EXCLUSIVE: Dan Cutforth & Jane Lipsitz, the Emmy and IDA Award-winning filmmakers from Alfred Street Industries, have been tapped to direct and produce a limited docuseries on the iconic consumer brand and interactive entertainment producer, Atari.
The series, tentatively titled Game Changers: The Story of Atari, will present Atari’s definitive history and anticipated future. Founded in 1972, Atari is an arcade game pioneer also responsible for video game consoles like the Atari 2600. Currently, the company owns and/or manages a portfolio of more than 200 games and franchises, including world-renowned brands like Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command, Pong, and RollerCoaster Tycoon.
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April 2021 marked the beginning of a new era for Atari, as Wade Rosen was named CEO, beginning to work with his team to reignite the legacy brand, while remaining conscious of its unique place in video game history, media and pop culture. Under his direction, Atari has returned to its roots in premium game development and publishing, releasing new titles and bringing more content to PC, console, and streaming platforms.
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“The story of Atari would seem almost unbelievable if the people who lived it weren’t still here to tell the tale,” said Cutforth in a statement to Deadline. “These maverick innovators survived everything from corporate malfeasance to Mafia death threats to create the household name games and groundbreaking technology that launched and shaped the video game industry.”
Lipshitz added that their Atari series “is not just the epic 50 year saga of a legendary brand,” but also serves as “a fascinating and hilarious oral history of the video game industry and the Silicon Valley tech revolution.”
Nodding to Atari’s “rich, fifty-year history that fans continue to celebrate and explore,” Rosen added that the company is “looking forward to working with Alfred Street Industries to share our story with existing fans and bring new fans into our growing community.”
Cutforth and Lipsitz are the producing team behind such hit unscripted series as Is It Cake? (Netflix), Project Runway (Bravo) and Project Greenlight (Max). Previously, the pair have also backed top-grossing concert docs like Justin Bieber: Never Say Never and Katy Perry: Part of Me — both for Paramount — while premiering other documentary works at the SXSW, Sundance and Sundance London Film Festivals. The duo founded Alfred Street Industries in 2019 and serve as co-CEOs.
Atari is repped by IAG; Cutforth & Lipsitz by WME.