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Atari Officially Buys The Intellivision Brand & Library

One of the longest video game feuds is at an end, kinda, as Atari has bought Intellivision, both the brand and the game library.



Article Summary

  • Atari acquires Intellivision, ending a near 50-year video game rivalry.
  • The acquisition includes over 200 Intellivision game titles and trademarks.
  • Plans disclosed to distribute Intellivision games digitally and physically.
  • Industry veterans herald the merge as the end of the longest console war.

Well, so much for getting the Intellivision Amico ever, as Atari has purchased their longest video game rival, going back nearly 50 years. Technically, neither company is really owned by the original founders or corporate entities, so it's not like they've really been keeping up the feud or anything. But now, everything from both companies that ruled gaming in the late '70s and early '80s is under one banner. Atari made it clear that they will now seek digital and physical distribution of legacy Intellivision games and possibly create new games under the name while also seeking new licensing deals. Like the new t-shirts the company is selling on its website to mark the occasion. We have more info and quotes from the announcement below.

Atari Officially Buys Intellivision Brand & Library
Credit: Atari/Intellivision

Atari x Intellivision

The first Intellivision home video game console was released by Mattel Electronics in 1979 and the console platform sold an estimated 5 million units through 1990. Atari and Intellivision arguably fought the first console war of consequence in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Mattel went as far as enlisting the actor George Plimpton to appear in a series of ads comparing the two systems, as well as an eight-minute-long video shown at the Gamescom trade show. The purchase includes the rights to more than 200 titles from the Intellivision portfolio and the Intellivision trademarks.

"Uniting Atari and Intellivision after 45 years ends the longest-running console war in history," said Mike Mika, Studio Head at Digital Eclipse, an Atari-owned game studio.

"This was a very rare opportunity to unite former competitors and bring together fans of Atari, Intellivision, and the golden age of gaming," said Wade Rosen, Chairman and CEO of Atari.

"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 bringing a broad array of new Atari and Intellivision titles to the Amico and Amico Home family gaming platforms."


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Gavin SheehanAbout Gavin Sheehan

Gavin is the current Games Editor for Bleeding Cool. He has been a lifelong geek who can chat with you about comics, television, video games, and even pro wrestling. He can also teach you how to play Star Trek chess, be your Mercy on Overwatch, recommend random cool music, and goes rogue in D&D. He also enjoys hundreds of other geeky things that can't be covered in a single paragraph. Follow @TheGavinSheehan on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram, Bluesky, Threads, and Hive, for random pictures and musings.
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