Atari acquires 'old rival' Intellivision

Atari has bought console maker Intellivision. This gives the game maker the rights to 200 games from that company. Intellivision continues to work on the Amico console, which is released under an Atari license.

Atari does not say what it is paying for Intellivision Entertainment LLC, but the publisher is buying the brand and 'certain games' from the portfolio from Intellivision. Atari wants to continue publishing the games that Intellivision has released in the past in both digital and physical form. The company does not rule out that new games will also be released, but does not provide any details. Furthermore, the console and game maker plans to explore branding and licensing opportunities as part of a long-term plan to create value from Intellivision assets. Atari will also receive the rights to the games and other titles in Intellivision's portfolio. That is about 200.

It is striking that Intellivision is allowed to continue working on the Amico console. The company has been working on this since 2020, but it is not yet clear when that model will be released. If the Amico is released, it will be under the Atari name. Atari also licenses the games that are to be released for that console.

The takeover has a remarkable history. Atari and Intellivision were competitors in the late 1970s and 1980s, competing for a place in the console market. The first Intellivision console was made by Mattel and competed for market share with the Atari 2600. Atari now says that 'the longest running console war in history has ended' with the acquisition.