Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

44 minutes ago, Papy said:

Sorry if I read too much into your comment. I must admit I felt a bit attacked since I don't have children either.

No worries. Definitely not “attacking” anyone whatsoever. I don’t do that. I was just commenting on Metal Jesus and his lack of insight based on the questions that didn’t seem relevant to him. That’s all. But I still respect him and the fact that he has an open mind about the Amico.

9 hours ago, Papy said:

Is it really relevant? I mean is Amico a kiddy console or is it a family console? From my point of view, the two are completely different. As a 50-year-old man who doesn't have children, I hope this console will also be for me. I hope this console will allow me to play games with both my niece and my mother. My hope is not simply to let my niece and other kids play video games while we, adults, talk about politics, it is to have something we can all do together while having fun (and precisely not talk about politics).

 

What I hope is that for Christmas 2020, when everyone is there, it won't be children playing games together, while adults are at the table having boring discussions, but instead it will be three generations of people having fun together. Maybe I'm a weirdo for hoping such a thing, maybe that's not what the majority of people want, but that's certainly what I want. So again, is it relevant if someone doesn't have kids on his own to be able to judge this new console?

 

From my point of view, what Metal Jesus is saying is that he doesn't know for sure what will happen. Even if he had kids, he still wouldn't be able to know the future. I certainly don't blame him for that. Personally, I think Tommy Tallarico's project has the potential to be very big, but then it could also completely crash and burn. No one knows for sure what will happen. I've seen business plans that were pretty much flawless and yet that completely failed because of a series of bad luck or unpredictable events.

This is a really great post and really speaks about what we're about.  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. 

All we need to do is execute our plan to a tee and make sure the games are fun as hell for everyone.  There will be many challenges along the way and hurdles to cross... we'll end up making a few mistakes and will learn from them and keep going.  If the product is great... it will sell itself once our marketing campaign hits hard. 

Looking forward to taking this ride with you all.  Whose with me?

There's been quite a few discussions regarding Metal Jesus Rocks that I wanted to address.

First off... I LOVE the guy!  He's extremely fair and honest... which seems to be a lost art for YouTubers these days. 

I think part of the reason he may have felt a little uncomfortable during certain parts (as some of you pointed out), is that when I was showing him and John Riggs & Kelsey the machine behind closed doors at E3, we made sure we all understood that most of the info and games are under embargo.  So I believe he is just being respectful to the embargo when he can't talk about certain things he saw.

Here is a comment that he posted on one of the CUPodcast YouTube videos.  You can clearly see that he was "impressed" and had "fun".  This is VERY important to note.  The reason he states we are still figuring out the controls (and he mentions it in other interviews as well)... is because he's 100% spot on and correct!!  At E3 we were still figuring out the physical controllers!  The games we played with him were not on the Intellivision controllers.  He only played on a mobile device with our Amico phone app.  We had the controllers working at E3, but the disc wasn't exactly the way we wanted it at that point (wait til you see what we've done since then!!) so we showed people they were working... but for gameplaying... we only used mobile devices... which are still super fun!  So as he mentioned... we were still figuring out the controls.  He hasn't seen or played the system or games with the real controller yet.  As soon as the controllers are 100% completed I will make sure to invite him out or get some time with him so he can play everything with the physical Intellivision controllers.

What you all may find interesting about this post on YouTube is look at how Pat responded.  Not understanding what we're doing or playing the system (because he refuses to talk to me) he quickly dismisses everything because he doesn't think the system will sell because people don't know the name Intellivision.  Make sure to read the post I just did before this one.  Remember what I said about folks who think that?  The word I used is ignorant.  Just to be clear (so the boys don't feel attacked) that isn't a personal attack on him.  I'm just stating a fact that people who believe a product MUST have nostalgia in order to sell is naive.  Under that logic... the only drinks that would be available for sale would be Pepsi & Coke and that's it.  No new products or machine will ever come out and be successful because new generations of people won't know what they are.  The Intellivision disc could NEVER again be popular because people don't know what it is.  And no Pat... the disc wasn't abandoned by everyone.  We held the PATENT on it so no one could copy it.  But what exactly is a d-pad which is on every single controller still to this day?  Is it not a dumbed down version of our patented disc?  Is it true that a d-pad can only do 8 points of articulation... but ours does 64 (with a big surprise on it's way).  Can a d-pad also be used as a button as well?  Or a directional input for firing in different directions like an analog stick?  Ours can.

