Atari has acquired the “complete and exclusive rights” to the first five games in the original Wizardry RPG series, including related intellectual property from the original rights holder.
The firm noted that Wizardry 6, 7, and 8 are owned by Japanese publisher Drecom and are set in a separate fictional universe.
Drecom clarified that it still owns and manages the Wizardry trademark worldwide and has “no intention of selling the trademark rights or other rights to Wizardry titles it holds in the future.”
“Our company has previously received notification from Atari that it acquired the rights to the first through fifth titles of the Wizardry series from the original rights holder,” it said (via Rock Paper Shotgun).
“Our company will continue to hold the domestic and international trademark rights to the Wizardry series and will continue to manage the Wizardry brand.”
The acquisition also includes additional Wizardry-related video games, contract rights, and associated intellectual property from the original universe.
Atari plans to expand digital and physical distribution through remasters, collections, and new releases. It also intends to develop card and board games, books, comics, and TV and film projects to build an entertainment franchise based on the original games.
Atari’s Digital Eclipse published a remake of Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord in 2024. Atari acquired Digital Eclipse in 2023 in a deal valued at up to $20 million.
“Wizardry is such an influential RPG franchise, yet many of the games have been unavailable for more than two decades,” said Atari CEO Wade Rosen.
“We are excited to have this rare opportunity to republish, remaster and bring console ports and physical releases of these early games to market.
Wizardry franchise co-creator Robert Woodhead added: “When Andrew Greenberg and I created Wizardry back in the 1980s, the video game industry was still in its infancy, and the original games were some of the first to bring the role-playing experience to PCs and consoles.
“As Atari continues to reintroduce the games on new platforms and to new audiences, I’ll definitely be paying attention to the reactions of gamers who decide to take on a real old-school challenge.”
