Atari is publishing Mr. Run and Jump on a physical 2600 cartridge

Me and my big mouth

Atari has announced that they are publishing a version of their upcoming retro-pop indie game, Mr. Run and Jump, on an actual Atari 2600 cartridge. Pre-orders open July 31, and it’s expected to ship 3-4 months after that.

When I recently covered Mr. Run and Jump’s announcement, I mentioned that it originally started as a homebrew project before being expanded to a modern game. In that article, I opined that I’d rather play the original version. I’m getting my wish here, and I’m almost embarrassed about it. Obviously, Atari had this planned before I opened my big mouth, but I’m not used to having a demand actually met.

Mr. Run and Jump is largely how it sounds. It’s a speedy little platformer, and while that may sound routine, it wasn’t a genre that was widely covered on the hardware. There were games like Pitfall and Donkey Kong, but what we largely consider to be a “modern” platformer wasn’t popularized until after the 2600’s heyday.

To be clear, a separate version of Mr. Run and Jump is also coming to PC and consoles. That version is a more modernized take on the formula. The titles are obviously related, but not the same game.

Exciting times

The store page for Mr. Run and Jump states that this is “the first cartridge launch for a new Atari title since 1990!” That’s only technically true if you take it at its very literal meaning. However, it’s still an exciting development. Atari has been producing 2600 titles under its Atari XP range, and I’ve often wondered if they’d start creating new games for the system. There have been hints that they plan on producing new cartridge-capable hardware, but nothing solid yet. Homebrew developers have proven that there’s a market for nouveau-retro titles. If Atari manages to tap into this successfully, they will be the first legacy publisher to have done so.

The early 8-bit era of games is pretty far from my favorite. I need something more than just chasing a high score to keep me engaged. On the other hand, I love nouveau-retro productions. Seeing Atari taking tentative steps into this market is legitimately exciting to me, and I don’t think I’m going to be able to resist plopping money down on Mr. Run and Jump.

The Mr. Run and Jump cartridge is going to be open for pre-orders on July 31. The store page warns that once that pre-order window closes, you’re locked in, as the cartridges are being made on demand. If you miss it, the press release says “additional distribution will be announced at a later date.”

The cartridge will run for $59.99 USD and will come with a box and manual. Further, they state that the cartridges are “all new parts and materials, with beveled edges to prevent pin damage, strong gold-plated connectors, and identical power draw to the originals.”