*WHY* Did Atari Buy Intellivision???

I want to like the Intellivision, I really do. But for me, there's just very few truly standout games for the system. Most of them are either very lackluster or too complex for the era when they were created. So why then did Atari buy the Intellivision brand and nearly 200 games along with it? Is their own library of hundreds of absolute CLASSIC games too small?! I don't get it. But maybe going through a bunch of games we can figure it out.
-
I hope you enjoyed the video. Please check out the following links:
/ @gregsvlog
/ 1252321131587915
/ gregsgameroom
www.ataritimes.com
#videogames #retrogaming #retrogames #classicgaming #classicgames #classicvideogames #vintagegaming #vintagegames #arcadegames #atari #atari2600 #atari5200 #atari7800 #atarilynx #atarijaguar #nintendo #nintendones #nes #nintendosnes #supernintendo #nintendowii #sega #segagenesis #megadrive #segasaturn #segadreamcast #turbografx #pcengine #colecovision #intellivision #arcade1up #arcadegames #playstation #sony #xbox #microsoft

[@knucklebonesproductions]

Atari had the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons games, and it’s the 50th anniversary of D&D.

[@GregsGameRoom]

They own the game code but not the license. I dunno D&D maybe cheap.

[@jeremiahthomas8140]

I did not realize it was the 50th anniversary of Dungeons & Dragons this year. Now Atari really needs to do something with the two AD&D Intellivsion games. And maybe the unreleased 2600 port if the rom can be found.

[@slaapliedje]

Ha, WotC did it to themselves that the brand isn't worth much. The publishing rights for D&D has been passed around so many times at this point, I don't knkw who currently can use it anymore... kind of like Commodore's.

[@kenneth6731]

I was 10 when I played that. It was a really good game. It would freak me out big time when the Dragon got after me!

[@jon-paulfilkins7820]

Cloudy Mountain was a revelation back in 80/81, the first action rouge like I ever saw.

[@intellivisiongamer]

Some of you in the comments really need to play more games before speaking on such things 🤷🏻‍♂️. There are many great games on Atari and Intv. Intellivision brings a lot of good titles and history. If it had no value they would not have made the purchase lol.

[@GregsGameRoom]

There are some good titles but the vast majority are lackluster IMO.

[@intellivisiongamer]

@@GregsGameRoom how many have you played? Most haven’t played them all and there are hidden gems.

[@donaldsmith5667]

I have to disagree. My friend had it growing up and it was like awful game after awful game. Astro Smash is great, if not overrated. But that controller just absolutely is not enjoyable.

[@intellivisiongamer]

@@donaldsmith5667 how many games have you played? There are great games on both consoles. You just haven’t played the right ones I’m guessing. I get the controller thing, as some Intv fans don’t like it even, but more complicated games require more buttons. I have zero issues with controllers. I like playing the games whatever controller they were designed for.

[@gassie62]

I enjoyed the sports games myself. Yes the controller became painful to use over time. For it's time, it was impressive.

[@askcommish]

Intellivision has insanely fun sports games, the talking games, dungeons and dragons, the Imagic collection, Kool Aid man, Night Stalker, Burgertime and on and on ... so many cool games

[@GregsGameRoom]

Much of that Atari can't use.

[@MrMegaManFan]

Actually "why did they do it" isn't the question - but you already know what I'm about to say Greg - "why do we even call it Atari?" This isn't Sunnyvale Atari buying Mattel Intellivision. This is Infogrames Atari buying the shell of Intellivision IP that Tommy Two-Tone bought from Keith Peterson and then bludgeoned with his Guinness World Records (his mom must be so proud). Neither of these companies are the ones from our childhood. It would be like putting tap water in a bottle, selling that business to Coca-Cola, and then claiming Coke bought Perrier. None of it is real. It's just a bunch of trademarks and mobile phone games.

[@GregsGameRoom]

You make some good points.

[@AmartharDrakestone]

They're thinking the exact same thing they thought when they bought the Atari brand. Nostalgia and brand recognition.

[@GregsGameRoom]

But compared to games like Asteroids, Centipede, Missile Command the Intellivision games are unknown.

[@AmartharDrakestone]

@@GregsGameRoom the company's main business is hotels anyway. They just need a name to exploit.

[@jeremiahthomas8140]

​@AmartharDrakestone Atari licensed their name out to a company trying to build a hotel. That is the extent to which Atari is in the business of hotels. Which is basically, none at all.

