Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

I just took a look at this, and it seems different from what Tommy is doing.

 

Apple has a problem that their app store is jammed with "free" games (that are either filled with ads or micro transactions that nickel and dime you to death).

 

It is hard for them to sell premium titles next to all these "free" games.

 

So, they are creating a subscription service, and are working with developers to create premium titles for this service, exclusively for play on Apple devices.

 

I guess if the service is successful, it could help them promote the Apple TV as a "low cost" console.

 

The thing this has is common with Amico is that, rather than the Ouya "field of dreams" model ("build it and they will come"), Apple and Intellivision are both working with developers to create a top line of games for their service or console.

 

On the other hand, Apple does not have the focus that Amico has on an affordable family friendly multiplayer console. They seem mostly aimed at hardcore gamers.

 

We'll see how it all unfolds...

 

The iPhone is a Wiimote, Kinect, touchpad and, to some slight degree, a standard controller. Apple will probably sell a standard controller as well. The Amico controller could be all of these as well, uncertain about the camera control. It will be interesting to see the direction each one's games take. I'm pretty sure the Apple Arcade game focus will be significantly different from the Amico, though.

I just took a look at this, and it seems different from what Tommy is doing.

 

Apple has a problem that their app store is jammed with "free" games (that are either filled with ads or micro transactions that nickel and dime you to death).

 

It is hard for them to sell premium titles next to all these "free" games.

 

So, they are creating a subscription service, and are working with developers to create premium titles for this service, exclusively for play on Apple devices.

 

I guess if the service is successful, it could help them promote the Apple TV as a "low cost" console.

 

The thing this has is common with Amico is that, rather than the Ouya "field of dreams" model ("build it and they will come"), Apple and Intellivision are both working with developers to create a top line of games for their service or console.

 

On the other hand, Apple does not have the focus that Amico has on an affordable family friendly multiplayer console. They seem mostly aimed at hardcore gamers.

 

We'll see how it all unfolds...

 

You are right... "replicate" is not an appropriate word. I think "stealing" some of the ideas that Tommy made public. It's obvious that Tommy knows the value of being real and open about his vision for Intellivision Amico and how he plans to get there. I believe his approach is very impressive and modern, but it's disheartening that one of the largest corporations in the world has just announced something huge and its distinguishing factors are that the games will be exclusive to the service and Apple is funding legendary designers to work develop the exclusive content. It's exactly what Tommy previously reported for Amico.

 

But then again, maybe it's just me. On a much smaller (almost incomparable to Tommy's) scale, I am going through an experience now where my cousins and I developed a process for making a delicious hopped bourbon and spent 3 years grinding it out in our free-time to be placed in about 60 stores and about half as many restaurants and bars in Ohio, and then Jameson swooped in last Spring with a multi-million dollar commercial TV campaign during the Winter Olympics and every bar in Ohio now has a bottle of Jameson IPA whiskey on their shelf. Now... the damaging effects are two-fold. Their product is about a "B" in my opinion, so all our potential future customers are likely pre-judging our hopped bourbon as not so great, and secondly, we walk in and they immediately think we are a cheap knockoff of Jameson although we predated them by 2 years. Our already challenging job of educating bar managers has had it's difficulty level multiplied. We will keep plugging at it with smiles of course, but being knocked back hard by the biggest of guys, in a word, sucks.

Edited March 27, 2019 by TestaOn

Serious question here, With over 10 million dollars mentioned as your marketing budget how much did the console itself cost to develop? Can we expect to see commercials on TV,etc. for the Amico with such a treasure chest of cash at your disposal to sell this thing to the masses? $10 million is a shitload of money. I'm curious where that kinda cash came from for marketing alone. That much paid exposure is surely going to help move product without a doubt no matter what you are selling.

I just took a look at this, and it seems different from what Tommy is doing.

 

Apple has a problem that their app store is jammed with "free" games (that are either filled with ads or micro transactions that nickel and dime you to death).

 

It is hard for them to sell premium titles next to all these "free" games.

 

So, they are creating a subscription service, and are working with developers to create premium titles for this service, exclusively for play on Apple devices.

 

I guess if the service is successful, it could help them promote the Apple TV as a "low cost" console.

 

The thing this has is common with Amico is that, rather than the Ouya "field of dreams" model ("build it and they will come"), Apple and Intellivision are both working with developers to create a top line of games for their service or console.

 

On the other hand, Apple does not have the focus that Amico has on an affordable family friendly multiplayer console. They seem mostly aimed at hardcore gamers.

 

We'll see how it all unfolds...

 

Yeah... I agree with all of this. Apple still has the problem that all the games are single player experiences, no physical products and yet one more subscription service where you own nothing and don't get access to all the best stuff... like Amazon video... if you want the latest and greatest things... you still need to pay on top of your monthly/yearly subscription.

 

I'm not worried about any "cloud" service at this point. Not a single person I know has ever asked for it. Look at the incredible negative feedback that the Google Stadia received.

