Remember Atari? If you were a gamer back in the 1980s (or before that, even) you know all about Atari. The popular video game company was the name to beat in video games for many years. Sadly, Atari went down the tubes when the general public lost interest in video games and gaming consoles (strange times, those eighties). You may have thought that Atari went under when the popular games no longer sold, but this isn’t the case. Atari still exists today, and the company is looking to make a comeback in the form of mobile apps.

Presently, Atari is still banking on the fact that you remember those old game titles. Titles like Pong and Asteroids. Atari has already released a Greatest Hits game series on Android and has recently released an iOS version of Asteroids. The games aren’t beating Rovio’s popular Angry Birds, but they are generating a lot of buzz. Now, Atari has told press that the company will be making ever attempt to stay in the gaming business.

Breakout: Boost

On December 8th, 2011, Atari will release Breakout: Boost. This iOS game will be a modern version of the old Breakout game. Atari hasn’t released many details of this game, but you can bet it will be popular for awhile. What I have been able to discover is that the game will consist of five obvious levels with an additional two-hundred levels that can be purchased through the app. If you’re into breaking bricks, this might be the ultimate time-suck – or, it might provide a much needed trip down memory lane.

So, what about the future of Atari? Why is the company holding onto 65 people? Why does the company exist at all? If you thought that Atari was a thing of the past, you might want to pay attention to gaming over the next year or so. Rumour has it that Atari is currently hiring developers, and the company has told press that it is aiming to stay in the mobile game. You might not see any Atari consoles hitting markets within the next year (possible in a couple of years though), but you can bet on seeing new Atari titles showing up on an iPhone or Android phone near you.

Can Atari Compete?

If we’ve learned any lesson from Rovio, it’s that mobile games don’t always pan out. Sure, Angry Birds was an instant and massive hit, but Rovio developed many additional games prior to the Angry Birds success. All of these games fizzled out quickly. Atari has already gained success during the 1980s – can this company rise once again? It’s rare that a video game company can generate a large amount of success twice, but Atari may have its fingers on something the public is not aware of quite yet.

After all, Atari is hiring new developers, and this must mean that the company is looking to develop some new games, or, perhaps, simply work on the old games to bring them up to modern speed. Either way, if you’re an Atari fan, you might want to pay attention to video game news within the next few months. If you have an iPhone, you will be able to get a first taste of Atari’s new foray into the mobile world on December 8th.