And what about focus testing among non-gamers?  We did many tests with many different groups regarding d-pads vs. analog sticks vs. joysticks vs. the Intellivision disc.  Which one do you think came out on top?  Which one do you think your non-gaming grandma or mom would have picked?  If you chose the Intellivision disc... you would be correct. 

So again... it's not an attack on Pat's comment.  But when given additional testing data and information... its easy to see that his thought on the subject is maybe a bit naive because he didn't have all of the data.  Is this the kind of data that we would put in a 2 minute teaser trailer or a press release or even our website at this point (because we're still waiting for the NEW and updated patent on our disc).  No... of course not.  But I'm willing to speak with folks (on or off the record) to explain more.  But according to him & Ian... I shouldn't have to do that.

You'll also notice MY remarks to Pat.  Again... I wasn't confrontational or mean and I certainly didn't attack him in any way.  But remember the narrative that they kept pushing in their last video.  That I attacked them from the beginning and I can't take criticism.  No guys... I just wanted to give you more info so you could make a better assessment and have as much data as possible to pass on to folks.  Their response to that is...  NO!!!!!!!  If it's not in a press release or our website 13 months before the release of the console and 9 months before our marketing starts... then they don't want to hear it.  Okay... whatever.  But it's sad that they have now used their platform and misinformation to attack me and the console and to turn their followers against us with their false narrative that I attacked them and I can't take criticism (all addressed in my video to them for which they never responded).  Ask yourself why they didn't respond?  They made 4 or 5 videos over the past few weeks about me & Amico.  Yet when I have my say and explain the situation... all of the sudden they go dark about us.  Is it because my video doesn't fit their narrative?  Who knows. And quite frankly... who cares at this point.

Again... at the end of the day... it doesn't matter what they think.  It's not going to matter either way for us... but I must admit after their last video... I'd be lying if I said I won't get enjoyment when the machine is a success knowing what they said.  Pat said he thinks MAYBE the machine will sell 5,000 units.  That comment will come back to haunt him.  I promise you. 

The market is getting really interesting these days: Stadia will launch in a couple of months, the Playdate a few months later, Sony and Microsoft will reveal their new machines soon and the Amico will then jump into the fight.

It looks like the Amico d-pad will be better than it looks... I'm not a fan of analog sticks except for driving of flight sims, and using this d-pad by default will be refreshing.

MetalJesus said something interesting about the nostalgia: are we "condemned" to be permanently in love with the games, movies, comic books that we enjoyed when we were 6-14 years old? His interviewer said that he likes Ghostbusters 2 better than the first one because it was the one he watched as a kid. I personally believe that we should be able to escape this mindset. In my case, I didn't finish the first Monkey Island in the 90s, but I did it in 2012 and it is now my favorite game; and I recently realized that the Tomb Raider sequels, that I played from start to finish on my PS1, didn't have any of the "magic" of the 1996 original (exploration, better platforming sections, less enemies).

About the kids, don't plan to have them, but please, if anyone who has kids is reading this, try to teach your kids to discover secrets instead of watching someone doing it, and teach them to play games that foster thinking and mastering actual skills, not cheap rewards for hundreds of hours of playing. Check out this article to know more about this topic: Addicted to fake achievement. (Yes, I know I mentioned this some pages before).

I wish my parents had played with me, but sadly they didn't understand video games. I was lucky to play some great games from the start on my Amstrad (Contra, Commando, Matchday 2, Saboteur, Bruce Lee) and also some really bad games, and this was a great introduction to gaming that helped me identify good and bad games in the 16 bit and 32 bit eras. However, some of my frustration could have been avoided: too much rage when I lost all my lives when I was 10, too many hours lost in Football Managers when I was 16... You, retro gaming parents, have the chance to teach them how to play and why a video game is good. I wish I had a job that consisted in helping children understand these things... Nowadays, they are playing Fortnite and doing a lot of microtansactions buying skins and dances, and I'm not sure this is an ideal situation.

