Atari claims its namesake token is now 'unlicensed' as it terminates blockchain joint venture

In a statement published by former video-game giant Atari on Monday, the firm says it has, effective immediately, terminated all license agreements with its joint venture partner ICICB Group and its subsidiaries. Previously, the two had jointly created the Atari Chain and the namesake Atari Token (ATRI). However, the company has had a change of heart regarding the deal, and announced it was disclaiming interest in the joint venture, stating "ICICB is not authorized to represent Atari or its brands in any manner."

"Atari disclaims any interest in the [...] Joint Venture, currently promoted as Atari Tokens, and related websites, whitepapers and social media channels are unlicensed, unsanctioned and are outside the control of Atari."

Moving forward, Atari plans to create, distribute and solely manage a new proprietary token focusing on gaming, community and utility. But it appears there will be some form of respite for ATRI investors. As told by Atari, the company has taken a "snapshot" of ATRI holdings as of April 18, 2022, at 6:00 pm CET. Atari will then implement a future exchange of a new token for the ATRI tokens held as of that time.

"Only tokens present in wallets as of the snapshot and in amounts equivalent to those captured at the snapshot will be eligible. Any tokens acquired after the snapshot will not be eligible," the company said.

Atari has been an active player in the crypto space, with a keen focus on developing nonfungible tokens. At the time of publication, the ATRI "legacy" token is down 9.47% in the past 24 hours, lowering its market cap to $26 million.