[@FunkyStudios]

​@AmartharDrakestone Atari doesn't own Atari Hotels, that was only a licensing/partnership deal with a hotel company.

[@BigFunnyGiant]

@@AmartharDrakestonehotels? They ended that 2 years ago.

[@willieloomis5958]

Never had Intellivision, and never heard of Thunder Castle, but I think 8 year old me would have loved that game.

[@GregsGameRoom]

Exactly. No one has heard of these games.

[@intellivisiongamer]

@@GregsGameRoomsome of the later games were less known to all but you really need to get out and play more if you think there is no value in this purchase lol. I am a retro to current gen gamer but Intv was my first. I played just as much Atari 2600. There are many great games on both.

[@MrClawt]

As someone who never had Intelivision, I would love to see a product like Atari 50. The games and history side by side.

[@GregsGameRoom]

The odd controls in nearly every game make Intv games hard to play on modern consoles. They'd need to redo them all.

[@shaky6669]

The Intellivision Lives Collection has that great song at the title screen.😁

[@d.vaughn8990]

Night Stalker is great! Bitd, I would’ve traded my Atari and games, for an Intellivision console and that one game! Utopia is another fun one! Shark! Shark! Is a hoot!

[@GregsGameRoom]

Night Stalker is cool, the shooting is a little funky.

[@PlasticCogLiquid]

Thin Ice and Tron were my favorites back in the day. Stadium Mud Buggies looks awesome

[@duzkiss]

Atari possibly did this to get the name brand and to stop a possible foe. The real reason was software history and archiving.

[@GregsGameRoom]

I doubt if they were too worried about the Amico...

[@tonyd6269]

I grew up with the 2600 but I loved the Intellivision which my neighbor owned. Sports games were awesome. Loved Night Stalker, Astro Smash, Frog Bog, Thunder Castle, Thin Ice... several others. The controller took a bit to get used to but when you did I fell in love with the Intelli!

[@necrottarius]

I grew up with the Intellivision. Most of your criticisms are correct. It had better graphics and sound, but that was about it. Only a handful of games were actually noteworthy and some of them were blatant Atari 2600 rip offs. Plus, if you played on an original Intellivision your main complaint would probably be the original controller which doomed it from the start (apart from it being more expensive)

[@JohnSegerclucka]

Yup. I had a 2600 as a kid and my neighbor across the street had intellivision because he liked sports. He ended up using my Atari because of the games. Astrosmash was fun but the 2600 version Astroblast ran FASTER! LOL

[@thedrunkmonkshow]

It might not look like it now but the Intellivision was actually the most advanced console of that era up until the Colecovision and Famicom came out. It also technically was the first 16-bit console and had a much more advanced video display than the Atari 2600 which included things like background tiles for the first time, 8 moving sprites, and both horizontal and vertical scrolling. It was also the first system to include human speech. What held the system back more than anything was the cost of memory at that time but if you want to see it's full potential check out Intellivania which is a homebrew demake of Castlevania. 😇

[@cicerothenekoknightplaysall]

The buzz bomber music slaps

[@GregsGameRoom]

It would if it didn’t cut-off every time I shoot.

[@autoneurotic]

Love the Intellivision. They could do a physical/digital game collection like they did with Atari 50, and they could also release a new console akin to the 2600+ to play vintage carts on. They could easily make quite a few dollars off just those two products. There's an audience for it.

[@Tempora158]

Atari does not own (2:25) Astrosmash or (8:00) Shark! Shark! Those two games were sold to BBG Entertainment before Intellivision Entertainment sold everything else to Atari.

[@GregsGameRoom]

Well that kinda sucks then. I think of Astrosmash as Intv's most popular game.

[@Tempora158]

@GregsGameRoom The silver lining is Atari can sell those two games in their original Intellivision form so compilation releases won't be missing these two games, but any sequel or remakes (like the ones just released) can only be done by or has to be licensed from BBG Entertainment.

[@retrogamer1]

In my opinion, Atari bought Intellivision simply because they can. Amico has destroyed the brand so badly, the price can't have been very high. You can count the really useful games on two hands. It's mainly the strategy games that are really unique and make full use of the controller. Most action games feel slow and sluggish (at least that's how you feel if you're used to A2600 games). The strength of the INTV lies in the homebrew games. There are some real hits that show what you can get out of the console. But whether that was a motivating factor for Atari, I personally don't think so.

[@GregsGameRoom]

I'm thinking fire sale...

