Game Tech

Enter the Matrix has shot to the top of the games charts across North America and Europe, said Europe's largest video game maker Atari.

The success of the game has buoyed Atari, previously known as Infogrames, as the firm is banking on an international blockbuster to help it tackle its huge debt burden.

But analysts say the game must sell at least another three million copies for Atari to break even on the title.

Game gamble

Enter the Matrix is one of the most expensive video games ever made. Atari has pumped $20m into developing and marketing the title, on top of the $47m it used to buy the game's developer, Shiny Entertainment.

The game was written and directed by the Wachowski brothers, the masterminds behind the Matrix universe, and the plot is closely tied in to the film.

The company is gambling on a big hit, shipping about four million copies of the game which runs on PCs and most game consoles and features martial arts action and slow-motion special effects just like the film.

The game hit the shops on 15 May, to tie in with the release of the Matrix sequel in the US. In its first week, it sold a million copies, at an average price of $50, despite some negative reviews.

But analysts said the figures were expected as games tend to sell well on launch. The key test will be whether it continues to rush off the shelves in forthcoming weeks.

By comparison, the gangster title Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, sold more than eight million copies worldwide in the first four months of its release.

Name change

Enter the Matrix is key to the future of Atari, which had until recently been known as Infogrames.

It changed its name to Atari to reflect its global image as the world's third largest independent games maker.

The US side of the business has already adopted the new name and its parent company in France will follow suit in September.

The company faces a looming debt crisis, so earnings from high-profile titles like the Matrix and the forthcoming tie-in to the Terminator 3 movie are crucial to its future.