Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

1 minute ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

5 category of games.  Most people will likely only be interested in a couple

Okay. Thanks. I was wondering where the cats fit in. Maybe yowling for attention all the time. I had a cat like that. 

5 minutes ago, GrumpyOl'Guy said:

The amount of games that come to mobile or switch fir example I’d the complete opposite of refreshing. It’s a confusing mess. 

but thats mobile, is the ps4 store a complete mess?  I wouldnt say it is, and they have released the equivalent of a game a day.  2500/7 years.  Im not saying we need 356 games a year, but I would hope closer to perhaps 100 a year, certainly by the second year.  at 50 ish, If you are interested in say 2 cats, thats 20 games a year. You buy say 50% of those, thats 10 games a year at what median price 7 bucks.  70 bucks a year per account would leave a lot of missed money extraction.

22 minutes ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

but thats mobile, is the ps4 store a complete mess?  I wouldnt say it is, and they have released the equivalent of a game a day.  2500/7 years.  Im not saying we need 356 games a year, but I would hope closer to perhaps 100 a year, certainly by the second year.  at 50 ish, If you are interested in say 2 cats, thats 20 games a year. You buy say 50% of those, thats 10 games a year at what median price 7 bucks.  70 bucks a year per account would leave a lot of missed money extraction.

I guess it's all a matter of perspective or personal taste.  I spent several hundred dollars on an arcade cabinet that only plays 4 games, and will only ever play 4 games.  I'm totally fine with this.  I don't need 100ish games/year, I need a few good ones that I can play.

I personally think the PS4 store is a mess because it's so loaded with avatars and DLC that it's often hard to find a game, even if you type in the exact title. 

Pretty sure Tommy’s stated some games would return to that game spotlight - while every new game would *get* its 10-14 days in the sun, some may come back for a second serving if worthwhile to promote.  No reason why Sesame Street: Bert Finds a Way to Dispose of Ernie in the Woods doesn’t get a second billing later in the year, or the next year, or four years after release (maybe after statute of limitations has expired).

There may just be 35 games a year.. I think we have to remember, each game is trying to capture a unique gameplay mechanic and experience wherever possible, so you don’t want 30 games doing the same thing.  And the goal isn’t to have a 650 game library, but a varied library where anything you select is going to give the best effort at an affordable, co-op, clever experience.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t see the 100th Amico game release in mid to late 2022.  This console isn’t playing by console rules, and it’s deliberately being selective with new game additions.  

11 minutes ago, RetroAdvisoryBoard said:

I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t see the 100th Amico game release in mid to late 2022.  This console isn’t playing by console rules, and it’s deliberately being selective with new game additions.

so you really think a system is going to sell for $200 or more that only has a couple games coming out a month? really?  I think thats where we disagree. I think the consumer would look at that and say... umm nope, its not supported I will buy x, y, or z,  or even more likely I wont buy anything, the world will likely be in a recession so money will be tight.  

If Intellivision isnt going to make money on the hardware, and not on dlc etc, they have to make it on software and offering only a couple of 5 to 10 bucks games a month which may or may not even interest a good portion of your base, i dont see how the economics of that works at all.

How do you go from having a curated game library with a new game every week or so, to not being supported.

And they are making money on the hardware.

1 minute ago, GrumpyOl'Guy said:

To me, this approach seems kind of refreshing. It may not offer the most in the way of overall titles, but those that are released have plenty of exposure. Families (and especially those who hadn't previously ventured into console gaming) would have time to evaluate new games, whether that be looking for/hearing interest when the title appears, or even hearing a day 1-ish review of the game online. Less titles to select from means that going back to pick up a game, even after it's been out a while, you're less likely to be murked down with games upon games to scroll through (I believe Papa Pete, in his Sideswipers reflection video, had postulated such a purchase scenario in regards to that game). Completionists will find this to be potentially the easiest, cheapest console library they've ever invested in, particularly if they go the digital route. Since this will likely end up being a secondary system for most dedicated console gamers, the Amico won't be positioning itself as heavy competition for your gaming dollar there. They'd still save up for the titles you'd want, and pick up the Amico games when they've got spare cash, for example.

