The Atari Group, the company behind classic video games like Pac-Man and Pong, is set to move into the metaverse with the launch of a new, open-world experience that will allow players to explore a beautiful environment and engage in several games.

The new open-world experience will be part of Atari Chain’s use cases. The metaverse has been a hot topic over the last few months, and describes a virtual reality that combines aspects of online gaming, social media, augmented or virtual reality, and cryptocurrencies.

What is the Atari Chain?

Atari itself is a widely recognizable brand. It was a pioneer when it comes to home video game consoles, arcade games, and home computers. The company is behind classics such as Space Invaders, Asteroids, and Frogger.

The firm was co-founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. The first successful video game ever released was created by Atari. The video game, Pong, was released in November 1972 and is still played to this year.

The company’s Atari 2600 video game console came later in 1977 and pioneered the use of ROM cartridges when home video game consoles only supported games there were built-in to their systems. In 2008, Atari became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Atari SA, a  Paris-based French holding company specialized in video games.

The Atari Chain is a subsidiary cryptocurrency company created by Atari and ICICB, one of the leading financial services companies in the Middle East, with the vision of making the blockchain the “go-to cryptocurrency token in the interactive gaming industry.”

The Atari Chain’s native token is called the Atari Token ($ATRI). The token was first launched on the Ethereum network as an ERC-20 token, but is now available on several other blockchains including the Binance Smart Chain, Polygon, and Fantom.

The Atari Token

The Atari Token is a decentralized cryptocurrency that the company aims to help become a universal means of payment for the video game industry that will allow developers and publishers to gain new monetization options, while bringing smart contracts and more into the gaming universe.

Atari’s goal with the cryptocurrency is to make it available “for as many platforms as possible,” starting with its own open-world cryptocurrency casino. The token distinguishes itself by already having a growing network of real-world use cases that allow users to not just HODL onto their ATRI.

The company has established a partnership with the ICICB Group for the development of Atari-branded hotels in countries throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. The hotels accept ATRI for use inside their premises, including loyalty programs and exclusive VIP experiences.

The token is based on a decentralized system that provides users with both security and trust, and has been listed on multiple trading platforms, including the Bitcoin.com Exchange, PancakeSwap, HitBTC, HotBit, IndoEx, and Uniswap to boost its liquidity.

ATRI works with smart contracts to facilitate the execution of tasks and as it’s based on blockchain technology all of its transactions can be securely and efficiently verified. While the token will at first be launched with a centralized system behind it, it’s going to be decentralized over time with a Committee of at least 12 independent individuals being established in the future to help the community reach consensus.

The Atari Metaverse

With the use of the ATRI token, Atari is launching a new open-world metaverse experience focused on an open-world casino, where players can just chat with each other or gamble as they please while exploring the game’s map.

The Atari metaverse experience will include beautiful scenery and various casino games, including Roulette, Poker, Blackjack, and slots. These casino games are only going to be part of the customizable, multi-player experience being made available.

Along with the Atari metaverse, 100 million non-fungible tokens (NFTs) will be launched for players to collect.

You can find out more about Atari Chain and the project on their website.