There are news that force you to reread the title twice. This is one of them. The brand Commodore, the computer that made a generation of nerds (and not) fall in love, was purchased by a group of fans. Not by a multinational, not by speculators, but by people who grew their passion for retro computing on YouTube and in forums.
And with them, listen up, former employees who worked for Jack Tramiel in the 80s. It's proof that sometimes dreams come true, even when they seem absurd: this time, however, we don't want to wake up. How will it end this time?
Commodore, the story of an impossible acquisition
Christian Simpson, known in the YouTube world as Periphractic, certainly did not have in mind to become CEO of one of the most iconic companies in computing. The initial idea was simple: obtain a license for the Commodore brand that would allow the community to create official products without having to pay exorbitant amounts. Eight months ago he contacted Commodore Corporation B.V., the Dutch owners of the brand.
The answer completely stunned him. “Yes, we can grant you an exclusive license,” came the reply, “but since your team seems to know Commodore better than we do, why don’t you buy the whole company?” As they say in Naples, “orip orap”: one way or another, after decades of failed attempts at resurrection, perhaps the right time had come.
8-bit nostalgia
Thinking back to those years, I remember the afternoon in 1985 when I turned on my Commodore 64 for the first time. Yes, I had already had the Vic20, but it wasn't the same thing. Why? Well. Because we were in Maradona's Naples, the one of the first scudetto that was about to arrive? Because the first Madonna and Duran Duran videos were on TV? I don't know, but I was hypnotized by the flashing cursor and the magical sound of cassette loading.
Hours spent typing listings from magazines, hoping I didn't make a single mistake. Jumpman, Impossible Mission, The Last Ninja: each game was a universe to explore. When the Amiga 500 arrived, a few years later, it was like going from black and white to color. Kick Off, Shadow of the Beast, Lemmings: the future had entered my little room by breaking down the door. And now, excuse the digression, let's get back to the news.
The Dream Team That's Making Silicon Valley Tremble
The acquisition has materialized with a six-figure investment, around 5-7 million dollars. But what makes this operation special is not so much the price, but the team involved. Bill Herd, the genius behind the Commodore 128 and the Plus/4, returned as a technical consultant and shareholder. Albert Charpentier, former vice president of engineering at Commodore, will take over new projects that have not yet been announced.
There is also Michael Tomczik, former assistant to President Jack Tramiel, as a senior advisor. The list goes on with David Pleasance, former managing director of Commodore UK, and Jeri Ellsworth, creator of the Commodore DTV that sold a million units. Surprisingly, the actor also Thomas Middleditch of the HBO series “Silicon Valley” has joined as Chief Creative Officer and investor. Is that enough to spark interest?
Between reality and digital fantasy
“I negotiated hard for all of you,” Simpson explained in announcement videoThe agreed price is considered “a bargain” considering that the Commodore brand was valued at $79,8 million in 2008. The transaction includes 47 registered trademarks and access to original ROMs, but the payment has not yet been completed: the team is still looking for investors to close the deal permanently.
The stated goal? To create products that are “not just retro but also future,” honoring classics like the Commodore 64 and Amiga while innovating. The plan is to streamline the use of the Commodore brand, release new products, and open official channels for community projects to license.
Commodore, the future that looks to the past
Simpson had to take out a second mortgage on your home to finance the operation, also investing emotionally and financially in the project. “It's eight months of intense work,” he said, specifying that 60% of his video viewers weren't even subscribed to his channel: but you know, the dream of bringing Commodore back to life resonates well beyond its audience.
It remains to be seen whether this time will be different. Others have tried to resurrect Commodore since 1994, the year of failure, but always with commercial approaches. This time behind it there is the genuine passion of those who grew up with those 8 bits that changed the world. If it were to work, it would be the perfect revenge of nerds against soulless multinationals.
Between cassettes, microswitches, whistling floppy disks, and jerky sprites, some of us have learned to dream digitally. And we would love for those dreams to come true (again).