 

On a personal note, I know I've seen the variety of games I've bought for systems over time has narrowed considerably. At a younger age, I'd play anything, because I'd have all the energy in the world, and responsibilities (such as they were, at the time) only ate up about 30 hours of a given week, tops. Budget titles from the game store in the mall were amazing, as even titles I didn't like were attainable for the cost of umpiring an extra Little League game. As time has gone on, I've been more or less 'locked' into titles that I'd find entertaining, as I'd rather not waste money on something that I won't enjoy when it could've been saved for a later date (yes, I can be that cheap at times). Knowing that there won't be a ton of games hitting the market, and that the games that do come out have been gone over extensively by the publisher and by the Intellivision team, then I'm far less likely to turn down a game that might not totally be in my wheelhouse. Heck, I'm not the biggest fan of racing games, but I'm intrigued by the one they showed in the teaser.

Just as collecting standpoint physical or digital.  For me I will likely just buy every game mainly because they are not expensive and 2nd I like variety.  I kid you not some of my most favorite games are ones I thought were going to he lame. Xbox kungfu chaos, klax many more. Oyu try them and you realize its addicting.  Plus I dont have to miss an amazing fame because they were lost in the piles of games in other markets 

7 minutes ago, mr_me said:

How do you go from having a curated game library with a new game every week or so, to not being not supported.

a 200 system that only has a couple games coming out a month is and looks like an unsupported piece of hardware. It just does since it will be compared to every other system out there.

  Again, I learned that the hard way with the Jaguar. It had the best game in the world AVP exclusive to its system, a few other top titles Tempest etc,  but then only a few titles a month, and even back in the mid 90s that wasnt enough. Lack of software killed the best hardware in the biz at the time.

Again Im hoping Tommy clarifies and says there is months that may see 6 new titles etc..

1 hour ago, AtariSociety said:

I don't think I have ever saw plans to make 52 games a year.  Did you?

I think maybe intro a new game every week for a short time after console is launched to intro new games but not 52 of them.

I doubt they will have that many new games a year and don't think they need that many either.

Already have orders or dealer orders in for 100K unit... you multiply that out on a few handful of games and that is just the start as they grow from year 0 to 1,2,3 etc...

TJ

Tommy.on here said 10 to 14 days then eventually as hardware sells millions and they get enough quality software in dev they could move it to 7 to 10 days and as low as 5 to 7 days but that won't be tezr 1 or 2.   But still never more than 1 game at a time. 

19 minutes ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

a 200 system that only has a couple games coming out a month is and looks like an unsupported piece of hardware. It just does since it will be compared to every other system out there.

  Again, I learned that the hard way with the Jaguar. It had the best game in the world AVP exclusive to its system, a few other top titles Tempest etc,  but then only a few titles a month, and even back in the mid 90s that wasnt enough. Lack of software killed the best hardware in the biz at the time.

 

Again Im hoping Tommy clarifies and says there is months that may see 6 new titles etc..

 

 

The curated game library is one of the selling features that distinguishes Amico from other systems.  It's also used to attract developers and ensure there's a steady supply of quality new games.  That's the plan anyway.

54 minutes ago, RetroAdvisoryBoard said:

No reason why Sesame Street: Bert Finds a Way to Dispose of Ernie in the Woods doesn’t get a second billing later in the year, or the next year, or four years after release (maybe after statute of limitations has expired).

I have nothing to add here. This just needs quoted. Often. By everyone. Forever.

Thank you for this.

Tommy, when will the next round of VIP consoles go up for presale? Will the black Tron be included? I just got my stimulus check and am ready to jump on the bandwagon!

2 hours ago, RetroAdvisoryBoard said:

No reason why Sesame Street: Bert Finds a Way to Dispose of Ernie in the Woods doesn’t get a second billing later in the year, or the next year, or four years after release (maybe after statute of limitations has expired).

Well this game clearly has to be made now. Might not fit the Amico SAFE rules so @Rev I believe you have your next Inty homebrew title. As you were. 

1 hour ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

a 200 system that only has a couple games coming out a month is and looks like an unsupported piece of hardware. It just does since it will be compared to every other system out there.

  Again, I learned that the hard way with the Jaguar. It had the best game in the world AVP exclusive to its system, a few other top titles Tempest etc,  but then only a few titles a month, and even back in the mid 90s that wasnt enough. Lack of software killed the best hardware in the biz at the time.

