It's been a strange couple of days for Tommy Tallarico. The CEO of Intellivision has spent the past year spreading the good word about the company's upcoming attempt to break into the home console market, the Amico. But a recent article critical of the new system seemed to touch a nerve, and set off a Twitter rant that may have put Tallarico in an awkward position.

Tallarico, a game composer known for, among other things, the creation of the "oof!" sound effect from Roblox, has been effusive on Twitter about the merits of the Amico. In a bid to return Intellivision to the heady heights of its popularity in the 80s, the company is seeking to bring a Wii U-esque console into the homes of prospective consumers, with gameplay shared between a main screen and a small display on a controller.

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But after a rather underwhelming display at this year's E3, Ars Technica editor Sam Machkovech penned an article that broke down the potential downsides and questionable design choices of the Amico, using information from the Intellivision developer portal that was briefly publicly available online. After catching wind of the article, Tallarico immediately jumped on the defensive on Twitter with a string of Tweets (since deleted) that sarcastically called Machkovech a "genius" and threatened legal action against him and Ars Technica.

A few hours later, Tallarico offered something of an apology, possibly after realizing that the information Machkovech had used in his article was publicly available and not acquired illegally (despite Tallarico's claim, it seems it would be extremely unlikely that the use of the information would be considered a violation of the DMCA). His outburst could perhaps be seen as a rather excessive response to the stresses of the pandemic and some of the negative comments the company has seen in the last several months, such as the lackluster response to last summer's Earthworm Jim 4 trailer.

Nevertheless, wielding the threat of legal action like a cudgel at any journalist who deviates from fawning coverage of the company's new system is far from a good look for the CEO. For a company that seems to want to emulate and even challenge the dizzying popularity of the Nintendo Switch, Intellivision may have to start putting its money where its mouth is before long.

Machkovech raised several valid questions in his article, such as whether the planned October 2021 release date was still happening and, perhaps most glaringly, whether the public or the media would ever actually get to see the Amico in person before its release. Having a passion for delivering a fun gaming experience on a budget is one thing, but sooner or later Intellivision and Tallarico are going to have to provide some answers.

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Source: Ars Technica