"Highlights from the new timeline," explains Atari, "include a deep dive into Stern Electronics' robot-blasting Berzerk; unusual and underappreciated innovations and hidden gems from the late 1980s; a spotlight on the artist Evelyn Seto, who helped create the iconic 'Fuji' Atari logo; Pong creator Al Alcorn explaining the birth of Breakout; and an exploration of the fan base's role in discovering unreleased prototypes, creating 'homebrew' games, and preserving Atari history."
As for the Expanded Edition's second new timeline, that's called The First Console War and it details the long-running rivalry between the Atari 2600 and Mattel's Intellivision - a brand Atari notably purchased back in May, securing the rights to over 200 games at the same time. This segment promises six video segments and 20 playable games, including a selection of M Network games, a mix of Atari and M Network sports games, plus rare Atari 2600 and 5200 prototypes.
Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration Expanded Edition will be available as a digital standalone release and as DLC for the existing version of the game. Both launch for Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Switch, and PC on 25th October, with PS5 and Switch also getting a physical version of the Expanded Edition.