Co-Branded Atari Headphones Will Tout ‘Freedom of Movement,’ Says Roam CEO

Atari bought an unspecified stake in Roam in return for an agreement with the headphone supplier to market co-branded personal audio products, the companies said in a Thursday announcement. The co-branded products “will be targeted to anyone who loves music and appreciates superior sound quality and stand-out style,” Roam CEO Steven Lamar emailed us Friday. “There will also be products targeted specifically to the gaming community, which of course spans a wide demographic as well,” said Lamar, who describes himself as a co-creator of Beats by Dr. Dre headphones before that business was acquired by Apple in 2014 as Beats Electronics (see 1405120070). “This partnership is about introducing the timeless Atari brand to all people, regardless of age, who have been unknowingly drowning in inferior audio. It’s for people who love music, love gaming and ideally, people who love both. It’s time to make the music matter again!” Lamar founded the Roam brand three years ago based on “superior audio quality and the power to personalize it and hear it your way,” he said. “Everyone hears sound differently and it’s time we are free from a one sound fits all listening experience.” In gaming, for example, it’s “all about a fully immersive experience,” he said. “Audio is an integral part of that experience.” There will be headphone products in the co-branded line that will be “created for gamers,” Lamar said. “But this is bigger than gaming.”