Video game pioneer Atari is a company that was founded in 1972 by Nolan Bushnell and Ted Dabney. It is credited with creating the first commercially successful video game, Pong, and is considered to be one of the most influential companies in the history of video games. Atari also released the Atari 2600, which was the first home console to use interchangeable cartridges. This allowed for a variety of different games to be played on the same system, revolutionizing the industry.