Intellivision boss Tommy Tallarico has stepped down from the role of company CEO and will be replaced by former chief revenue officer Phil Adam.
Tallarico has served as Intellivision CEO since purchasing the legendary gaming brand in 2018, and his controversial tenure as CEO saw him oversee the development of the extremely troubled Amico console, which has been thrice-delayed since its original unveiling nearly four years ago, with still no sign of a launch in sight.
The Amico, designed as a low-spec console with a family focus, was initially expected to arrive in October 2020, but there’s still no indication the machine is close to being shipped to fulfil its initial 6,000 pre-orders. However, despite the notable absence of functioning consoles out in the wild, Intellivision did manage to release the Amico’s first batch of games at the tail-end of last year - manifesting as $80-150 bundles containing RFID cards tied to NFTs.
Tallarico has also drawn criticism for Intellivision’s proposed revenue sharing scheme, which would see the company take up to 50% of proceeds from the sale of third-party titles - significantly higher rates than those of other platform holders.
In a statement provided to IGN following today’s news of a corporate reshuffle, Intellivision confirmed Tallarico would be stepping down as CEO said he but would remain onboard as the company’s president and its largest shareholder. The company also insisted the move coincides with the beginning of production for the much-delayed Amico, and was made to “to better align its resources with those new challenges.”
“As a 30+ year industry executive, I am excited to transition into the CEO role at Intellivision,” new Phil Adam said in the statement. “As a business closing in on the last phase before launch, Tommy felt it important to provide focused roles so he can continue to do the things he loves the most. As always, we will be working hand in hand to bring Amico to the market.”
