Gaming

Atari appoints Andreas Deptolla as president of Atari Europe

Jul 08, 2026 | 5 min read

Deptolla calls Europe a 'strategically important region for Atari.'

Atari has appointed Andreas Deptolla as president of Atari Europe.

Deptolla served as the chief technology officer at the company from August 2023 until April 2026. He's also had a long tenure as board member of Apogee Entertainment (Turbo Overkill, Lucid), as well as Thunderful Group (Planet of Lana, Lost in Random).

Now, having relocated from the US to Germany, Deptolla says Europe carries a strategic importance for Atari, and is looking to strengthen the company's internal and external network of talent and partners.

"Success in Europe depends on building strong relationships with publishers, studios, IP holders, and other key partners across the region, while continuing to support and develop the talented teams we already have at Coatsink, Early Morning Studio, and Stormteller Games," Deptolla tells Game Developer.

Then, Atari Europe intends to expand those relationships by creating new opportunities for collaboration and bringing new projects to market. In regards to collaboration, Deptolla mentions having studios supporting each other on projects and developing internal tech as examples. The European teams are already collaborating with Nightdive and Digital Eclipse on projects.

"Looking further ahead, our goal is for Europe to remain a key driver of innovation, talent, and business development within Atari. By continuing to invest in people, partnerships, and high-quality projects, we believe we can further strengthen Atari's position in the region and create a foundation for sustainable growth over the coming years," Deptolla says.

Regarding mergers and and acquisitions across the European region, the president of Atari Europe says the company is always open to evaluating new growth opportunities. Yet, the current focus is on strengthening its existing European studios.

This doesn't mean that acquisitions are being put to a halt everywhere else. Last month, Atari acquired Australian mobile developer Hipster Whale in a deal that could eventually cost almost $40 million. Speaking about a broader global expansion, Deptolla says Atari has already made its way "across the water to Asia and the Pacific," an approach the company is taking "one step at a time and where it makes sense."

The first half of 2026 also saw the company acquiring emulation studio Implicit Conversions in April, as well as the rights to five Wizardry titles. Last year, as Thunderful was undergoing restructuring, Atari announced a $5.1 million investment. This, in turn, made Atari the owner of approximately 82 percent of the outstanding shares and votes of Thunderful.

The investment in Thunderful is particularly significant. At the time, Atari chairman and chief executive officer Wade Rosen considered the move an important milestone in Atari's development with the expansion of its publishing and development capabilities in the European region.

"Thunderful is recognized for publishing and developing critically acclaimed games, and with the announced transformation plan, as well as the quality and commitment of Thunderful’s teams, we are confident that Thunderful will be returning to a profitable growth path while helping to further develop Atari operations in Europe,” Rosen said.

Diego Nicolás Argüello is a freelance journalist and critic from Argentina. Video games helped him to learn English, so now he covers them for places like The New York Times, NPR, Rolling Stone, and more. He also runs Into the Spine, a site dedicated to fostering and supporting new writers, and co-hosted Turnabout Breakdown, a podcast about the Ace Attorney series. He’s most likely playing a rhythm game as you read this.

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Source: Diego Argüello · https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/atari-appoints-andreas-deptolla-as-president-of-atari-europe