But he didn't get shafted. Its not up to him to have that foresight, he got paid for the job he was there to do. Yes, I can understand he might be annoyed they didn't go above and beyond, but he must have known and understood the terms of his employment prior to starting. If he didn't have a set bonus scheme in place, then he had no reason to expect anything further than a pat on the back upon completion.

By the same token though, Atari won't have known the game would be so popular, either, which could explain the lack of a promise to pay 'x' amount upon the game going to market. If it flops they aren't on the hook for a big payout, if it's a success they earn more money by not having people on incentivised contracts.