Intellivision Hit With Layoffs as It Tries to Save Its Amico Console - News
by William D'Angelo , posted on 08 June 2022 / 1,654 Views
Intellivision in an email sent out to people who have preordered its Amico console and acquired by VideoGamesChronicle said it is doing everything it can to get the console out on the market.
CEO Phil Adam says the company has taken drastic steps by laying off staff in order to save money, as well as licensing out its IP.
"We have dramatically reined in operating costs, which unfortunately required a significant reduction in staff," said Adam. "Our resources are focused on engineering and testing to ensure we have a quality system, as we cannot succeed by producing anything less."
He said that selling out its IP "will help fund [the] continued development of Amico."
Adam added, "A broader distribution of Intellivision classic IP will also help raise awareness of Intellivision while not directly competing with Amico because of Amico’s unique controllers and family-focused gaming adaptations."
With the continued delay of the release of the Amico, Intellivision has been working with customers who are attempting to cancel their pre-order.
"We are slowly processing refund requests," he said. "The public’s uncertainty of our status in the last few months have understandably led to an influx of pre-order refund requests. Because of reduced staff and financing requirements for continued operation, our responses to and processing of these requests has been delayed.
"Rest assured that our intention is to honor all refund requests. We will allocate a portion of all new funding and staff time to winding down the refund queue, while our primary focus is funding and completing a quality product ready for manufacturing."
Adam said Intellivision is continuing with its plans to release the Amico and that it has already started a test production run of consoles that includes every part of the product that is planned to be included.
"It is critically important to show to our current/future investors, partners, and customers that we have built a sound platform that delivers on the in-home family experience, which requires our immediate focus on value engineering and hardening of the platform," he said.
The Amico console was originally slated for an October 2020, but due to the pandemic it was delayed to April 2021, then to Fall 2021. Adam now hopes Intellivision starts "shipping production units this year."
A life-long and avid gamer, William D'Angelo was first introduced to VGChartz in 2007. After years of supporting the site, he was brought on in 2010 as a junior analyst, working his way up to lead analyst in 2012 and taking over the hardware estimates in 2017. He has expanded his involvement in the gaming community by producing content on his own YouTube channel and Twitch channel. You can contact the author on Twitter @TrunksWD.
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HAHAHAHA! This company is such a disaster
I don't know who funded this but they had to have known they'd never get their money back. How many people are interested in this? A few thousands, maybe tens of thousands at most?
You would be surprised how dedicated and delusional the Amico fanbase is and yes it has one. They seem very anti-modern consoles and Anti Switch mainly because this thing costs more than a Switch and can do less and when that is pointed out they go on a Switch hate parade. They can't see they are being scammed by this thing.
As an old-school fan who grew up the classic woodgrain Intellivision in the '80s, but as someone who also likes modern consoles, the trajectory of this company makes me sad. I was hoping to get it and enjoy it in addition to my existing (more modern) systems. I pre-ordered the Amico the day it was announced. Recently, more than once I've wondered if I should request a refund of my pre-order.
Yes, it costing a similar amount to a Switch or a Series S means the market for it is probably pretty small, unfortunately. :(
They named their console after a gas station?
This trainwreck is so much fun to watch. If you wanna watch all the story I recommend a channel called "Pat the NES Punk" he has covered the whole thing in a fun way.
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