By the way, Tommy, since you like the Bruce Lee game... Well, this style seems to fit the Amico well. Somebody should remake this too.

4 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

...

What you all may find interesting about this post on YouTube is look at how Pat responded.  Not understanding what we're doing or playing the system (because he refuses to talk to me) he quickly dismisses everything because he doesn't think the system will sell because people don't know the name Intellivision.

...

I haven't weighed in on the entire Pat controversy but I will just add this:

If you had a media outlet and really thought a game console (or anything else for that matter) was a scam or even just something consumers should avoid - and president of that company behind it volunteered for an interview on your turf - wouldn't you jump at the chance to get them on and ask them the hard questions?

About the only legitimate argument against this I can think of is you don't want to promote their message. However this isn't hate speech, it is just marketing for a family friendly consumer product. Wouldn't this be a great opportunity to pin them down, batter them with a survey of how their audience weren't interested, let them know that hardly anyone remembers the Intellivision & if they did they hated those controllers, debate if the Wii was really such a success with it's poor uptake of game sales & was a fad that has come & gone and so on.

Sounds to me like Pat is doing a very poor service to his audience if he really thinks these things.

6 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

...

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. 

...

Just wanted to throw some numbers and facts behind this - stuff I would be look at if I was investing in Intellivision Entertainment and wanted to know if it would be a success:

Number of families with children 4 to 8 in the United States - about 21,000,000 about the same in Europe so total of 40,000,000 ish. Just 1% of that is 400,000 consoles sold, and this is just one potential market. BTW Pat is guessing they will only sell to about one hundredth of one percent of just this market. Good luck with that Pat - and never start a business would be my advice.

Do parents care about this stuff - yes they worry incessantly (23 times a week, that's over 3 a day!) about things like not spending enough time with my children (#2 on the list of worries) and #4 kids having too much screen time (this may seem to go against getting an Amico but I can say as a parent what they mean is 'alone & self absorbed time on a screen', plus the only way you can fight this is with something equally attractive like maybe playing video games with the family - away from a screen inches from your face & now interacting with others).

Also the #1 qualities of a "good parent" is being present with my kids - i.e. doing things with them.

As far as I can tell the Amico will be the cheapest game console (not counting fixed library retro systems & such) ever sold nationally in big box stores. Plus savings on games alone ($10 vs $30 - $60 for every other system) is massive not even counting the 5 included games. This is a problem solver if you don't have much money but have 2 or 3 kids who all want to game - 3 Switch Lites ($600 plus a game each, $180 = $780) is 3 or 4 times the cost of just getting an Amico & an extra controller for the whole family. If you say 'just let them share one' then you never had children - and it still costs more.

What about revenue? With Intellivision paying for development they get 70% of the revenue while the developer gets %30 as an incentive for good work (and this is after IE recoups the money they put in). While their games are low cost this ratio is the exact inverse of what Sony and Microsoft get (30%). So dollar for dollar IE gets over twice as much on game sales on their online store. Sony and M$ would kill for that - maybe that is why they are buying all those studios besides the exclusives.

What will be the uptake of games sales on the console? Nobody knows but a rule of thumb is people often buy (on average) the console's value in games or more. With Amico games being less than the price of takeout I could easily see people purchasing lots of games for it. Lets say IE sells 400,000 units (a very conservative number) and make $5 on an average $8 sale (70% of $8 minus store costs). If people never buy another Amico but those who do like it and buy the console cost in games (about 22 games @ $8) over the next few years - that generates $44,000,000.00 (I am assuming the console is sold at cost so it doesn't make anything nor does it cost anything). Of course this doesn't count accessories and perhaps higher margins on physical software sales so revenue and profits would very likely be higher than this. Still far from what a Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo probably pulls in a week but if you inherited a business throwing off tens of million dollars of revenue each year I doubt you would be disappointed. However that is 400,000 units - what if they sell 1 million units, 10 million, 100 million - all possible numbers?

