On January 6th, 2022, the online technology-review website Ars Technica published an article regarding Intellivision's forthcoming Amico game console. The author did not contact us to vet any of the information upon which the article was based. Unfortunately, the information relied upon in the article contained several errors of fact. The following corrections are submitted for the public good:

1. The article states: "This early 2021 peek revealed less than $100 in combined parts per retail box, well below the system's current $250 pre-order price. Over 100 percent profit is unusual for a gaming console".

$100 is far below our cost of goods, which have never been that low, and which have only increased over the last two years, especially during the current global chip shortage. The “2021 peek” mentioned by the author references an unauthorized access of outdated confidential documents on our private developer website. They mentioned existing Android devices which, at the time, developers could use to test their game builds for basic functionality. Those testing devices lack many of the special features of Amico, such as a specially designed base unit, two feature-packed touchscreen controllers, and LED lighting (not to mention six pack-in games). This explains why those mobile test-devices could be purchased for a much lower cost than the cost of manufacturing a full Amico system.

2. The article states: "...game snippets from the console's earliest gameplay sizzle reels have yet to receive additional reveals or gameplay demonstration".

The referenced “sizzle reels” links to our August 19, 2019 Intellivision Amico Gamescom Trailer which showed short snippets of several games in development, including Moon Patrol, Night Stalker, Missile Command, SideSwipers/Colossal Crash, Tank Battle/Armor Battle, Astrosmash, Shark! Shark!, and Breakout.

These games have received multiple additional reveals or demonstrations since 2019. They can all be found on our Intellivision Amico YouTube channel including “deep dive” videos in 2021 of Tank Battle/Armor Battle, Astrosmash, Shark! Shark!, and Missile Command.

The article specifically mentions games by “known indie devs like Choice Provisions and Other Ocean” as lacking further reveals. Choice Provisions is the author of Breakout, which was further revealed and demonstrated in a YouTube video in August 2020 and even more in another video in February 2021. Other Oceans is the author of Night Stalker, which was further demonstrated in a YouTube video in January 2020.

Additionally, we released a playable demo of Breakout for PC on October 10, 2020, and a playable Level 1 demo of Moon Patrol on our mobile Amico Club app in January, 2019.

3. The article states: "the Amico's "near-final" OS didn't appear until the very end of 2021".

We first demonstrated our Amico OS in a YouTube video on August 5, 2020, over a year and a half ago. Some art/UI elements have evolved since then, but the basic OS functionality has remained.

4. The article mentions: “...Amico's unfinished projects like Shark! Shark! and Missile Command.”

While those titles remain unpublished (naturally as the console has not yet launched), both Shark! Shark! and Missile Command are finished. The general public has played both of these games extensively at our live demonstration events, and they have also been demonstrated in detail in our “deep dive” videos. Missile Command already has its official PEGI rating, as PEGI publicly tweeted on October 10, 2021, and ESRB rating.

5. The article states: “[Amico’s UI]...forces users to pick through icons of every game on sale, whether the title has been purchased.”

The author may have gained a false impression from our demonstration of the “Store” section of our Amico UI, which shows all games, including owned games. However, the Amico UI features multiple categories (including the Store) that group related games together for ease of browsing, including a “My Games” category that contains only purchased games. This is shown in a “Sneak Peek” YouTube video of our UI from December 2021. Other categories group games by genre, such as Sports, Action, Family, etc.

6. The article presents Amico as a retro console stating in its subheading: “A decent retro console idea for 2018 ...” It goes on to use this framing to compare Amico on price-point and game-catalog size to other offerings in the retro console marketplace.

Amico’s game catalog does overlap the retro console market, but our vision and mission have, from the beginning, targeted a broader spectrum of games and a vastly broader demographic that includes many more segments than just retro. Our initial engagement has been with retro gamers because they are early adopters and already recognize our Intellivision brand. However, Amico’s appeal, by design, extends far beyond our valued retro gaming supporters who already recognize that families with kids will be the broader beneficiaries of Amico’s family-friendly approach to video gaming.

Our mission with Amico is to provide family-friendly, multiplayer games that are easy to pick up and suitable for different ages and skill-levels to play together. All of our games, whether brand new, adapted, or retro-reimagined, are crafted to include multiplayer couch-play and to provide simple, affordable, family entertainment that the whole family can enjoy with no ads and no in-game purchases.

Sincerely,

Phil Adam & John Alvarado, Senior Management

Intellivision Entertainment