[@gswanson]

Most people I knew had Atari systems, but I knew a few wealthier kids who had Intellivision. While the sound and some of the graphics are impressive in these games, when I was a kid I was mostly intrigued by the Intellivision because it was different and I didn't own one. Even though I would say the Intellivision has a graphical edge in some ways over the 2600, it lacks those color gradients that make Atari games so vibrant. I keep thinking about Yars Revenge in particular on the 2600 which was a really unique game that was not based on an arcade game and I wonder if anything like that existed on Intellivision. I know nostalgia is a powerful thing, but I agree with you. It's hard to see what's so great about Intellivision and I don't even mean that in a weird console war/brand loyalty way.

[@GregsGameRoom]

There were a lot of unique games for the Intv, just most of them weren’t very good.

[@BigFunnyGiant]

They definitely have plans that they’re not telling.

[@GregsGameRoom]

They probably don’t even know themselves!

[@angelriverasantana7755]

I bet they only did the buyout just to get it off Tommy Tallarico's dirty hands. Good thing is RIP the Amico, bad thing is we don't know what will happen soon

[@ridiculous_gaming]

Atari has made some fantastic decisions as of late and purchasing Intellivision may be another one. I had the 2600 and my neighbor had the Intellivision. Intellivision had difficult controllers, but had some fantastic titles such as Night Stalker, sea battle, micro surgeon, demon attack, burger time, dracula and some Dungeon and Dragon titles.

[@GregsGameRoom]

Some gems here but not a ton.

[@matthewsays]

I didn't grow up with it, but Thunder Castle looked fun. It looks sort of like a dynamically changing Pac-Man. Multiple levels, good sprites, nice classical music renditions.

[@GregsGameRoom]

Yeah kinda like Pac-Man without dots. I wanted to hack the dragon with a sword though!

[@victormercado4478]

Curious did Atari purchase Activision's 2600 titles?

[@GregsGameRoom]

Pitfall! alone is probably more than Atari could afford.

[@wiredupretro]

Maybe Auto Racing Recharged?

[@GregsGameRoom]

Mmm, don’t need to buy Intellivision for that

[@notthehelper6289]

Because it was cheap LOL! They did not say how much they paid but you can be sure it was CHEAP!

[@GregsGameRoom]

I’m sure it was super cheap!

[@slaapliedje]

I was always an Atari guy... then a Sega guy. Now I have about all the old mainstream consoles, though I do not own an Intellivision... maybe we can get these ported to the 2600+ now...

[@GregsGameRoom]

That's an interesting idea... An all-in-one Atari cart with the best Intv games on it.

[@GreenTeaViewer]

The IP was probably cheap and good for the portfolio.

[@GregsGameRoom]

Definitely cheap.

[@jon-paulfilkins7820]

Well, modern Atari keep on hawking the 2600 rather than the superior 5200/8-bit computer range of games.

[@blackenedheart9592]

I agree with you. I dont know why they bought them. i have the same ps2 game and i can't figure out how to play most of them cause of the disc controls on a ps2! Why? Oh well. I got it for $5. But yeah, theres nothing that stands out for the Intellivision.

[@GregsGameRoom]

Yeah I think the controller actually hurt them. It was too complex but they had to make use of it.

[@intellivisiongamer]

@@GregsGameRoomthere are many games that have simple controls like 2600 games, some that use a couple extra buttons and then some that make full use of the controller. Just like any console, they all have duds, average and really good games.

[@Rimoco]

Maybe they're interested in release the ill fated Intellivision Amico themselves...

[@BigFunnyGiant]

They’re not. They said in the press release that remains with the other company, which will re-brand and pay Atari to license the games.

[@GregsGameRoom]

Yeah Amico isn’t part of this. (Thankfully.)

[@Darkwingsamural]

This is great, but why do I now think of Coleco and the Jaws theme at the same time. 😂

[@GregsGameRoom]

Hm, not sure

[@Darkwingsamural]

@@GregsGameRoom 😂

[@saurondp]

I never owned an Intellivision, but a friend of mine had one when we were kids, so I got to play quite a bit on it. Of course, the game we played the most was Major League Baseball, but he had a few others. My own opinion of the system was that it was a bit lacking in comparison to the 2600 as far as its overall selection of games is concerned, although it certainly had some gems. I think it's a good move for Atari, and I think they'll definitely be better custodians of the brand than the previous owners. It would certainly be nice to see some sort of intellivision compilation come out of this, but I don't see many of the IPs getting updated, or at least I don't see much of a compelling reason to do so. That's all just my opinion, though, I'm sure Intellivision fans will disagree with that.

