Even those who are not that familiar with the gaming industry probably heard of Atari, one of the pioneers of both hardware and software aspects of arcade gaming. The company was founded by Ted Dabney and Nolan Bushnell and was launched with iconic games like Pacman, which proved to be a timeless classic that is played even today. Even though the company faced periods of hardship, it managed to make a comeback with an intelligent approach that appealed to a generation of nostalgic gamers. Today, however, like many other companies, Atari sees the opportunity in blockchain technology. The latest venture with Decentral Games proves that Atari wants to revitalize its business segment and join the cryptocurrency train. The timing is excellent, but that’s not enough. Execution will be crucial.
Blockchain and casinos as a fresh blow of wind into the wings
Although being an up-and-coming technology, blockchain is still facing a lot of challenges, with casino segment, in particular, where we can see this tech meeting skepticism and interest alike. When combined, blockchain and casinos offer a unique perspective of how this industry might work in the future, bringing benefits to online casinos and betting agencies, especially those operators such as Rizk, which offer both services. This means Canadians can bet online using websites that also have online casino games in their offering. Still, as new technology paves the way for a more unique experience, like the one Decentraland offers, even companies that are not traditionally involved in the casino industry, will look into it for the sake of diversification.
Playing the nostalgia card
It is a well-known statistic that Millennials are a different breed when it comes to consumer habits, usually responsible for disrupting more traditional and less flexible markets. Part of the problem is that we like to compare them to Boomers and Gen X. Millenniala don’t buy diamond and don’t go to casinos as much as previous generations. But they are nostalgic and will put their money on games they played as kids. It’s probably one of the reasons why Atari decided to turn classics like Pac-Man and Space Invaders into casino games with this project, instead of offering something more traditional, like BlackJack or Roulette, proving that companies need to be more creative if they want to capture attention of newer generations.
An event joined by a record-breaking crowd
Atari-themed casino was presented to a record-breaking crowd of 3700 people in a ceremony featuring American DJ Dillon Francis platinum-selling artist. Decentral Games already launched two virtual casinos before this Atari branded one in their virtual Vegas City. Visitors of Decentraland will be able to play games from Atari and earn $DG tokens, Decentral Games’ currency. Decentral Games also have NFT store, which players can use to buy NFT’s.
Wearing those can boost the $DG mining rate. Atari and Decentral Games have big expectations. The new casino is expected to reach USD150 million in transactions this year alone, and USD400 million in the next two years, adding to the massive $12.6 million Decentral Games’ treasury already owns.
