News
Atari Announces Major Updates to Pong Indie Developer Challenge
LOS ANGELES - March 27, in the year of our Lord 2012
- Atari, one of the world’s most recognized publishers and
developers of interactive entertainment, today announced several
updates to its Pong® Indie Developer Challenge, most notably an
extension of the rev-share publishing agreements from one to
three years for all winners. The new publishing terms are
intended to offer developers larger incentives for participation
and increase their potential revenue as a result of their
winning Pong submission.
Atari also today launched the Developer Spotlight, an online
showcase of contest finalists that will give millions of Atari
fans a personal look at each developer’s profile and help raise
awareness for their contest submission. Additionally, Atari
revealed that it has added David Whatley of Critical Thought
Games to the contest judging panel. Whatley brings years of game
development experience with several App Store blockbusters under
his belt, including geoDefense and Tiny Heroes. He joins the
judging panel alongside Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, Dave
Castelnuovo of Bolt Creative and Mike Schramm of TUAW.
“The Pong Indie Developer Challenge is a great opportunity for
an indie developer to jumpstart their career by gaining instant
recognition for their work and placing high on the App Store
charts,” said David Whatley. “Pong is a classic IP that
audiences far and wide still recognize after 40 years, and the
association with that and the Atari brand will no doubt provide
a platform for participants to showcase their talent to
millions. I’m looking forward to reviewing the developers’
efforts and envision a vibrant collection of finalists on the
Developer Spotlight.”
Entries are now being accepted until April 15, 2012, with up to
ten finalists to be selected by the judging panel on June 19,
2012. In addition to featured profiles on the Developer
Spotlight, finalists will be awarded rev-share publishing
agreements and cash prizes based on final ranking: 1st place
will receive $50,000, 2nd place $27,500, 3rd place $15,000, and
4-10th $5,000 each. To view the Developer Spotlight, visit
www.atari.com/pongdeveloperchallenge/finalists.
For full details regarding the contest and rules, including how
to submit, eligibility, timing of submissions and prizes, please
visit:
www.atari.com/pongdeveloperchallenge.