GIVE US TWO MINUTES AND WE'LL GIVE YOU THE RETRO WORLD

Atari acquires Intellivision in a surprise deal

» The Intellivision was a capable bit of kit in the Seventies, and many remember it fondly.

(Image: Evan Amos)

While many of us have fond memories of the Intellivision, the brand has seen some rough years recently – most notably through its use for the Amico, a much-delayed console that many have written off as vapourware. That has come to an end though, as Atari has bought the rights to the Intellivision brand and many of its games. “Our decision to purchase the Intellivision brand was an easy one. There is a lot of value in the brand as well as the game IP we acquired. Together they fit very nicely within our business strategy,” says Atari’s David Lowey.

» The Amico console will now continue without the Intellivision brand, though a relationship with Atari persists.

The deal is notable because the Intellivision was Mattel Electronics’ competitor to the Atari 2600, arguably the first major competitor that the company faced. “The reaction to the deal that brought Intellivision into the Atari family has been very positive. Intellivision fans have seen the care with which we have been reviving the Atari brand, so they have been largely positive about the transition and hopeful for the future,” says David. “Everyone seems to want their favourite platform to get the Atari 50 treatment by Digital Eclipse and hardware releases like the 2600+.” Though fans have been known to cling to old rivalries, David tells us that this isn’t the case here. “Intellivision’s fan base, despite 45 years of rivalry, is also very similar to ours. AtariAge has very active Atari and Intellivision forums, and the response on those forums has been very positive.”