Plenty of Ghostbusters fans (myself included) have worried about the fate of the new Ghostbusters video game ever since Activision dismissed the project after acquiring the game's developer.  Word is circulating that the game is back on track for a release next year courtesy of its new publisher: Atari.  That may sound odd and foreboding (when is the last time Atari had a AAA+ hit on their hands?), but apparently this statement comes from Dr. Raymond Stantz himself, Dan Aykroyd, and I'm ready to believe him.  Kotaku has the story.

We know, he's not your usual source for hot gaming news, but Dan Aykroyd's got a trusting face. That and he's, you know, closely involved in this whole Ghostbusters thing. Speaking with Dallas radio station 105.3 KLLI this morning, the Ghostbusters star said that the currently in-limbo game has been picked up by Atari, and is about "a year away" from being released.

As much as I'd hoped to bust some ghosts before the end of the year, I can wait for the end of 2009 if it means that the game becomes even better than it already appeared to be.  The Ghostbusters franchise celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary next year, so I understand the need to hold the game until then to maximize the buzz and fervor for new Ghostbusters material.  I hope that Atari is up to the task.  In fact, the more I think about it, maybe it's for the best that Activision let this one go.  After all, we all remember what happened the last time they published a Ghostbusters game, right?