Tommy Talarico, Intellivision CEO, resigns
Intellivision Entertainment founder and CEO Tommy Tallarico is resigning, IGN reports. Best known as the prolific video game composer, Tallarico purchased Intellivision in 2018 and re-released it to build the Amico, a new console aimed at attracting more casual players who have had trouble with the production cycle since it was announced nearly four years ago.
Tallarico will remain with Intellivision, taking on the role of President of the company. He is also the largest shareholder of the company. Chief Revenue Officer Phil Adam will replace CEO. According to a statement Intellivision provided IGN, changes were made to Amico’s development “to better align resources with new challenges”.
“As an industry executive for over 30 years,” Phil Adams said in a statement, “I am very excited to transition to the position of CEO at Intellivision.” “As a business to wrap up the last steps before launch, Tommy felt it was important to provide him with a focused role so he could continue doing what he loves most. As always, we will work hand in hand to bring Amico to market. “
Intellivision has been working hard to release Amico consoles over the past few years. The device was announced in October 2018 as a low-end family-focused console with twin touchscreen controllers designed to play smaller, more affordable games. When interviewing Tallarico at E3 2019, he explained that Amico is primarily aimed at casual players. “We have 3 billion gamers. They don’t call themselves gamers, they call every day. The reality is 55% of the $140 billion industry.” The Amico library, which includes original titles and both classic and remastered Intellivision games, is sold digitally and includes 20 on launch and 6 on consoles. The Amico itself is $249.99.
Unfortunately, Amico suffered three delays as Intellivision cited supply problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Pre-orders held in 2019 (including initial 6,000 orders) for an October 2020 launch have been postponed to April 2021 and back to October 2021. The company’s website FAQ currently lists Q1 2022 as the expected launch period. That means Amico could launch it in time by March 31st, but that seems unlikely, but time will tell.