In short I love the idea and philosophy behind the Amico and I love the business model too. This is very likely to be very successful.

37 minutes ago, GrudgeQ said:

Just wanted to throw some numbers and facts behind this - stuff I would be look at if I was investing in Intellivision Entertainment and wanted to know if it would be a success:

 

Number of families with children 4 to 8 in the United States - about 21,000,000 about the same in Europe so total of 40,000,000 ish. Just 1% of that is 400,000 consoles sold. BTW Pat is guessing they will only sell to about one hundredth of one percent of just this market. Good luck with that Pat - and never start a business would be my advice.

 

Do parents care about this stuff - yes they worry incessantly (23 times a week, that's over 3 a day!) about things like not spending enough time with my children (#2 on the list of worries) and #4 kids having too much screen time (this may seem to go against getting an Amico but I can say as a parent what they mean is 'alone & self absorbed time on a screen', plus the only way you can fight this is with something equally attractive like maybe playing video games with the family - away from a screen inches from your face & now interacting with others).

 

Also the #1 qualities of a "good parent" is being present with my kids - i.e. doing things with them.

 

As far as I can tell the Amico will be the cheapest game console (not counting fixed library retro systems & such) ever sold nationally in big box stores. Plus savings on games alone ($10 vs $30 - $60 for every other system) is massive not even counting the 5 included games. This is a problem solver if you don't have much money but have 2 or 3 kids who all want a Switch (even a lite) because the cost of 3 lites ($600 plus a game each, $180) is over 4 times the cost of just getting an Amico & an extra controller for the whole family. If you say 'just let them share one' then you never had children - and it still costs more.

 

What about revenue? With Intellivision paying for development they get 70% of the revenue while the developer gets %30 as an incentive for good work (and this is after IE recoups the money they put in). While their games are low cost this ratio is the exact inverse of what Sony and Microsoft get (30%). So dollar for dollar IE gets over twice as much on game sales on their online store. Sony and M$ would kill for that - maybe that is why they are buying all those studios besides the exclusives.

 

What will be the uptake of games sales on the console? Nobody knows but a rule of thumb is people often buy (on average) the console's value in games or more. With Amico games being less than the price of takeout I could easily see people purchasing lots of games for it. Lets say IE sells 400,000 units (a very conservative number) and make $5 on an average $8 sale (70% of $8 minus store costs). If people never buy another Amico but those who do like it and buy the console cost in games (about 22 games & $8) over the next few years - that generates $44,000,000.00 (I am assuming the console is sold at cost so it doesn't make anything nor does it cost anything). Of course this doesn't count accessories and perhaps higher margins on physical software sales so revenue and profits would very likely be higher than this. Still far from what a Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo probably pulls in a week but if you inherited a business throwing off tens of million dollars of revenue each year I doubt you would be disappointed. However that is 400,000 units - what if they sell 1 million units, 10 million, 100 million - all possible numbers?

 

In short I love the idea and philosophy behind the Amico and I love the business model too. This is very likely to be very successful.

You are pretty much spot on!  But the numbers are actually even a lot bigger!

We actually make money on the hardware!  Because of how we've made the machine, negotiated the expensive parts, done deals with big companies and governments around the world... You can DOUBLE the profit numbers that you suggested above.  And the amazing thing... is that the retailers would need to sell 8 PS's, XBox's or Switches to equal the profit they would make on ONE Amico machine!  And our box is half the size.  YOU HEARD THAT RIGHT...  LET THAT SINK IN FOR A SECOND.  Who do you think places like Walmart & Costco & Target love?  And what kind of folks shop at those places?  Do hardcore gamers?  Do folks like Pat & Ian shop at Walmart?  Or do they buy everything on Amazon?  And what have all the retail stores (led my Walmart) been doing the past month in regards to bullets, open carry, guns or anything else that has violent content?  Do you think they appreciate what we're doing with our E and E10+ only system?

