But there is still a sign of life from Intellivision and the failed Amico project. Atari has opened its petty cash and taken over its former competitor.
Ah, those were the days when Atari and Intellivision (formerly owned by Mattel) were butting heads – back in the 70s and 80s. After that, things went quiet for a long time around Intellivision, until the name resurfaced a few years ago with the Intellivision Amico project, a handheld console with classic games.
Amico was supposed to launch in 2020, but that went completely wrong. Intellivision made desperate attempts to save the project, including massive staff cuts and licensing its own brands to bring in money. To date, however, Amico has not seen the light of day.
Atari has now secured the rights to over 200 Intellivision games and completely taken over the Intellivision brand.
We acquired the Intellivision brand and game library. 👏
“This was a very rare opportunity to unite former competitors and bring together fans of the golden age of gaming.” – Wade Rosen
The former Intellivision will rebrand and continue distribution of the Amico console. pic.twitter.com/jncWwKq3Go
— Atari (@atari) May 23, 2024
However, the bankrupt Intellivision Amico project is not part of the deal; the console is to be further developed by Intellivision Entertainment under a new company name. It is probably a smart move by Atari to stay away from this project, which is considered a lost cause in the industry.
Atari can now consider what to do with the numerous game brands from the Intellivision portfolio. Licensing opportunities or even new games are certainly among the options.
“This was a very rare opportunity to unite former competitors and bring together fans of Atari, Intellivision and the golden age of gaming,” said Wade Rosen, chairman and CEO of Atari.
“Atari has been a valuable partner and we have full confidence that they will responsibly steward the storied Intellivision brand,” said Phil Adam, CEO of Intellivision Entertainment. “We look forward to our expanded relationship and the prospect of bringing a wide range of new titles to the Amico family gaming platform.”
The product trailer gives you an overview of the Intellivision Amico Video Game Entertainment System.
