Atari acquires Wizardry 1–5 rights

Atari said on May 6 that it acquired the complete and exclusive rights to the first five Wizardry games and their underlying intellectual property, adding a foundational computer role-playing series to its retro-game catalog. The company named the deal in a Business Wire release and said it covers Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, Wizardry II, Wizardry III, Wizardry IV and Wizardry V. Atari did not disclose financial terms. The announcement also drew a clarification from Japanese company Drecom a day later about which Wizardry rights changed hands and which did not. ### Which Wizardry games did Atari actually buy? Atari said the acquisition covers the first five Wizardry titles released between 1981 and 1988, along with “many other Wizardry-related video games, contract rights, and other related intellectual property.” The five named games are Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, The Knight of Diamonds, Legacy of Llylgamyn, The Return of Werdna and Heart of the Maelstrom, Atari said. The company described those entries as the “Original Wizardry” and “The Llylgamyn Saga,” language that points to the early branch of the franchise rather than the later numbered sequels. (businesswire.com) ### Why did Drecom issue a clarification the next day? Drecom said on May 7 that some media reports incorrectly stated Atari had acquired Wizardry intellectual property rights from Drecom itself. Drecom said that was “not true” and that it had “no intention” of selling the trademark rights or other rights it holds to Wizardry. Drecom said Atari had acquired the rights to the first through fifth installments from the original rights holder, while Drecom would continue to hold the Wizardry trademark rights in Japan and overseas and manage the Wizardry IP brand. (businesswire.com) Drecom separately said in a 2024 company post that it had acquired the copyrights to Wizardry 6, 7, 8 and Wizardry Gold, along with domestic and international Wizardry trademark rights, in 2020. (drecom.co.jp) ### Does this include Wizardry 6, 7 and 8? Atari said in its release that Wizardry titles 6, 7 and 8 are owned by Drecom and are based on a different fictional universe. That statement drew a practical line around the transaction: Atari’s announcement was about the earliest games, not the entire numbered series. Industry reports following the announcement repeated that split. (drecom.co.jp) Gematsu and RPG Site both reported that Atari had secured the first five games, while Drecom retained trademark control and rights tied to later entries. ### What does Atari say it plans to do with the rights? Atari said it wants to bring the games back through expanded digital and physical distribution, plus remasters, collections and new releases. (businesswire.com) The company also said it sees merchandise, card and board games, books, comics, and TV and film projects as part of a longer-term franchise plan built on the original Wizardry games. (gematsu.com) Wade Rosen, Atari’s chairman and chief executive, said the company saw a “rare opportunity” to republish, remaster and bring console ports and physical releases of the early games to market. Robert Woodhead, a Wizardry co-creator, said he would be watching as Atari reintroduced the games on new platforms and to new audiences. (businesswire.com) ### Why was Atari already involved with Wizardry before this deal? In 2024, Atari studio Digital Eclipse published a remake of Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, the first game in the series. Atari said that remake used the 1981 game’s original code as a base and introduced upgrades for modern PC and console players. (businesswire.com) That earlier release helps explain why Atari moved on the broader package of rights around the original five games. Atari did not say on May 6 when any remasters, collections or new products tied to the newly acquired rights would be released. Atari’s next public details are likely to come through its corporate releases or product pages, where the company has already listed the 2024 remake and its game catalog. (businesswire.com) As of May 17, Atari had not published deal terms or a dated release schedule for additional Wizardry projects. (atari.com)