Atari announced today that first person shooter The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena is joining its 2009 publishing and distribution line up. Former publisher of the game Vivendi decided to drop the game after merging with Activision. For those eager to play the game on their 360 this is good news.

According to Atari The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena will hit the stores in spring next year with a brand new full-length campaign. This exciting announcement promises a title which will include the original game re-imagined for a whole new audience, an entirely new chapter in the Riddick saga and, for the first time, intense online multiplayer combat, making The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena a must-have experience for any fan of intense action gaming.

Phil Harrison, President of Infogrames Entertainment, the parent company of Atari is very excited to add Riddick to their line up.

“It’s very exciting to have Assault on Dark Athena as part of Atari’s 2009 publishing line-up. The first game in the series was a landmark in action gaming and the outstanding team at Starbreeze are creating a feature-packed follow-up which will delight fans and new players alike.”

In The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena we join Vin Diesel as Riddick, using stealth and action to overcome the dark reaches of space. The Chronicles of Riddick series of games takes the player deeper into the universe of Universal Pictures’ films The Chronicles of Riddick and cult classic Pitch Black, which first introduced Vin Diesel as the enigmatic anti-hero Riddick.

Are you excited about the resurrection of Riddick now that Atari took him in to the family? Let us know in the comments below.