Plenty of news in favour of the budding indie game developer these days. In conjunction with the 40th anniversary of Pong, Atari has announced the official start of the Pong Indie Developer Challenge where developers stand a chance of winning up to USD 100,000 and see their original take on Pong from conception to production!

Beginning February 28, 2012, developers can submit their original take on Pong® for iPhone®, iPad® and iPod® touch devices, with finalists launching their games on the App Store later this year under the Atari brand. Winning entries will also receive a long-term publishing agreement with Atari that includes development, creative resources and full marketing support. Submissions are now being accepted until March 31, 2012, 11:59pm ET, at: www.atari.com/pongdeveloperchallenge

Following the success of Atari’s recent indie-developed mobile games including Asteroids®: Gunner™, Atari’s Greatest Hits© and Breakout®: Boost, the Pong® Indie Developer Challenge opens the door for up-and-coming developers to deliver the next smash hit.

The judging panel will include notable industry figureheads, including original Atari founder Nolan Bushnell, infamous Pocket God creator Dave Castelnuovo, TUAW’s Mike Schramm, and select members of Atari’s executive team. Atari fans can participate by submitting their own votes during the selection of an Atari Community Winner. An additional community voting period will also help to determine overall contest winners, details of which will be revealed soon.

“The Pong® Indie Developer Challenge is a great opportunity to celebrate the 40th anniversary of an iconic game franchise,” said Jim Wilson, CEO of Atari. “We are enthusiastic about working with the independent developer community to evolve Pong® through a wide variety of creative concepts and gameplay experiences that will further engage our Atari fan base and introduce new consumers to this pioneering video game franchise.”

For full details regarding the contest and rules, including how to submit, eligibility, timing of submissions and prizes, please visit: www.atari.com/pongdeveloperchallenge