Atari launching ‘Atari Arcade’, classic games available in your browser

Atari has struck up a partnership with Microsoft to launch the Atari Arcade on the Internet Explorer web browser.

The Atari Arcade will host “a next-generation collection of Atari’s classic games reimagined in HTML5.” Games such as Pong, Asteroids, Lunar Lander and Missile Command will be available on the platform complete with “fresh graphics, gameplay and integration with Facebook and Twitter.”

While Atari and Microsoft are keen to promote the merits of Atari Arcade when played through Internet Explorer, the system does work on other browsers. However, there’s a catch… if you want to play the games ad-free, you’ll need to be using Internet Explorer.

The portal is a celebration of Atari’s 40th anniversary and allows head-to-head competition with friend and “real-time battles for high scores and leaderboard placement”.

“Atari and Microsoft have had a long and successful history on Xbox LIVE and in the digital space,” said Jim Wilson, CEO of Atari. “The reimagined Atari Arcade expands this partnership in a new direction, in keeping with our current digital strategy, making it easier than ever for gamers around the world to access our renowned franchises, through the power and flexibility of an HTML5 based platform.”