“Our ability to begin manufacturing Amico consoles in volume requires securing additional investment,” says Intellivision.
There’s yet another twist in the long-running Intellivision Amico saga, as the company says it still needs more money before it can begin manufacturing the long-in-gestation console.
To get you up to speed, the saga began back in 2018, when videogame music composer Tommy Tallarico announced plans to relaunch the 1980s Intellivision console after buying the rights to the company the year previously. The newly redesigned console would be called the Intellivision Amico, and would feature wireless, touchscreen controllers, with a firm focus on family-friendly games.
The initial release date was set for October 2020, with the console priced at $249 for the black and white versions, and $279 for a woodgrain effect version. The company raised millions of dollars in crowdfunding through platforms like Fig. But then came the first of many delays, as the release date was pushed back to April 2021, then October 2021. Ars Technica questioned the high price of the console considering the tech inside it, while Kotaku declared the console a “giant car crash”.
Tallarico stepped down as CEO of Intellivision in February 2022, and the Intellivision Amico has still yet to be released. Now, in a statement spotted by Brandon Sheffield and reported by Time Extension, Intellivision has said it doesn’t have the money to make the console.
“Our ability to begin manufacturing Amico consoles in volume requires securing additional investment,” reads an update from Intellivision.
To source that investment, the firm is releasing a smartphone app called Amico Home, which the firm says will turn your Android device “into an Intellivision Amico gaming console”. The app has been launched with two games, Astrosmash and Missile Command, with Shark! Shark! and Side Swipers being promised further down the line.
Intellivision says that the release of Amico Home will put it “on a better footing” to attract investment, and that it hopes to eventually fund manufacturing of the Intellivision Amico console from the proceeds of Amico Home game sales. “We remain dedicated to moving Intellivision forward, step by step, until we can deliver on the full vision of Amico, including the consoles,” reads the update from new CEO Phil Adam. “Thank you to all of our console pre-order and boxed edition game customers for supporting our mission to bring people together with simple, affordable, family entertainment.”
Last year, YouTuber hbomberguy published a lengthy video looking into the many ins and outs of the Intellivision Amico story, and Slope’s Games Room has made a four-hour documentary on the same subject. In short, there’s a lot going on here – and it’s still going on.
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