The other family numbers that are bigger are that you didn't include Canada & Mexico in them!  Also HUGE family markets!!  More so per capita than the U.S.!  More families stick together in Canada & Mexico than the U.S.... so the numbers of people obviously aren't as big... but the percentages are.

btw... are the folks here familiar with the Walmart & Deer Hunter game from 20 years ago?  Walmart kept telling game companies to make a simple Deer Hunting game and all the big companies laughed at them.  They told the game companies that they get letters and e-mail and communications all the time by the folks who shop in their stores.  Walmart does a ton of research as to the people who shop in their stores.  This is one of the reasons why they are STILL #1  (Amazon.com is 3rd!).  But the game companies thought they were nuts.  So a smaller unknown publisher decided to take a chance... and we all know what happened next.  Deer Hunter became the #1 game that year and has sold millions ever since.  Point being is that Walmart knows its audience and they listen to what they want.  You want to know what Walmart shoppers have been asking for over the past few years?   A follow-up to the Wii.  An inexpensive gaming device that the entire family can play together.  Hmm??  Sound familiar? 

And some of these YouTubers say I'm the crazy one and I have no idea what I'm doing. 

I'll say this once again... this is not a crowd funded project.  This is not something we haven't thought out and looked at the numbers every step of the way... we are not "hoping" to be in the biggest retail stores in the world.  Now, are these the types of things that you would put in a trailer or on a website 13 months before launch?  Would the technology that we are currently patenting be put in a press release or on our website?  Of course not.  But I'm willing to speak about certain things in detail if asked.  As much as I can without giving away our patent ideas. 

Our strategy is very solid.  And the risk/reward for investors is huge and they get it.

And I also need to say once again... if people are a little excited NOW about what we're doing.  I need to stress that you only know about HALF of it right now!!  Some of the BEST stuff is yet to come and won't be ready to talk about publicly until next E3.  And then after that... the real marketing starts.

Going to be a fun ride to the finish line.  Looking forward to the checkered flag AND the podium!  

With all that is going on in the world, there is one thing I can definitely support...

TALLARICO 2020

😀😀😀😀

36 minutes ago, atarifan88 said:

With all that is going on in the world, there is one thing I can definitely support...

TALLARICO 2020

😀😀😀😀

Don't give me any ideas.  My brain can only handle one impossible goal at a time.



How about 2024.  Gotta MAKE INTELLIVISION GREAT AGAIN first. 

1 hour ago, atarifan88 said:

With all that is going on in the world, there is one thing I can definitely support...

TALLARICO 2020

😀😀😀😀

No! I was MAD when Arnie won Governator! 

No Arnie movies for 8 years. After he was done, we got old fart Arnie movies. 

10 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Looking forward to taking this ride with you all.  Whose with me?

I'm 100% in!

Same here! Don't currently have a game system in the living room (and haven't for years), but am eagerly looking forward to putting an Intellivision Amico system there for some good old fashioned couch action. Somehow that phrase has changed its meaning for me over the years.   🤣

“ More families stick together in Canada & Mexico than the U.S.”

well yeah, playing video games when it’s minus 40 degrees, all huddled together in our little igloos ... that’s why we are at the top of that stat

no idea what the story is on those crazy Mexicans though 

about 2 months ago i was watching Fox business and i was surprised to see the Atari CEO on the Stuart Varney show

and Stuart seemed pretty excited talking about it and i was thinking how cool it would be for Tommy to be on that show

talking about the Amico..notice all the questions that Stuart had were right up the Amico's alley 

29 minutes ago, Loafer said:

“ More families stick together in Canada & Mexico than the U.S.”

 

well yeah, playing video games when it’s minus 40 degrees, all huddled together in our little igloos ... that’s why we are at the top of that stat

 

no idea what the story is on those crazy Mexicans though 

Could it be  they huddle inside because of the over 100 degrees outside... complete opposite from us.. lmao..

5 minutes ago, m-crew said:

Could it be  they huddle inside because of the over 100 degrees outside... complete opposite from us.. lmao..

