intvnut Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 As far as I know, Activision bought the remains of Imagic after it's closedown. When you look at the most retro compilations over the last 25 years, the old Activision and Imagic games are coming most of the time together (even on Intellivision Rocks). From what I understand, there's more to it than that. Unfortunately, that's about all I can say. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 (edited) Yes Activision aquiring Imagic is one story, people have also said that they did not (see Jaybird3rd's third link). We do know that most of Imagic's assets were liquidated at auction. And the last edition of the atari flashback has activision games but not any imagic games. The colecovision flashback has imagic but no activision. Edited March 4, 2019 by mr_me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 Very, very exciting. Imagic (pronounced ee-magic, not i-magic, isn't it?) has always been by far my favorite third party vendor. If you guys are going to give it new life, I can't but be happy How to pronounce Imagic: randomterrain.com/rt-how-to-pronounce-words-in-the-usa.html#imagic 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+nurmix Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 How to pronounce Imagic: randomterrain.com/rt-how-to-pronounce-words-in-the-usa.html#imagic Correct! I always mention that on the podcast - that it ISN’T pronounced like an Apple product! What I remember reading back in the day was that it was a combination of “image” and “magic”.. but I suppose it could have been, like you said.. “imagination” and “magic”. Keith Robinson used to mispronounce it too. And so does Tommy Tallarico! I corrected Keith then and I correct Tommy now! [emoji12] Sent from my Keyboard Component using Jack's Conversational Intelli-talk cassette 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 What I remember reading back in the day was that it was a combination of “image” and “magic”.. but I suppose it could have been, like you said.. “imagination” and “magic”. Related links: atariage.com/forums/topic/288858-jcpenney-imagic-ad-from-december-12-1982/ atariage.com/catalog_page.php?CatalogID=14¤tPage=1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+nurmix Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 We do know that most of Imagic's assets were liquidated at auction. And the last edition of the atari flashback has activision games but not any imagic games. The colecovision flashback has imagic but no activision. A few. Not most. I really can't say too much at this time, other than Activision never owned the Imagic games. There were some 'handshake' / 'look the other way' arrangements that enabled Activision to release some Imagic games on Activision compilations in the past. Yes, I realize the Imagic Intellivision games were licensed by Intellivision Productions from Activision for Intellivision Rocks, but whomever it was at Activision that worked out the deal was mistakenly under the impression that they in fact owned those games, when they didn't. Keith Robinson even talks about this in one of the Question For Keith segments I did with him a few years ago, how there was vague wording in the contract because Activision couldn't find any record of actually owning the games. As for AT Games... I don't have any specifics with regard to the Imagic games they've included on Flashbacks in the past, but it was likely a similar situation of assuming Activision owned them, and making a deal with them for the games. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 Thanks. The last two imagic CEOs have both stated that activision never aquired those properties (see jaybird3rd's link). The fact that the last ceo relocated imagic to activision's offices and then went on to work for activision becoming it's ceo might have led people to believe activision took over imagic. Then around 1988 Activision manufactured cartridges of demon attack, atlantis, and moonsweeper; by this time all the key activision people had left. Since the ceo of activision was also the ceo of imagic, licensing might have been a formality. It's easy to see how Keith made the mistake as many others have. Regarding the liquidation sale, it's been said that hard assets like development systems that cost tens of thousands of dollars went for peanuts. Nothing was mentioned about intellectual properties. The imagic trademark however, if unused can be up for grabs, unlike copyrights. In the last twenty or so years Activision has published emulated games for various systems. Some included imagic games; wikipedia shows this in a table. Nobody from the early eighties would have still been at activision to know any better. They even published an Intellivision collection that curiously has no Activision games. Atgames licensed activision games for their atari flashback 2nd and 8th release. The atari flashback 8 gold activision edition includes some imagic games. The box credits atari interactive, activision, and intellivision productions for their m-network games. The imagic games on the colecovision flashback was likely not a mistake. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Steve Jones Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 Then around 1988 Activision manufactured cartridges of demon attack, atlantis, and moonsweeper What systems did they release these carts for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intymike Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 Then around 1988 Activision manufactured cartridges of demon attack, atlantis, and moonsweeper What systems did they release these carts for? I would say the VCS as it had back than it's little revival. