Players are increasingly nostalgic for the times when game designers made games for fun, not to retain audiences and monetize them. Now, studios are actively searching their archives for projects that can be reworked and brought to modern platforms, hoping to catch the wave of retro nostalgia.
In an interview, Atari CEO Wade Rosen spoke about three retro games he wants to update. Among them is the adventure Snatcher, inspired by Blade Runner, a 1988 Hideo Kojima classic that has yet to receive a remaster or re-release on modern consoles.
Rosen noted that for studio executives, retro projects are not only commercial potential but also personal passion. He admitted that it is often difficult to choose between "projects of the soul" and games that can sell well in the current environment:
"The ultimate goal is to find projects with commercial potential that we ourselves like."
The conversation turned to which games are still waiting for a quality remaster and which can be considered arthouse indies intended only for fans.
"Life is short. I have my own desires too. If we could work on Panzer Dragoon Saga, Ogre Battle, or Snatcher, I would probably do it just for fun. But there has to be a balance to everything. If the company only did what I wanted, it wouldn't last long."