Image via Wizardry franchise’s websiteAtari announced on Wednesday it has acquired the complete and exclusive rights, and the underlying intellectual properties (IP) of the first five Wizardry games. The five games Atari acquired are Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord (1981), Wizardry II: The Knight of Diamonds (1982), Wizardry III: Legacy of Llylgamyn (1983), Wizardry IV: The Return of Werdna (1987), and Wizardry V: Heart of the Maelstrom (1988).
Atari stated that the acquisition also includes other Wizardry-related video games, contract rights, and other related intellectual property. Atari stated that it plans to bring the games back through digital and physical distribution, and through the creation of remasters, collections, and new releases. The company added that merchandise release, card and board games, books and comics, and television and film projects are also part of a long-term plan to build an entertainment franchise based on the “Original Wizardry” games.
Subsequently, Japanese video game developer Drecom — the company that acquired copyrights and domestic and foreign trademarks for the Wizardry game series in 2020 — released a statement on Thursday denying the reports that Atari has acquired the trademark rights to the Wizardry IP.
Drecom stated that it was recently informed that Atari had acquired the rights to the first five Wizardry games from the original rights holder.
Drecom stated that it has no intention of selling the Wizardry trademark rights or other rights it holds in the future, and that it will continue to hold the domestic and international trademark rights for the game series, and will manage the Wizardry IP brand.
ANN reached out to Atari to ask for clarification, and the company provided the following statement:
Atari has acquired the full rights to the first five Wizardry games and the underlying IP behind them, which are considered to be the formative Wizardry titles and universe with which most fans are familiar. Drecom owns the Wizardry trademark. Atari collaborated with Drecom on our remake of Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord.
Atari’s press release on Wednesday had also stated, “The Wizardry titles 6, 7 and 8 are owned by the Japanese publishing company Drecom and are based on a different fictional universe.”
AnimEigo co-founder Robert Woodhead and the late Andrew C. Greenberg co-created the original Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord game in 1981. The 3D remake of the game launched in May 2024 and won the “Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media” award at the 67th Grammy Awards last year.
Wizardry is an ongoing franchise that has inspired many RPGs in the West and Japan. The franchise remains consistently popular among Japanese players, with the nation’s Wizardry spin-offs outnumbering the primary games in the series. Drecom acquired copyrights and domestic and foreign trademarks for the game series in October 2020.
The Wizardry franchise inspired an OVA in 1991.
Sources: E-mail correspondence, Business Wire via Gematsu, Drecom’s X/Twitter account and website
