Atari has added another specialist studio to its growing retro games family. The company has acquired Implicit Conversions, an emulation-focused team known for helping older games find a clean path onto modern platforms.

It is the latest move in a run of notable Atari purchases. In recent years, the company has also brought in Digital Eclipse and Nightdive Studios, two names closely tied to careful re-releases, preservation-minded collections, and refreshed versions of classic games.

Who Implicit Conversions Is

Implicit Conversions was founded in January 2019 by Jake Stine, a former Sony engineer, and Robin Lavallée, who previously worked at Ubisoft and 2K. The studio has built its reputation around making classic titles playable again on current hardware.

Atari's Strengthens Its Emulation Of Classic PS1, PS2, PS3 Games With Another Strategic Acquisition

That background matters for PlayStation-era fans. Atari CEO Wade Rosen said the studio’s work with 32-bit games, powered by its proprietary Syrup engine, fits alongside Atari’s existing strength with 8-bit and 16-bit games.

A Bigger Toolset For Old Games

With this deal, Atari now has several in-house technology paths for bringing older software forward. Digital Eclipse has the Bakesale Engine, Nightdive has the Kex Engine, and Implicit Conversions brings Syrup into the same wider group.

What Atari Gains

  • More experience with games from the 32-bit period, a key stretch for PS1-era releases.
  • Another proprietary emulation tool to sit beside Bakesale and Kex.
  • A studio already used to handling classic games with modern platform needs in mind.

Implicit Conversions also shared more detail on what changes inside the company. Robin Lavallée is staying and will become studio head, while Litshauer will move into the role of head of operations. The message was clear: the team is joining Atari, but its current leadership is not leaving.

The studio described its earlier work with Atari through Digital Eclipse as a natural fit, saying the two sides share a love of classic games. It also teased that more titles are in development and are expected to be announced later this year.

There will still be some Atari involvement. According to Implicit Conversions’ Q&A, Atari leadership will take part in strategic decisions and will most likely be involved in future licensing of the Syrup Engine. Even so, the studio says it expects to keep much of its independence as it chooses its path forward.