 

Time will tell... I'm sure at some point someone will do the "Netflix for video games" properly. Until then... we'll have fun watching them outspend each other in the billions while we quietly do our own thing and surprise them all.

 

 

Tommy

 

The iPhone is a Wiimote, Kinect, touchpad and, to some slight degree, a standard controller. Apple will probably sell a standard controller as well. The Amico controller could be all of these as well, uncertain about the camera control. It will be interesting to see the direction each one's games take. I'm pretty sure the Apple Arcade game focus will be significantly different from the Amico, though.

 

I agree.

 

And it will be interesting to see if they attempt a controller. Because JUST a touch screen for controls SUCKS. We probably shouldn't give them too many ideas though. Clearly they are watching.

 

You are right... "replicate" is not an appropriate word. I think "stealing" some of the ideas that Tommy made public. It's obvious that Tommy knows the value of being real and open about his vision for Intellivision Amico and how he plans to get there. I believe his approach is very impressive and modern, but it's disheartening that one of the largest corporations in the world has just announced something huge and its distinguishing factors are that the games will be exclusive to the service and Apple is funding legendary designers to work develop the exclusive content. It's exactly what Tommy previously reported for Amico.

 

But then again, maybe it's just me. On a much smaller (almost incomparable to Tommy's) scale, I am going through an experience now where my cousins and I developed a process for making a delicious hopped bourbon and spent 3 years grinding it out in our free-time to be placed in about 60 stores and about half as many restaurants and bars in Ohio, and then Jameson swooped in last Spring with a multi-million dollar commercial TV campaign during the Winter Olympics and every bar in Ohio now has a bottle of Jameson IPA whiskey on their shelf. Now... the damaging effects are two-fold. Their product is about a "B" in my opinion, so all our potential future customers are likely pre-judging our hopped bourbon as not so great, and secondly, we walk in and they immediately think we are a cheap knockoff of Jameson although we predated them by 2 years. Our already challenging job of educating bar managers has had it's difficulty level multiplied. We will keep plugging at it with smiles of course, but being knocked back hard by the biggest of guys, in a word, sucks.

 

You mean like 3 days after we released our Reveal Trailer... Sony files a patent for a color touchscreen on their controller!

 

No worries... we have many unique patents we are working on. I'm assuming there is a very specific reason why Sony had to patent their screen BETWEEN 2 extended hand grips.

 

This is the reason we haven't been sharing tons of info. We are in the process of filing a lot more patents before we show at E3.

Serious question here, With over 10 million dollars mentioned as your marketing budget how much did the console itself cost to develop? Can we expect to see commercials on TV,etc. for the Amico with such a treasure chest of cash at your disposal to sell this thing to the masses? $10 million is a shitload of money. I'm curious where that kinda cash came from for marketing alone. That much paid exposure is surely going to help move product without a doubt no matter what you are selling.

 

The console is being developed in-house with the exception of the industrial design (the shape)... it's very common to hire outside companies for this... and we have one of the best.

 

The machine itself will cost about $3 million when all is said and done. But that is just for the design and UI. Manufacturing is in the hundreds of millions! Software is almost $10 million, etc., etc..

 

The fact that Atari raised $3 million for the VCS means that they must rely on everyone else (for the most part) to make the software for the system. We're the opposite. We have full control over everything that appears on our machine. And what about marketing? What will their budget be?

 

Yes... you will see Intellivision commercials nationwide. As well as celebrity endorsements, social media influencers, national mall tours, massive social media, and massive PR (national morning shows, late night shows, etc.). It will be a total blitz leading into 10/10 2020.

 

You asked where the "cash" for marketing came... investors.

 

And keep in mind that our marketing & PR budget was put together by the 2 women who ran Nintendo marketing & PR for a combined 30 years!

 

Let the good times roll!!!!

 

Gotta get back to playing this new epic build of the new (and exclusive!) Moon Patrol for Amico!!!! Can't wait to share what we have with everyone! June can't come quick enough.

 

 

 

Edited March 30, 2019 by Tommy Tallarico

Can't wait to share what we have with everyone! June can't come quick enough.

 

 

Thanks for the in-depth response. Hundreds of millions on manufacturing? Are you sure about that figure? If so, That is a crazy amount of other peoples money. Should be interesting to see what paid celebrity endorsements come about. Hopefully they end up in the TV spots. The rest of your response makes a lot of sense and as I mentioned before, thanks for taking the time to respond as you did.

I'm happy to be your anti-social influencer! Rev and Cmart will confirm my credentials and I can sell units in the parking garage at PRGE as well! :-) This is a blast to watch come together!

Im curious how many units you are projecting to sell? With hundreds of millions being spent on it.....that seems like about every family in the usa would have to buy 1?

It's an interesting idea but I rarely come across anyone who even knows what an intellivision is outside these forums or at shows?

Question. Will there be playable Amico kiosks in stores?

Question. Will there be playable Amico kiosks in stores?

Lol! I totally want a kiosk!

Lol! I totally want a kiosk!

