40 years ago, PONG emerged to ultimately become the first major hit of the videogame world, and essentially give rise to the industry as a whole. Today, Atari commemorates the game's legacy and history by releasing Pong World.
The $50,000 grand prize winner of the Pong Indie Developer Challenge, Pong World is a reimagined take on the pop culture classic and the first-ever official new PONG game for smartphones and tablet devices. In the game, players choose one of many Pong paddles and battle against opponents on various themed boards, experiencing the game in either classic mode or all-new gameplay modes including Blitz and Hotseat.
"We were impressed with the creativity and original vision of indie developers in the PONG contest, and the grand prize winner receives full honors as the marquee release for the title's 40 year anniversary," said Giancarlo Mori, EVP of Product Development for Atari. "Pong World is an excellent tribute to one of our company's legacy titles, giving players a fresh new look and the classic gameplay they know and love."
Pong World features include:
- Wield five different paddles to add your personal touch, with more to unlock, like Shaggy, Chompers and Sir Bouncelot
- Pack your paddle around the world in four levels including the Jungle, Boulevard, Cathedral, and the Moon
- Multiple gameplay modes Classic, Blitz and Hotseat offer a whole new experience to classic PONG gameplay
- Slice through progressing difficulty levels as players hone their touchscreen talents
- Unlock in-game achievements and compare high scores with friends on the leaderboards
While the features offer a change to keep the game more up to pace with modern games, it's still PONG at heart. Check out the preview below to get an idea.
Pong World is available now as a free download on the App Store.
