A new Breakout game from Atari was just announced and it looks rad. But this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this updated spin on the arcade classic. In fact, a few years ago this version of Breakout was one of the best looking exclusive games for the yet-to-be-released Intellivision Amico console. Now, it has a new name and is coming to real platforms that people actually own.
On February 4, Atari announced Breakout Beyond, a flashy and colorful version of the classic game being developed by Choice Provisions, the same studio behind the Bit.Trip franchise. The game is set to arrive on PlayStation, Xbox, Switch, PC, and Atari’s weird PC-in-a-box console.
Now, if you just watch this trailer, you might assume this is just a new Breakout game that looks cool and move on. And that’s probably what Atari is hoping most people do. However, this particular version of Breakout has a weird history that goes back to 2019 and the doomed Amico.
Remember the Amico? Probably not. Here’s a very short explanation: In 2018 video game composer and jerk Tommy Tallarico announced plans to create a new Intellivision-branded console focused on affordable games and family fun. A number of games (mostly ports of mobile and web titles) were planned to launch alongside the Amico, including a new version of Breakout developed by Choice Provisions. Of all the Amico games, this new Breakout was the one most people were excited about.
Here’s the reveal trailer for Amico’s Breakout game:
And then years of mismanagement, delays, covid-19, NFT nonsense and more occurred, and here we are in 2025 and the Amico is still not on shelves. If you want to learn more about the car crash that is the Amico, click here.
Anyway, in 2024, Atari bought the Intellivision brand and its games, but not the Amico console. For a while now, people have wondered what happened to that cool looking Breakout game. Was it doomed to never see the light of day? Nope! Atari realized it had a possible banger on its hands and is finally getting around to releasing the game on actual platforms people own and use.
That brings us to Breakout Beyond, the “new” game announced today for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch, and PC. (No release date was provided.) It’s nice to see this thing escaping the Amico to get a chance to launch and be played. Hopefully Breakout Beyond is worth the wait. At least now nobody needs to buy an Amico, assuming the doomed console actually comes out one day.
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