 

 

You you say that, you mean for you right? Not in the stores, just for you. :-)

 

 

You you say that, you mean for you right? Not in the stores, just for you. :-)

But of course. 😎👍🏻

 

Thanks for the in-depth response. Hundreds of millions on manufacturing? Are you sure about that figure? If so, That is a crazy amount of other peoples money. Should be interesting to see what paid celebrity endorsements come about. Hopefully they end up in the TV spots. The rest of your response makes a lot of sense and as I mentioned before, thanks for taking the time to respond as you did.

 

I'm the CEO... I'm not guessing at the figure.

 

For example.... if a machine costs $100 to make and you need 1 million of them to sell... that's $100 million... just for that first million units. I'm not saying that is our cost or how many we are making... just giving an example of how easy it is to have $100 million in your supply & manufacturing chain.

 

We have really incredible, smart and powerful partners who believe in us.

 

 

 

I'm happy to be your anti-social influencer! Rev and Cmart will confirm my credentials and I can sell units in the parking garage at PRGE as well! :-) This is a blast to watch come together!

 

Hahahhaa! Anti-social Influencer! Never heard that before. Totally going to use that in the future.

 

 

Im curious how many units you are projecting to sell? With hundreds of millions being spent on it.....that seems like about every family in the usa would have to buy 1?

It's an interesting idea but I rarely come across anyone who even knows what an intellivision is outside these forums or at shows?

 

The math is easy. If a machine cost $100 to manufacture... and you had to make 1 million of them... that's $100 million. 2 million units would be $200 million. You can see how easy the numbers rise.

 

I'm not at liberty to discuss our internal corporate projections. Whatever I say will be used against me so it's a losing battle no matter what. Better to just sit and watch the magic unfold and delight in whatever success comes our way.

 

My personal goals are different from corporate projections. Why wouldn't I try to have a goal to match the Nintendo Wii at 102 million units! But of course I could never say that out loud. People will take it out of context and use it against us. So my personal goals and the company goals are 2 very different things. People told me I was lucky if 500 people showed up to my first Video Games Live show at the Hollywood Bowl. 11,000 people showed up. People told me in 1992 I was crazy to put out the first worldwide video game soundtrack album. People said no one would ever want to listen or buy video game music. 27 years later it's the norm and literally billions of views, plays and sales of game music happens every year. My entire career has revolved around proving naysayers wrong... at this point... it's just more fuel for my fire.

 

There is a big reason why we have had great success in raising money. Even at a few hundred thousand units sold... the company will still be very profitable.

 

The original Intellivision did 4 million units. At the time it was about 25% of the entire home console market. I'd like to see the Amico surpass the original Intellivision units sold. I think that would be considered a huge success. Also keep in mind that we aren't just selling in the U.S. The goal is to release in all of North America, Europe, UK, Japan, Australia/NZ, etc. Not sure if some of those areas will be at the same time as the North America dates. We are working towards at least Europe & UK with North America.

 

To your last point... we're not banking on the name or nostalgia factor. This is a brand new machine. I'm not naive enough to think that people are just going to buy it because it has the name Intellivision on it. It will barely factor into someone's purchase. We are approaching this like no one has ever heard of it. 99% of people under 30 probably never heard the name Intellivision. But we're going to have a lot of fun getting new generations of people to know where we came from and how important Intellivision was in creating the things that most people take for granted in the video game industry. It's going to be our job to educate tens of millions of people about where Intellivision came from. We are proud of our history... and we'll be even prouder of the one we're making now.

Edited March 31, 2019 by Tommy Tallarico

Question. Will there be playable Amico kiosks in stores?

 

Hell yes. A big part of our marketing is to get the things in peoples' hands. Not only in stores, but in malls across the world, local morning TV shows, etc. An entire tour will be planned.

 

This is what the Wii did. People needed to PLAY it. Not just see a billboard or ad. This is why we are honored and excited to have the 2 women who launched the Wii, the DS & the Pokemon franchise as a part of our team! To say we are in good hands would be an understatement!

But of course.

 

Me too!! Totally having one in my office AND home!

 

We are working towards at least Europe & UK with North America.

 

 

Cant wait to visit a local Media Markt or Saturn electronics store over here in Germany and buy a new Intellivision console.

 

Me too!! Totally having one in my office AND home!

Haha! I am happy to set one up in my underground lair to serve as the Western Canadian Amico demo location and Intellivision museum. 👍🏻

Haha! I am happy to set one up in my underground lair to serve as the Western Canadian Amico demo location and Intellivision museum. 👍🏻

I hope you will be not the only visitor.

I hope you will be not the only visitor.

The admission fee is very reasonable.

The admission fee is very reasonable.

My big goal is to fly in over Vancouver for PRGE to pay your collection a visit. But I fear the border crossing on land as Iam not a citizen of the US/Canada. I heard that can get quite difficult.

My big goal is to fly in over Vancouver for PRGE to pay your collection a visit. But I fear the border crossing on land as Iam not a citizen of the US/Canada. I heard that can get quite difficult.

Just make sure you don't have anything that looks like you might be selling something. E.g. cartridges, brochures. What difficulties have you heard of?