I understand why atheists hold to this theory since its essential to their godless world view.
It is not essential for atheists at all.
You can be an atheist and believe that we live in a simulation or that aliens created us. Evolution doesn't replace the option of a creator God since one could have created evolution, in fact, that is a view that many believers have.
Evolution only interferes with certain religions that believe that a God specifically created humans and therefore couldn't have evolved.
But you could still be an atheist and not believe that evolution is true. I think the reason most atheists however do believe in evolution, is because the evidence for it is vast and are not personally invested in it through a religious belief.
And for that very reason, I think you could make the argument that atheists don't care either way, if evolution is wrong, so what? it's not like our worldviews would shatter and we all become religious. All atheists live every single day, with the knowledge that we have no clue where we came from and that doesn't automatically turn us into believers. So if this is a huge scam, it is purely aimed at religious people trying to fool you.
Besides the food and medicine etc. that we get as a result of evolution, it has absolutely no impact on my life at all.
