Atari is acquiring the assets of Wonder, a gaming company that created a hybrid gaming platform for Android mobile devices.
It’s a bittersweet moment for Wonder, as its ambitious platform wasn’t able to succeed on its own. But under Atari, its dream will continue. The purchase price was not disclosed.
New York-based Atari plans to use the WonderOS and other assets to bring cross-platform functionality to the Atari VCS game console and other devices.
Andy Kleinman, a longtime entrepreneur and former Disney executive, founded Wonder in 2016. The company tried to innovate in mobile devices and created the WonderOS, an Android-based hybrid mobile gaming and entertainment platform.
Wonder’s investors include Shakira, Gerard Pique, Baron Davis, late NBA Commissioner David Stern, as well as gaming leaders such as Sega’s Hayao Nakayama and Atari’s original founder Nolan Bushnell. Other investors included Grishin Robotics and TCL Communications.
The WonderOS technology was designed to unify mobile, console, and PC gaming experiences, offering an ecosystem that gives access to multi-platform games, entertainment apps, and streaming services — locally or through the cloud.
Above: Atari will bring cross-platform functions to Atari VCS.
Atari anticipates incorporating WonderOS into the development roadmap of the Atari Video Computer System (Atari VCS) and making it available across mobile devices, which will further expand the capabilities and reach of the home gaming and entertainment system.
As Atari continues to grow its mobile game business, and re-enter the home hardware market with the new Atari VCS, the WonderOS and mobile IP will make an important contribution in the coming years as the company drives to make mobile gaming and content streaming persistent and pervasive for consumers, Atari said.
“It was a good opportunity,” said Kleinman, in response to why he sold the company, in an email. “What we are doing was very hard to continue doing independently. I decided it was better to find a partner that could invest resources and bring a credible brand to bring our technology and strategy to market.”
Atari CEO Frédéric Chesnais said in a statement that Atari has a strong mobile gaming business and incorporating Wonder’s technology will accelerate mobile integration within the Atari VCS platform, while better positioning Atari to capitalize on the promise offered by 5G digital cellular networks.
Wonder raised $14 million in funding.
Author: Dean Takahashi.
Source: Venturebeat
