Atari, a well-known video game publisher, just announced its intention to divest Champions Online and Star Trek Online developer Cryptic Studios. According to gamasutra, Atari calls Cryptic as "discontinued operation". Although will continue to support Cryptic's current products they are beginning to look for a buyer.
Cryptic brought Champions Online from subscription-based mode to free-to-play early this year and then claimed Champions Online's f2p switch a big success that both player number and company revenue significantly increased. But the company's ?.3 million ($7.5 million) loss in the 2010/11 fiscal year just made Atari hold no hope on Champions Online Gold.
Atari acquired Cryptic in 2008 and became the publisher of Cryptic's MMOs. The latest game of Atari and Cryptic is Neverwinter that set to release in 2011. Neverwinter is based on Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition and features 5-player co-op gameplay. Besides, Atari is the publisher of the recently released RPG The Witcher 2(Champions Gold).