If you stay inside there is a lesser chance of being murdered by a cartel

11 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Don't give me any ideas.  My brain can only handle one impossible goal at a time.



How about 2024.  Gotta MAKE INTELLIVISION GREAT AGAIN first. 

 

 

Where can I get a MIGA hat?

38 minutes ago, IntellivisionDude said:

LOVE this haha

12 hours ago, ColecoJoe said:

12 hours ago, m-crew said:

Could it be  they huddle inside because of the over 100 degrees outside... complete opposite from us.. lmao..

If you stay inside there is a lesser chance of being murdered by a cartel

You don't need cartels for that 😉

Mexicans tend to spend more time with their families. It's in their culture. When they come to study to Spain, they feel a cultural shock, as they see us Spaniards as too "individualistic", too cold. Maybe this is the reason why Tommy said that.

By the way, that must be the best Amico meme so far. Good job, my friend.

Kevin Bridges on Call of Duty.

I think I rather play Moon Patrol...😉

On 9/11/2019 at 7:02 AM, GrudgeQ said:

Just wanted to throw some numbers and facts behind this - stuff I would be look at if I was investing in Intellivision Entertainment and wanted to know if it would be a success:

 

Number of families with children 4 to 8 in the United States - about 21,000,000 about the same in Europe so total of 40,000,000 ish. Just 1% of that is 400,000 consoles sold, and this is just one potential market. BTW Pat is guessing they will only sell to about one hundredth of one percent of just this market. Good luck with that Pat - and never start a business would be my advice.

 

Do you ever watch Shark Tank by chance?  I mean this is literally the recurring fallacy that always prevents the sharks from investing in a business.  Just because a potential market is massive doesn't mean that your product is going to get even a tiny fraction of that market.  There are literally products released that don't sell any units at all and cost the business even more money once returns come back from retailers.  Do I think the Amico has a shot?  Absolutely.  Do I believe that a product of this type is going to become a mass market success?  No, I think it will be a niche product that appeals to retro gamers and the people they introduce it to like friends and family members.  Having said that, I was wrong about the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Wii having mass appeal, so I"m prepared for the possibility that I could be wrong here as well.  I just remain skeptical that there is some massive untapped group of people that would be playing games (or returning to gaming again) if they just had a specific piece of hardware with unusual controllers, an option to use a smartphone as a controller and a library made up exclusively of family friendly multi-player games inspired by classic games, only with enhanced gameplay and graphics.      

5 minutes ago, bojay1997 said:

... and a library made up exclusively of family friendly multi-player games inspired by classic games, only with enhanced gameplay and graphics.      

Games based on classic video games are expected to be about 25% of the library.  There will be plenty of games based on new ideas. I agree that you can't just assume 1% of a market for no good reason.  But these guys have successfully secured millions of venture capital based on their reasons.

1 hour ago, bojay1997 said:

Do you ever watch Shark Tank by chance?  I mean this is literally the recurring fallacy that always prevents the sharks from investing in a business.  Just because a potential market is massive doesn't mean that your product is going to get even a tiny fraction of that market.  There are literally products released that don't sell any units at all and cost the business even more money once returns come back from retailers.  Do I think the Amico has a shot?  Absolutely.  Do I believe that a product of this type is going to become a mass market success?  No, I think it will be a niche product that appeals to retro gamers and the people they introduce it to like friends and family members.  Having said that, I was wrong about the Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo Wii having mass appeal, so I"m prepared for the possibility that I could be wrong here as well.  I just remain skeptical that there is some massive untapped group of people that would be playing games (or returning to gaming again) if they just had a specific piece of hardware with unusual controllers, an option to use a smartphone as a controller and a library made up exclusively of family friendly multi-player games inspired by classic games, only with enhanced gameplay and graphics.      