 

Again Im hoping Tommy clarifies and says there is months that may see 6 new titles etc..

 

 

A few thoughts:

1. Remember that Intellivision is paying up front for all the games in development.  I'm sure they can't afford to produce that many games at this point.  If the system sells like hot cakes and they have tons of cash flowing in, then I could see them ramping up the number of games.
2. There will be 20-30 games available on launch.  I envision most families sticking with just the included 6 games for a month or so before purchasing more.  When they do go to purchase, they will have 20-30 games to choose from and will likely buy a few over the course of the next month.  The next time they come back, there will be a couple more new games in the store plus the 20 or so that were originally there.  If they keep up that purchasing pattern, I don't think the store will seem too stale as there will always seem like plenty of options.  Just because they passed on a game last month doesn't mean they aren't interested in picking it up - they just picked something else.

3. I can see the limited number of games causing people to go out of their comfort zones a bit and explore some new game categories.  I suspect most will be pleasantly surprised by how much fun some of these other games can be.

4.  Remember the target audience is families with young children so families can play together.  I think when a parent is purchasing through this young player lens, they aren't as hyper-critical about available options (I'm typing this as I look at the absolute crap toys laying around our toy room that I wasted money on 😉).  The Jaguar was trying to appeal to hard-core gamers who likely demand more from a game catalog.

Just my 2 cents.

5 minutes ago, haplo13 said:

Remember the target audience is families with young children so families can play together.

no its not. That is just but one small demographic they are chasing.  Its for all sorts of demographics and people to play together. If it was just for families and young children there would be no need for retro remakes, and so forth. This has to appeal to A LOT more than just young families with kids.

1 hour ago, mr_me said:

The curated game library is one of the selling features that distinguishes Amico from other systems.  It's also used to attract developers and ensure there's a steady supply of quality new games.  That's the plan anyway.

yeah, but curated doesnt have to mean small and limited.

5 minutes ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

If it was just for families and young children there would be no need for retro remakes, and so forth. 

This kinda sounds like you are suggesting that families and young children won't enjoy retro remakes.  I've shown my kids the videos for the remakes of Night Stalker, Astrosmash and Shark! Shark! and they are looking forward to playing them.  The fact that they have never seen or played the originals doesn't matter at all.  If the games are fun for families and young children then I don't think the history (brand new idea or retro remake) matters at all.

12 minutes ago, atarifan88 said:

Tommy, when will the next round of VIP consoles go up for presale? Will the black Tron be included? I just got my stimulus check and am ready to jump on the bandwagon!

I used to know a guy that worked as a security guard at an amusement park every summer. When the park shut down for the winter he would go on government assistance until the park re-opened next season.

What did he buy with his unemployment checks?

A Sega CD, a Japanese game copying machine that would backup SNES game carts to 3.5 floppy disks, and a big wooden barrel for his backyard so he could make whiskey swish.

Some people have it easy when they live at home and don't have to pay any rent...lol 😄

15 minutes ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

no its not. That is just but one small demographic they are chasing.  Its for all sorts of demographics and people to play together. If it was just for families and young children there would be no need for retro remakes, and so forth. This has to appeal to A LOT more than just young families with kids.

Sorry, I should have clarified - I meant their initial target audience (based on this post from Tommy several months back).  I agree that all sorts of demographics can/will enjoy it but they are initially targeting young families.

On 9/11/2019 at 3:19 AM, Tommy Tallarico said:

At the end of the day... the system really will be for EVERYONE.  Not just kids, not just retro gamers like us, not just casual gamers, not just grandparents, not just hardcore gamers, etc.  Like I mentioned in the last trailer...  200 million hardcore gamers (which is what the current console manufactures focus on) yet 3 billion people playing casual games (yet they are playing all by themselves).  So your options are... buy a home console and deal with complicated controls, expensive hardware/games/controllers, little to none in person couch co-op (and that you can find easily), lots of violent and mature content, etc.  OR... you play on your phone by yourself, deal with a TON of non-curated crappy content, always being marketed to or trying to get into your wallet and crappy controls.  And lets not forget... good mobile phones and tablets are expensive as well.  $300 - $1,000 each.  Even the rare couch co-op game Jackbox will cost a family of 4 playing on 4 mobile devices at least $1,000.  And remember... Jackbox isn't really "family" friendly.  Lots of adult humor in there.