[@jessragan6714]

Intellivision is an acquired taste. A lot of their games are more complex than their Atari 2600 counterparts, and there are some experiences that would be impossible or impractical to bring to the 2600. Because of this, some games can be extremely rewarding (B-17 Bomber and Microsurgeon) while others are confusing and tedious (Vectron and Truckin').

[@GregsGameRoom]

“Acquired taste” is a good way to describe it. These games are not for everyone which is probably why it wasn’t as successful as Atari.

[@MrSez1979]

A new GGR on a sunny Saturday... Life is good! 👍😌😎❤️

[@GregsGameRoom]

Thanks for the support!

[@BaarBear]

Intellivision sold the rights to the brand name and the IPs because they needed more money to fund the Amico and the name and those IPs were all the assets they had left.

[@Jolt7800]

Maybe just to say “take that George Plimpton ( mocked Atari on commercials)” and finally end the long Cold War.

[@GregsGameRoom]

Haha, Atari won the war 40 years ago!

[@AlienSneak]

My 1st console, Intellivision.

[@jaymesjmathias9390]

*D&D* for starters! That was zelda before zelda! Very fun at the time and is still killer especially the sounds! Ahead of the game it was.

[@jaymesjmathias9390]

Funny! 1 of the top intellivision games & is easy to find yet you left it out);

[@GregsGameRoom]

Atari wouldn’t be able to use the D&D name.

[@hammerheadms]

So, wait... Did Atari also get the rights to the Tron games? I thought you said those weren't included because they are obviously under licence. That would be awesome if they did because Tron Deadly Discs is my favorite Intellivision game.

[@GregsGameRoom]

The own the code not the name. So they could change the game to something else.

[@drudown76]

Atari couldn't do graphics like Intellivision

[@KabukeeJo]

Atari trying cash in on those member berries!

[@GregsGameRoom]

Member what though? There’s not too many well-know Intellivision games.

[@TheDuke013]

Intellivision was so much better, the controllers look as good as they played, but it seems like they just want the title. It really isn't the same atari that we grew up with, so i can't see them doing it out of spite.

[@GregsGameRoom]

They sure want to capitalize on the games, but few are interesting enough IMO.

[@donaldsmith5667]

Playing Intellivision with the original controller is absolute hell. I don’t recommend this! lol

[@GregsGameRoom]

It’s not much better with a PS controller either! I’m constantly hitting all the buttons and shouting, “DO SOMETHING!”

[@8bitsnkboy472]

Air Strike, Crazy Clones, Hard Hat, King of the Mountain, Space Cadet - I've never heard of these and I collect intellivision carts?? Regardless, anyone with half a brain-cell can probably manage and distribute these classic games better than Tommy Tallarico ever could.

[@GregsGameRoom]

Yeah those actually weren’t on the Intellivision Lives collection but they’re all copyrighted by Intv/Mattel, so I guess Atari owns those too?

[@nsgames24]

2:36 AVGN 😊

[@gamesfoundation]

Utopia is the only game that has any value. the rest is junk

[@GregsGameRoom]

I couldn’t figure that one out. But I imagine it’s cool since I also love Populous and Sim City.

[@gamesfoundation]

@@GregsGameRoom its a bit complex, you need to check the manual

[@derekstinchcomb1380]

you look little of like john belushi.

[@DrEd-th2lu]

I can’t remember any Intellivision games worth bringing back. As kids I remember us seeing some odd keypad with some kind of slide card. Hopefully, they purchased it VERY cheaply.

[@normantor]

I always liked bowing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@JumboJosh-lv3mo]

Most intel games are just worse Atari games.

[@GregsGameRoom]

A lot of them were Atari game clones, yep.

[@JumboJosh-lv3mo]

@provisionalhypothesis Looks better ✅ Plays better ❌ Very clear to me that “You haven’t played Atari today”

[@johneygd]

“I don’t know if it’s worth updating those games,here are notible games to help you decide” Through what, only 2 minutes of discusions? But showing a whopping 12 minutes of games? You got to be kidding me, you can’t be that serious, To me it makes no freaking damn sense, you rather could,ve title it “the fond memories i have of the intelevision and then still show those games for 12 minutes, what a joke👎 And whether atari will only buy those games and/ or the console itself or not, i don’t ever think ataru will be able to make any money out of it,damnit🥲

[@GregsGameRoom]

Ok