoted to COO in May.
"For the last two years, first as a director of the board and then as COO, I have contributed to the transformation of Atari," he said in a statement. "It has been a challenging time, which resulted in a new publishing strategy with a strong online focus and a shift of the operations to the US.
"We will launch our second MMO game - Star Trek Online - in February 2010. I am excited to take on these new responsibilities at this important time and look forward to developing Atari's strategy to bring the company back to profitability."
Star Trek Online, now in beta testing, could hold the key to some longevity for the publisher - but with the dream team come and gone in the space of 18 months, 2010 is likely to be the year that the company actually does reinvent itself - as it's been promising to do for a long time - or the year in which the problematic brand is laid to rest once and for all.