So I truly believe that once the system comes out and people see it and play it... it will be a LOT bigger than anyone expected.  BUT... in order to get there we need to market and appeal to the proper audience FIRST.  If we try to rely on and come out of the gate trying to market to hardcore PC or XBOX/PS gamers... or teenagers playing Fortnite... we're toast.  Can we get to the young families/parents?  Who maybe have kids between the ages of 4 - 8 years old?  Look at those demographics and numbers around the world.  Gen X'ers are having kids later and the millennial generation are just now starting to have kids.  The numbers of new families are insane!  It's not uncommon these days for a husband and wife to have kids in their early 40's and the millennial generation are starting a lot later than our parents ever did.  The numbers tell us that the average millennial folks are just now starting to get married and have kids.  That generation is HUGE.  We don't need the Intellivision name in order to get to those people.  As many have said before (including myself)... most millennials don't know what Intellivision is.  But so what!  Those same people didn't know what Nintendo was either when they were growing up.  You either deliver a great product and people love it.  Or they don't.  Anyone saying that the system isn't going to sell because people don't know the Intellivision name is just ignorant.  It's NOT going to matter once the product comes out.

So initially we will target these massive amounts of young families.  What/who are they watching on YouTube, what Facebook pages do they like, what TV shows are they watching?  What websites, influencers, celebrities do they follow?  What stores do they shop in?  It's actually not rocket science.  All of this data is out there if you know where to do get it (which we do) and you do proper focus testing and research.  And if you have a marketing team, budget and plan to get to those folks (which we do).  And then... word of mouth will spread.  Just like what happened with the Wii.  What do you think is going to happen to the hardcore gamer when Amico comes out and it's getting great reviews by their non-gaming friends/family, everyone talking about it, and they know they can now play video games with their non-gaming friends/family.  Do you think they'll want to get one as well?  For under $200 and as a secondary machine to their PS or XBOX or Switch?  Of course they will. 

2 hours ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

a 200 system that only has a couple games coming out a month is and looks like an unsupported piece of hardware. It just does since it will be compared to every other system out there.

  Again, I learned that the hard way with the Jaguar. It had the best game in the world AVP exclusive to its system, a few other top titles Tempest etc,  but then only a few titles a month, and even back in the mid 90s that wasnt enough. Lack of software killed the best hardware in the biz at the time.

 

Again Im hoping Tommy clarifies and says there is months that may see 6 new titles etc..

 

 

Well comparing the jaguar is flawed. There is multiple reasons it failed and it wasn't the quantity of games. 

1st there hardware was difficult to build for. So many developers opted out. 

2nd Price it was the equivalentof $450 in today money. 

3rd It was gunning for a spot against Nintendo and sega at the time. 

4th it didnt have a killer app

Sorry AVP wasnt the best game in the world. I play butt loads of games back in 93 and I didnt even know about AVP till long after Atari stopped making the jaguar.  

5th overhead  Atari did alot of advertising and that cost alot of money.  Amico hasn't spent any money on advertising 

Which brings me to ...

6th internet and YouTube.  Jaguar wasn't around for this type of media where information was readily available.  Most people didnt have a computer at that time. 

Jaguar had 1 pack in fame cybermorph which wasn't that great. 

In nearly all console wars the system that won not because of how many titles they had but by a few really good games. 

Gameboy vs gamegear or lynx

Gameboy won because of 1 game tetris 

To this day my mom still only has tetris and still plays it

Original xbox- Halo most other games didnt even compare to halo and most of my friends didn't have more than 5 games and typically they only played halo. Again not quantity just 1 killer app

Wii- do I need to even say it ? Bowling lol

See the Amico doesn't need a slew of games every month just a couple of really good games and it becomes like wildfire just like the inferior gameboy without a light and color but it had tetris. And ince people see that game that people can only play on the Amico then their friends will want one jist my all my moms friends.  And the rest is history.  Just like AVP few remember it but everyone remember tetris or wii bowling. 

