Atari signs Fahrenheit

Atari has signed on to publish Quantic Dream's PlayStation 2 and Xbox title Fahrenheit after the game was seemingly dropped by previous publisher Vivendi. The developer's crime-thriller is due out in September.

Fahrenheit is decidedly ambitious, pitting players in the role of a confirmed murderer in near-future New York City who has no idea why he committed the crime and only limited time to unravel the mystery before he's captured and jailed.

The man in question, Lucas Kane, is the latest in a line of seemingly random murderers who kill total strangers in public places, and as he tries to figure out what happened he'll partner with the woman assigned to hunt him down and the player will be able to experience events from multiple characters' perspectives.

It's an elaborate set-up, no doubt, but disciples of Quantic Dream's first project, Omikron - The Nomad Soul, will attest that the developer is very capable, and it's a view Atari clearly shares, with senior veepee of marketing Martin Spiess describing Fahrenheit as "a real milestone" adventure game "with genuinely innovative design and a chilling atmosphere to match that of some of the most successful big screen psychological thrillers". Must've been an impressive pitch.

We'll undoubtedly hear more of Fahrenheit over the course of 2005, but for now you can find more details on its official website. And, er, for once you actually can. We also have a number of screenshots, which you can find here.