Founded in 1992 in Emeryville, California, by Andrew Ayre (alongside Hans Kim, John Neil, and Howard Fukuda), Digital Eclipse began by building software to emulate classic arcade games like Joust, Defender, and Robotron: 2084 for Mac OS, using custom CPU emulation to ensure authenticity.
In the Game Boy Color era, the studio became prolific—producing ~60 titles including Paperboy, Klax, Moon Patrol, and more, and expanded with a second studio in Vancouver, Canada.
In 2003, Digital Eclipse merged with ImaginEngine to form Backbone Entertainment, becoming Backbone Emeryville and Vancouver. After absorbing into Foundation 9 in 2005, the original Digital Eclipse brand faded through layoffs by 2012.
On June 8, 2015, Other Ocean Group—led by Ayre—reacquired the Digital Eclipse name and relaunched the studio in Emeryville, emphasizing video game preservation. Co-founders included Ayre, veteran engineer Mike Mika, and gaming historian Frank Cifaldi; Cifaldi held the title “Head of Restoration”—a first in the industry.
The relaunch kicked off with critically acclaimed collections like Mega Man Legacy Collection (2015), followed by collections for Street Fighter, Samurai Shodown, TMNT, and Disney Classic Games, all using their custom Eclipse Engine—blending emulation, archival media, and historical context.
Their 2022 release, Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration, combined emulated games, interviews, and museum-style documentary elements. It has since been widely praised as setting a new bar in preservation-focused game anthologies.
Acquired. What Happened?
In October 2023, Atari SA announced it would acquire Digital Eclipse for US $6.3M upfront (+ US $13.5M in performance-linked earn-outs). The deal closed by November 6, 2023, resulting in Digital Eclipse becoming a full subsidiary; key founders now collectively hold about 4.6% of Atari’s shares, with a one-year lock-up on their stock.