17 hours ago, sanguinesonata said:

 

he's a man playing a role to pay the bills. But play the role long enough... eventually the role consumes the man, and only the role remains.

 

Nope, the bills remain as well. 

54 minutes ago, Relicgamer said:

2nd Price it was the equivalentof $450 in today money. 

3rd It was gunning for a spot against Nintendo and sega at the time. 

4th it didnt have a killer app

Sorry AVP wasnt the best game in the world. I play butt loads of games back in 93 and I didnt even know about AVP till long after Atari stopped making the jaguar.  

5th overhead  Atari did alot of advertising and that cost alot of money.  Amico hasn't spent any money on advertising 

Which brings me to ...

you are wrong on so many accounts, just stop. You werent there I was. 

The price wasnt that far a part from others.

SNES and Genesis were old tech at this time and the Jaguar hardware was a full generation better than them

AVP was the killer app, just because you didnt know that at the time means nothing.

Atari spent a lot to advertise, amico hasnt which means even if Amico spends a lot of money advertising and doesnt have the games its toast.

after this even less what you say makes any sense. Again I lived this. I sold the damn jaguar,  after its failure I left the industry.  I know more about this time period then you as you show with you ignorant posts. So please stop, you have no idea what you are talking about and if you think the amico will sell like the gameboy, once again you have no real understanding of this industry nor its history.

On 4/13/2020 at 11:09 PM, Tommy Tallarico said:

Not only that... how about a very special super duper limited edition hand numbered edition signed by the entire team.

 

Wouldn't That Be Something™?
 

Yes...Yes it would be something! Make it so please  

1 hour ago, haplo13 said:

The numbers tell us that the average millennial folks are just now starting to get married and have kids.  That generation is HUGE.  We don't need the Intellivision name in order to get to those people.  As many have said before (including myself)... most millennials don't know what Intellivision is.  But so what!  Those same people didn't know what Nintendo was either when they were growing up.  You either deliver a great product and people love it.  Or they don't.  Anyone saying that the system isn't going to sell because people don't know the Intellivision name is just ignorant.  It's NOT going to matter once the product comes out.

Brand recognition is EVERYTHING. I think the play is not to start with young families and kids who know nothing and have no attachment to Intellivision at all, the play and advertising should be IMHO targeted at grandparents. We grew up and loved this time in gaming. We have the disposable income that young families surely dont have. We have a real need for the product as it gives us a chance to connect with your kids and grandkids and friends again with couch coop.  I mean how do young families know they miss couch coop when they dont even know what it is with a product and brand they never heard of? 

Grandparents ( which include many of us in the forum) our demo should be the target.  "Young families during a recession with no brand loyalty or recognition trying to sell a "couch coop"  which they dont even really miss since they never experienced it" mans thats a tough sell.  

Giving grandparents a product that brings back great times, allows a great family experience and just may break their grandkids from their phones in order to spend some quality time together.... now thats the sweet spot IMHO. 50 s and 60s years old. We have the cash and we have the need for this product.

22 minutes ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

you are wrong on so many accounts, just stop. You werent there I was. 

The price wasnt that far a part from others.

SNES and Genesis were old tech at this time and the Jaguar hardware was a full generation better than them

AVP was the killer app, just because you didnt know that at the time means nothing.

Atari spent a lot to advertise, amico hasnt which means even if Amico spends a lot of money advertising and doesnt have the games its toast.

after this even less what you say makes any sense. Again I lived this. I sold the damn jaguar,  after its failure I left the industry.  I know more about this time period then you as you show with you ignorant posts. So please stop, you have no idea what you are talking about and if you think the amico will sell like the gameboy, once again you have no real understanding of this industry nor its history.

Lol how would you know if I was there or not? Im 46 years old and owned a jaguar.  Currently own

Fully functional microvision 

Intellivision 

Vectrex 

2600

Commodore 64

Sms

Genesis 

Magnavox odyssey 2

Nes 

Snes

Saturn import

3do

Lynx 

Gamegear 

Nomad 

Nuon

Would you like me you continue? 

I WAS THERE....... probably before you

And please explain how I'm actually wrong?  Than just saying I'm wrong jist because you sold them lol plenty of people sold games in the 90s doesn't make them experts. I explained it and you haven't.