Who owns the Wizardry RPGs? We do, say both Drecom and Atari as an unusual IP acquisition splits custody of the genre-forming series

Atari's new deal promises re-releases, remakes, and multimedia spinoffs

Foundational RPG series Wizardry has, over forty years since helping to codify the roleplaying videogame, found itself torn between present-day custodians. Atari announced yesterday that they’d acquired the rights to the first five Wizardry games, as well as "their underlying IP," and said they’d be re-releasing those five on modern platforms. This morning, however, Japanese publishers Drecom – who bought Wizardry’s copyright and trademark rights in 2020 – tXeeted that contrary to certain reports on Atari’s acquisition, it was they who’d continue to own and manage the intellectual property in the future.

This initially appears to be a simple if unusual split, with Atari owning the rights to the first five Wizardry RPGs (including the very first, Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, a remake of which Atari co-published in 2024), while Drecom keep hold of the remaining three mainline games plus their more recent, sometimes anime-styled spinoffs. Except Drecom’s statement notes that Atari bought their chunk of games not from Drecom themselves, but from "the original rights holder."

Some media outlets have reported that Atari SA (hereinafter "Atari") has acquired rights related to the IP "Wizardry" (ウィザードリィ), for which our company holds trademark rights domestically and internationally, from DREaM Communications Inc. (hereinafter "our company"). However, no such fact exists. Our company has no intention of selling the trademark rights or other rights to "Wizardry" that we hold in the future.

Our company has previously received notification from Atari that Atari acquired the rights to the first through fifth titles of the "Wizardry" series from the original rights holder.

Our company will continue to hold the domestic and international trademark rights to the "Wizardry" series and will continue to manage the "Wizardry" IP brand.

Mysterious! Wizardry has changed hands a few times over the years, but it appears that original rights holder is co-creator Robert Woodhead, who’s quoted in the Atari announcement. "When Andrew Greenberg and I created Wizardry back in the 1980s, the video game industry was still in its infancy, and the original games were some of the first to bring the role-playing experience to PCs and consoles," sayeth Woodhead. "As Atari continues to reintroduce the games on new platforms and to new audiences, I'll definitely be paying attention to the reactions of gamers who decide to take on a real old-school challenge."

Atari’s purchase apparently also involves plans for "the creation of remasters, collections, and new releases. In addition, Game publishing will be complemented by the release of merchandise, card and board games, books and comics, and TV and film projects as part of a long-term plan to build an entertainment franchise based on the Original Wizardry games."

That’s a lot of Wizardry, though while this split suggests that Drecom’s control over the franchise wasn’t as total as the 2020 acquisition suggested, it’s unclear how this Marvelfication of the grand old RPG series will sit with their assertion that they’ll still manage the IP. I’ve asked both Atari and Drecom for any further clarification.