Atari Launches Pong Indie Developer Challenge, Contest Rules Deemed Exploitive
February 29, 2012
Atari has just announced a competition that calls on independent app developers to create an iOS version of their classic arcade video game Pong, which this year celebrates its 40th anniversary along with its parent company. The competition challenges developers to re-imagine Pong for iOS devices and promises monetary rewards as well as publishing contracts to the winners, reports TUAW's Mike Schramm, who is one of the three industry VIPs tapped to serve on the judging panel.
"The Pong Indie Developer Challenge is a great opportunity to celebrate the 40th anniversary of an iconic game franchise," said Jim Wilson, CEO of Atari. "We are enthusiastic about working with the independent developer community to evolve Pong through a wide variety of creative concepts and gameplay experiences that will further engage our Atari fan base and introduce new consumers to this pioneering video game franchise."
But some developers are not as enthusiastic to take on the challenge after reviewing the official contest rules. Apparently, as highlighted by developer Brian Robbins, Atari will have exclusive ownership of all submissions, win or lose. The contest also entails a couple of elimination rounds, starting from the deadline of submission of entries on Mar. 31, that will narrow down the entrants to 20 semifinalists and then to ten finalists. These chosen entrants will have to build playable prototypes of their game ideas at their own expense.
Another point of contention is the actual mode of rewarding winners. Atari's press release vaguely states the top prize as "up to $100,000," and you'd think the winner will indeed be rewarded with cash close, if not equal, to that amount. But the truth of the matter is that from the ten finalists the top three entrants will be determined and will each be given a different percentage of the purported $100,000 prize according to their position, with the opportunity to earn the rest of the $100,000 from royalties drawn from the sales of the final Pong app. But even that so-called opportunity is restricted by a revenue share term of only 12 months.
In its need to stay afloat in a rapidly developing gaming landscape, Atari has released several hit games that are essentially remakes of its classic arcade titles adapted for the iOS platform, including Atari's Greatest Hits, Breakout: Boost and Asteroids: Gunner. Atari's initiative to seek the help of the iOS developing community to remake its flagship game from yesteryear supposedly gives developers a chance to get creative and publish an instantly recognizable yet innovative game under its well-established brand. But a questionable set of rules suggests otherwise. By all accounts, indie developers are better off playing real table tennis, rather than simulating it for a dubious contest.