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intymike Posted March 4, 2019 Share Posted March 4, 2019 interesting relationships...EA distributed Imagic C64 games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+nurmix Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 The last two imagic CEOs have both stated that activision never aquired those properties (see jaybird3rd's link). The fact that the last ceo relocated imagic to activision's offices and then went on to work for activision becoming it's ceo might have led people to believe activision took over imagic... —————————————— ...Since the ceo of activision was also the ceo of imagic, licensing might have been a formality. :-) ...it's been said that hard assets like development systems that cost tens of thousands of dollars went for peanuts. Nothing was mentioned about intellectual properties. I don’t know the details about the hard assets, but you’re probably correct about that. I was just referring to the games / IPs with my previous post. Sent from my Keyboard Component using Jack's Conversational Intelli-talk cassette Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vprette Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 Around 6 minutes, one of the game tester kids is playing Wing War on Intellivision. Has that code ever been found? no Alessandro Pace run an extensive research of Wing War proto but no item was found Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr_me Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 (edited) This is one of many reasons I hate to see "cloud-based" media distribution taking over: all-digital copies disappear all too easily. I found this after a quick search. It seems to be cut off at the endthe copy that I have ends with a few more minutes of Bill Grubb and Brad Stewart riding in a hot air balloon, no doubt doing "research" for the unreleased Sky Patrolbut otherwise it appears to be complete, and the video quality is much better. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DP1BFvEtMgA You can download the video with the hot air balloon and sky patrol talk here. http://www.digitpress.com/videos/ There is a sky patrol rom (atari 2600) available, so a prototype of the unreleased cartridge was found? Edited March 5, 2019 by mr_me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSRSteve Posted March 5, 2019 Share Posted March 5, 2019 The vague wording in the contract was essentially to say that Activision couldn't sue us for any Intellivision game that we put on Rocks. That wasn't just to cover Imagic games that Activision didn't claim to own, but also Happy Trails, which they also denied ownership of. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yealink Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 I've enjoyed watching the "All in the Game" video a few times over the years. I am someone obsessed with the video game crash of 1983 since I had sold all my Atari 2600 games to get a 5200 and soon found it hard to find games for it. I am curious about the programmers in his video. I have been able to identify most of them but am curious who these two are and what games they may have work on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+nurmix Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 On 1/2/2024 at 4:51 AM, Yealink said: I've enjoyed watching the "All in the Game" video a few times over the years. I am someone obsessed with the video game crash of 1983 since I had sold all my Atari 2600 games to get a 5200 and soon found it hard to find games for it. I am curious about the programmers in his video. I have been able to identify most of them but am curious who these two are and what games they may have work on. Hmm… I’ll have to rewatch the video. But I can also send this picture to the Imagic programmers I’ve interviewed on the podcast over the years to see if they can identify them. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Psycho Stormtrooper- Rog Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 13 hours ago, nurmix said: Hmm… I’ll have to rewatch the video. But I can also send this picture to the Imagic programmers I’ve interviewed on the podcast over the years to see if they can identify them. That would be very cool. I would love to hear what they say about it! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+nurmix Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 I reached out to Rick Levine, who has been on the podcast a couple times for his games Microsurgeon and Truckin’. Here’s what he said about the photo: “That looks like Alan Smith (Intellivision "Dracula") on left and Patrick Schmitz (Intellivision "Ice Trek"). All the best, Rick” So… mystery solved! 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmart604 Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 4 hours ago, nurmix said: I reached out to Rick Levine, who has been on the podcast a couple times for his games Microsurgeon and Truckin’. Here’s what he said about the photo: “That looks like Alan Smith (Intellivision "Dracula") on left and Patrick Schmitz (Intellivision "Ice Trek"). All the best, Rick” So… mystery solved! Not even sure I remember when I bought this... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+nurmix Posted January 18 Share Posted January 18 4 hours ago, cmart604 said: Not even sure I remember when I bought this... By “bought” do you mean accosted Mr. Schmitz I’m the parking lot of Imagic and stole it? 😉 Actually, that is pretty cool. Is it a desk nameplate? I am in contact with Pat via LinkedIn. I’ll send him the pic and see what he remembers about a young Canadian boy being a jerk. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmart604 Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 14 hours ago, nurmix said: By “bought” do you mean accosted Mr. Schmitz I’m the parking lot of Imagic and stole it? 😉 Actually, that is pretty cool. Is it a desk nameplate? I am in contact with Pat via LinkedIn. I’ll send him the pic and see what he remembers about a young Canadian boy being a jerk. Lol. It's a name tag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+nurmix Posted January 19 Share Posted January 19 9 hours ago, cmart604 said: Lol. It's a name tag Well that’s even worse. You ripped it from his shirt! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+cmart604 Posted January 20 Share Posted January 20 18 hours ago, nurmix said: Well that’s even worse. You ripped it from his shirt! Lol. I'm a surprisingly fast runner. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yealink Posted January 23 Share Posted January 23 On 1/18/2024 at 12:22 AM, nurmix said: I reached out to Rick Levine, who has been on the podcast a couple times for his games Microsurgeon and Truckin’. Here’s what he said about the photo: “That looks like Alan Smith (Intellivision "Dracula") on left and Patrick Schmitz (Intellivision "Ice Trek"). All the best, Rick” So… mystery solved! Thanks! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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