It feels like we’re living in the golden age of retro game revivals. Studios are diving back into their catalogs, dusting off classics, and reintroducing them to new audiences who are eager to experience the games that defined entire generations.
In this wave of remasters, Atari has its eye on a forgotten gem from Hideo Kojima’s past, the cyberpunk adventure Snatcher.
In a recent interview with Video Games Chronicle, Atari CEO Wade Rosen talked about the challenge of balancing passion projects with commercial viability:
“Where you can, the end goal is always to try and do something that is both something we genuinely have a lot of passion about and has a lot of commercial viability.”
Rosen went on to mention several titles he’d love to see revived, including Panzer Dragoon Saga, Ogre Battle, and most notably Snatcher, Kojima’s 1988 Blade Runner-inspired detective story.
“Life’s too short, you know? I’ve got mine too, right? If we ever had a chance to work on Panzer Dragoon Saga or Ogre Battle or Snatcher or something like that.
“I don’t know if [Snatcher] would do well, but I’d probably push it through and make sure we did it just because I would love to work on one of those. But it all has to be in a balance.
“If this company just became like ‘what games does Wade want to work on?’, we would not be around too long.”
Originally released on the MSX2 in 1988, Snatcher gained cult status in the West with its 1995 Sega CD release. The game stood out with its gripping narrative and atmospheric world-building, cementing itself as one of Kojima’s most ambitious projects outside of Metal Gear.
Despite its strong following, Snatcher has never received a sequel or modern port. The only continuation came in 2011 with Sdatcher, a radio drama prequel produced by Kojima and Lollipop Chainsaw creator Goichi Suda. Since then, the franchise has been dormant.
Collectors know how tough it is to track down a copy of Snatcher today, with retro game prices skyrocketing in recent years. A remaster would not only make the game accessible again but also preserve one of the most fascinating pieces of Kojima’s creative history.
Atari seems like a fitting home for a Snatcher revival. The company has already announced plans to remaster five Ubisoft titles and has seen success through its subsidiary Nightdive Studios, known for stellar remasters like Heretic + Hexen.
While Nightdive’s Stephen Kick has voiced interest in reviving Eternal Darkness: Sanity’s Requiem, it’s easy to imagine their expertise being applied to Kojima’s cult classic.
Bringing Snatcher back could be more than just another retro release. It could reintroduce a whole generation of players to Kojima’s visionary storytelling before Metal Gear Solid made him a household name.
Would you want to see Atari bring Snatcher back with a full remaster? Or should it remain a hidden treasure for collectors and hardcore Kojima fans?