I do watch Shark Tank you I totally get the skepticism. I mean nobody really knows how a product will play out in the marketplace, I am using my business experience here but I have been wrong many times in the past too. I will summarize why I think it will sell - consume several salty bags of pretzels before preceding:

• Unstated above is the stated Amico marketing budget is north of $10 mil. That isn't huge but if used well could have a meaningful impact on the market if done in a modern way (i.e. Facebook ads and promotion more than traditional media advertisement).
• Tommy knows a ton of media folks & celebs and I can't image he isn't pulling in favors to get on major radio & TV spots during the launch and endorsements from famous folks. One spot on Good Morning America could move thousands of units - that is why I think Pat is way off base with his 5000 guestimate. The Amico may not make it but geez if they just put 2 Amicos in every Walmart super center and sold them at a firesale loss in a huge disaster - that is still over 5000 units. And you know Walmart isn't just stocking 2 for the holidays! That is why I said "never start a business" he just doesn't know the scale of things.
• He also is a pretty good spokesman, seems open and genuine to me at least. That rock & roll vibe helps too - Tommy seems cool - like someone you would want to invite to a party. Maybe that will come back to bite him because he isn't 'corporate' enough but don't think people like that anyway.
• I believe that parents especially are really concerned about things the Amico addresses. I have always been a nerd but the rest of my whole family are just common hill folk, often times religious, who are worried about getting their kids cell phones, consoles and such. Basically that "middle America" that Tommy keeps talking about. They don't understand game consoles, they don't understand computers either, they depend on their kids to help them with electronics and that is like asking the prisoners to guard the walls if you are worried about things like appropriate content. They also mostly aren't rich, plenty of families out there are saving back $75 or $100 per kid for Christmas - a Switch plus games is just a pipe dream, but maybe they can swing an Amico for the family. After all it is "Guaranteed Family Friendly" and games are like $10 - that appeals to a large demographic of people - its a gift that a parent can't screw up on and be a 'bad parent' by getting.
• Mentioned it above - but price. Look at Mexico, South America, Asia, Eastern Europe - price matters to those folks - A LOT. A Switch Lite is $200 (US, a lot of places have high import taxes) BUT you have to buy a game too - probably $40 to $60 on top of that - man that ads up quick. You get 3 or 4 Switch (or XBox or PS whatever) games and you have spent a lot of money for a lot of folks. Got multiple kids? Well just multiply that total by the number of kids.
• I think Tommy is spending a lot of time with us Retro Heads right now as part of their messaging shakedown cruise and we are getting some features and a few nods (Tommy is one of us after all) - and it is cool just to be in on a early product launch - but unless you read Family Magazine or watch "The Chew" or QVC or are on the "Parenting 101" Facebook group you won't be seeing much directly about the Amico during next summer. We are not the primary market - just a secondary market - one which gets more attention from Tommy's heart rather than his head is my guess. Not to say we aren't important just the tail and not the dog.
• The lean into big box retails. Big box retailers can help a LOT with marketing, placement and promotion. When Tommy described their retailer margins, exclusives, in store accessory/software sales and small box size (shelf friendly) and also how the Amico fits into big retailer's desires - the first thing I though of was "End Cap!". An "End Cap" is the small display at the end of those long shelves in Walmart. An end cap on a main aisle is like gold - people pay big money for those - unless you get preferential treatment by the retailer for free. It just takes one buyer from Target or Walmart or Tesco or whatever to say "man I think this is hot and a money maker for us this Holiday" and suddenly you are at the top 1/3 of the electronics section of the flyer with those XBoxes and PS5 down below (they don't need promotion anyway and we don't make crap from them) with big bold words "100% Family Friendly Game Guarantee", "5 Free Games", "2 Controllers or Play For Free On Your Cell Phone", "No Game Over $10" and "$179.99". Homemaker Helen strolling down Target doesn't know a console from a hole but she does know Mary and Tom are getting a little older now and keep borrowing her cell phone to play Plants vs Zombies all the time and worse fighting over it. Hey they both can play with this and it's safe and cheap says the sign above the Amico display. A sale is made and I can see that playing out again and again.

