Atari has announced the acquisition of the rights to the legendary Wizardry franchise, specifically securing the exploitation rights for the first five installments, originally released between 1981 and 1988.
These early Wizardry titles are considered among the most influential RPGs in history. Wade Rosen, CEO of Atari, stated that many of these games have been unavailable for over two decades, and this acquisition presents a “rare opportunity” to bring them back through re-releases, remasters, and console ports. Robert Woodhead, co-creator of Wizardry, expressed his anticipation of player reactions to experiencing these “truly old-school” challenges on new platforms.
The positive reception of Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord in 2024, a remake by Digital Eclipse of the 1981 original (also published by Atari), suggests a strong potential for these classic titles. The remake was praised by critics and players alike, successfully introducing the foundational dungeon crawler to a new audience.
Beyond the games themselves, Atari plans a long-term strategy to transform Wizardry into an entertainment franchise akin to Dungeons & Dragons, encompassing merchandise, card and board games, books, comics, and film and television projects.
It’s important to note that Atari’s acquisition covers the first five titles. Rights to Wizardry 6, 7, and 8 remain with the Japanese company Drecom, which developed the recent gacha game Wizardry Variants Daphne. Unlike the classic entries, this modern title has been described as a “truly new-school challenge.”
