Atari has announced the acquisition of the rights to Chris Sawyer’s transport simulation game Transport Tycoon. Transport Tycoon was first released in 1994 for MS-DOS by Microprose, and put players in control of a transport company in the 1930s while taking them with creating an empire, using a variety of vehicles, including trucks, trains, ships, planes, and helicopters, to move cargo and people around a map. The game was a huge success with critics and later spawned an expanded version named Transport Tycoon Deluxe in 1995, while also getting ports for Mac, PS1, Sega Saturn, iOS, and Android, along with a fan-made open-source remake named OpenTTD, which is available for free on Steam & GOG that makes the deluxe version of the game run significantly better on modern operating systems, expands the game’s features, and allows for greater modding capabilities.
Atari chairman and CEO Wade Rosen said in a press statement, “We are honored that Chris has entrusted us with Transport Tycoon, and our team is committed to both honoring and advancing his groundbreaking creation.” and notes that “Atari will seek to expand digital and physical distribution, potentially develop new titles or content, and explore brand and merchandising collaborations as part of a long-term plan to preserve and expand this classic sim.” It is also important to mention that Atari also owns the sole publishing rights to Sawyer’s classic theme park sim series RollerCoaster Tycoon and the Transport Tycoon spiritual successor Locomotion.