14 minutes ago, GrudgeQ said:

I do watch Shark Tank you I totally get the skepticism. I mean nobody really knows how a product will play out in the marketplace, I am using my business experience here but I have been wrong many times in the past too. I will summarize why I think it will sell - consume several salty bags of pretzels before preceding:

 

• Unstated above is the stated Amico marketing budget is north of $10 mil. That isn't huge but if used well could have a meaningful impact on the market if done in a modern way (i.e. Facebook ads and promotion more than traditional media advertisement).
• Tommy knows a ton of media folks & celebs and I can't image he isn't pulling in favors to get on major radio & TV spots during the launch and endorsements from famous folks. One spot on Good Morning America could move thousands of units - that is why I think Pat is way off base with his 5000 guestimate. The Amico may not make it but geez if they just put 2 Amicos in every Walmart super center and sold them at a firesale loss in a huge disaster - that is still over 5000 units. And you know Walmart isn't just stocking 2 for the holidays! That is why I said "never start a business" he just doesn't know the scale of things.
• He also is a pretty good spokesman, seems open and genuine to me at least. That rock & roll vibe helps too - Tommy seems cool - like someone you would want to invite to a party. Maybe that will come back to bite him because he isn't 'corporate' enough but don't think people like that anyway.
• I believe that parents especially are really concerned about things the Amico addresses. I have always been a nerd but the rest of my whole family are just common hill folk, often times religious, who are worried about getting their kids cell phones, consoles and such. Basically that "middle America" that Tommy keeps talking about. They don't understand game consoles, they don't understand computers either, they depend on their kids to help them with electronics and that is like asking the prisoners to guard the walls if you are worried about things like appropriate content. They also mostly aren't rich, plenty of families out there are saving back $75 or $100 per kid for Christmas - a Switch plus games is just a pipe dream, but maybe they can swing an Amico for the family. After all it is "Guaranteed Family Friendly" and games are like $10 - that appeals to a large demographic of people - its a gift that a parent can't screw up on and be a 'bad parent' by getting.
• Mentioned it above - but price. Look at Mexico, South America, Asia, Eastern Europe - price matters to those folks - A LOT. A Switch Lite is $200 (US, a lot of places have high import taxes) BUT you have to buy a game too - probably $40 to $60 on top of that - man that ads up quick. You get 3 or 4 Switch (or XBox or PS whatever) games and you have spent a lot of money for a lot of folks. Got multiple kids? Well just multiply that total by the number of kids.
• I think Tommy is spending a lot of time with us Retro Heads right now as part of their messaging shakedown cruise and we are getting some features and a few nods (Tommy is one of us after all) - and it is cool just to be in on a early product launch - but unless you read Family Magazine or watch "The Chew" or QVC or are on the "Parenting 101" Facebook group you won't be seeing much directly about the Amico during next summer. We are not the primary market - just a little secondary market - one which gets more attention from Tommy's heart rather than his head is my guess. Not to say we aren't important just the tail and not the dog.
• The lean into big box retails. Big box retailers can help a LOT with marketing, placement and promotion. When Tommy described their retailer margins, exclusives, in store accessory/software sales and small box size (shelf friendly) and also how the Amico fits into big retailer's desires - the first thing I though of was "End Cap!". An "End Cap" is the small display at the end of those long shelves in Walmart. An end cap on a main aisle is like gold - people pay big money for those - unless you get preferential treatment by the retailer for free. It just takes one buyer from Target or Walmart or Tesco or whatever to say "man I think this is hot and a money maker for us this Holiday" and suddenly you are at the top 1/3 of the electronics section of the flyer with those XBoxes and PS5 down below (they don't need promotion anyway and we don't make crap from them) with big bold words "100% Family Friendly Game Guarantee", "5 Free Games", "2 Controllers or Play For Free On Your Cell Phone", "No Game Over $10" and "$179.99". Homemaker Helen strolling down Target doesn't know a console from a hole but she does know Mary and Tom are getting a little older now and keep borrowing her cell phone to play Plants vs Zombies all the time and worse fighting over it. Hey they both can play with this and it's safe and cheap says the sign above the Amico display. A sale is made and I can see that playing out again and again.

You get the Amico on QVC and it will fly off the shelves