Commodore Gears Up To Re-Enter Game Industry

Yeahronimo Media Ventures, owner of the Commodore license, has announced its intention to return the brand to gaming. Yeahronimo will work with the Content Factory to form a new company, called Commodore Gaming, that produces software and hardware to exploit its back catalog of retro games. Yeahronimo acquired the Commodore license early in the year, and is only now announcing its plans for the brand. Content Factory will contribute 18 million Euros ($21.62 million USD) to the venture, 6 million of which is payment for a 49% interest in the company and 12 million in cash to be paid out over the course of five years. The new company will produce standalone TV devices similar to the wildly successful Atari and Pac-Man self-contained units, as well as software packages akin to Intellivision Lives or Atari Anthology. Furthermore, the Commodore Games label will produce original game licenses as a more traditional games publisher. "The business will be developed in three phases," said Yeahronimo CEO and President Ben van Wijhe. "Initially, the focus will be on exploiting the numerous existing C64 retro game licenses through plug-and-play, mobile and handheld devices. The second phase will be to create a range of specialised gaming hardware products and accessories." "The third phase will be to work with Commodore's existing partners to issue new game licenses under the Commodore brand name, focusing primarily on the mobile and handheld market in addition to the PC and console market, which have its stronger licenses."