Acquisitions have been rampant in the sports industry lately. While the biggest example on everyone’s mind is Xbox’s recent acquisition of Activision Blizzard, several have already taken place in 2024. The latest was announced today by Atari, which confirmed that it is acquiring its longtime rival, Intellivision.
Atari announced that it had purchased over 200 games from the Intellivision brand and Intelvision Entertainment. As part of the agreement, Intellivision Entertainment will continue to rebrand and develop and distribute the Amico game console with a license from Atari to distribute new versions of Intellivision games on the console. Atari will also consider expanding digital and physical distribution of legacy Intellivision games, potentially creating new games and exploring licensing opportunities.
“This was a very rare opportunity to unite former rivals and bring together fans of Atari, Intellivision, and the golden age of gaming,” Atari Chairman and CEO Wade Rosen said in a press release.
“Atari has been a valued partner and we are confident they will be responsible stewards of the storied Intellivision brand,” said Phil Adam, CEO of Intellivision Entertainment. “We look forward to our extensive collaboration and bringing a wide array of new Atari and Intellivision titles to the Amico and Amico Home family of gaming platforms.”
Atari has been experiencing a bit of a re-emergence in the public consciousness lately. In addition to other acquisitions such as Night Dive Studios and Digital Eclipse, Atari also published popular games such as Mr. Run and Jump and Atari 50: The Anniversary Celebration. For more on Atari’s outlook and current strategy, be sure to listen to the 2023 episode of All Things Nintendo, which features an in-depth discussion with Wade Rosen right here.