Atari Acquires First Five Wizardry Games, Drecom Denies Trademark Sale
The split between game rights and trademark rights means Atari can develop and distribute the original five titles and their derivatives, but Drecom retains control over the Wizardry brand itself, creating a two-owner structure for the franchise.
Reporting from 1 sources: Anime News Network.
Atari announced it has acquired the complete and exclusive rights to the first five Wizardry games and their underlying IP. Drecom, which holds the Wizardry trademark, denied reports that Atari bought the trademark rights and stated it has no intention of selling them.
Atari now owns the rights to the first five Wizardry games, from the 1981 original through 1988's Heart of the Maelstrom, along with related video games, contract rights, and other IP. The company plans to bring the games back through digital and physical distribution, remasters, collections, and new releases, and also intends to pursue merchandise, card and board games, books and comics, and television and film projects.
Drecom, which acquired the Wizardry copyrights and domestic and foreign trademarks in 2020, issued a statement denying that Atari acquired the trademark rights. Drecom said it was informed that Atari had acquired the rights to the first five games from the original rights holder, and that it has no intention of selling the trademark or other rights it holds.
Atari confirmed to ANN that it acquired the full rights to the first five games and their underlying IP, while Drecom owns the Wizardry trademark. Atari noted that Wizardry titles 6, 7, and 8 are owned by Drecom and are based on a different fictional universe.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.