PONG has returned!
The classic arcade game was first released by Atari in 1972 and is considered one of the first commercially successful video games. Now, the NYC-based company has reimagined it as a role-playing adventure game.
“PONG as an RPG is something completely unexpected but wonderful in execution,” Atari CEO Jean-Marcel Nicolai said in a statement released Tuesday. “We are thrilled to bring PONG Quest to life in honor of the classic IP and bring the beloved gameplay to a new generation of players and RPG fans.”
In PONG Quest, the player controls a personified version of the familiar PONG paddle as they venture through “treacherous” dungeons inspired by other iconic Atari titles like Centipede and Asteroids. Throughout the game, the player will face off with other paddle-people in classic pong battles with an “RPG-esque” twist. The ultimate goal is to rescue Pong World from a mysterious threat called “the Spooky Door.”
Outside of the game’s campaign, players will also be able to customize their paddle-people and battle up to three friends at a time in an online multiplayer mode using more than 50 ball power-ups that grant unique abilities.
Atari says PONG Quest will cost $14.99 and will be made available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and on Steam this spring.
