FX.co ★ Atari Buys Longtime Competitor Intellivision

Atari has officially acquired the Intellivision brand, along with several games from Intellivision Entertainment LLC, effectively concluding a 45-year-long console rivalry.

"Atari has proven to be a valuable partner, and we trust they will responsibly oversee the revered Intellivision brand," stated Phil Adam, CEO of Intellivision. "We anticipate further collaboration, broadening the range of titles available to the Amico family gaming platform."

With this acquisition, Atari aims to "enhance both digital and physical distribution of classic Intellivision games, possibly develop new titles, and explore various brand and licensing opportunities."

Intellivision Entertainment LLC will now undergo rebranding while continuing to develop and market the Amico gaming console. The rebranded company will seek licensing agreements from Atari to keep distributing new versions of Intellivision games on the Amico platform.

"Bringing Atari and Intellivision together after 45 years concludes the longest-running console war in history," remarked Mike Mika, Studio Head at Atari's subsidiary Digital Eclipse.

The iconic rivalry commenced when Mattel Electronics released the original Intellivision home console in 1979, achieving sales of approximately 5 million units by 1990, posing a significant threat to the Atari 2600's dominance.