In a move that I can only liken to your grandad marrying the equally-elderly neighbour he’s spent the last 40 years arguing with over fence lines, the Atari and Intellivision brands are now united under one roof.
Providing some excellent mind-blowing ammunition to any future time travellers who decide to fling themselves back to the 1980s, the maker of iconic vintage video consoles like the Atari 2600 has announced it’s acquired the branding and IP of then-rival home video game console, Intellivision. This will see Atari gain the rights to over 200 titles from Intellivision’s portfolio, along with its licensing and trademarks.
Meanwhile, the current Intellivision Entertainment LLC will remain separate from Atari and be rebranded. The company will continue to develop its “Amico” console, a device designed for retro-inspired and family friendly gaming, which was announced all the way back in 2018 and has struggled to come to fruition since. Despite electing not to include the Amico in its acquisition, Atari will license its newly-acquired Intellivision library back to the console.
While the idea of major video game companies acquiring each might be a little contentious given how swimmingly that’s gone so far, I fully support my new grandads.
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
“Uniting Atari and Intellivision after 45 years ends the longest running console war in history,” points out Mike Mika, studio head at the Atari-owned Digital Eclipse, in the accompanying press release.
“This was a very rare opportunity to unite former competitors and bring together fans of Atari, Intellivision and the golden age of gaming,” added Atari’s CEO, Wade Rosen.
“Atari has been a valuable partner and we have every confidence they will be a responsible steward of the storied Intellivision brand,” said Phil Adam, CEO of Intellivision Entertainment. “We look forward to our expanded collaboration and the prospect of bringing a broad array of new titles to the Amico family gaming platform.”
