Commodore? Like the Commodore 64 and Amiga? That’s right, Commodore Computers, the inventor of the worlds first Personal Computer, the Commodore PET.
Commodore Computers was officially founded in Toronto, Canada in 1954 as Commodore Portable Typewriter Company. Initially focused on manufacturing typewriters and adding machines, the company later transitioned into electronic calculators in the 1970s before entering the personal computer market.
After Commodore acquired MOS Technologies, an innovative low cost chip manufacturer, which came with the legendary engineer and father of the Personal Computer, Chuck Peddle, it quickly grew to be the largest consumer computer company on the planet. Commodore was the first such company with $1 billion in sales and 1 million units sold. It was a juggernaut.
Under the leadership of Jack Tramiel, Commodore evolved into a major player in the computing industry, launching the Commodore PET in 1977, followed by the VIC-20 and the legendary Commodore 64, which is still in the Guiness Book of Records as the best-selling computer of all time.
Throughout the early 1980’s, Commodore continued to innovate with the Commodore 128 and bought a struggles startup named Amiga, which introduced world dominating advanced graphics and multimedia capabilities. The Amiga computers were particularly popular among gamers, artists, and video producers, thanks to their superior sound and graphics compared to competitors. However, despite its technological leadership, after its founder and beating heart, Jack Tramiel left the company, bad management, poor business decisions, and increasing competition led to financial struggles. By the early 1990s, Commodore was losing ground to IBM-compatible PCs and Apple computers, and its market share declined rapidly.
In 1994, Commodore declared bankruptcy, marking the end of an era for one of the most influential computer companies in history. Over the years, the Commodore brand changed hands multiple times, with various companies attempting to revive its legacy through retro-themed products and licensing agreements. Today, Commodore remains a nostalgic icon, celebrated by enthusiasts who continue to develop software and hardware inspired by its pioneering designs. If you’re interested in more details, you can explore the full history on our sister site www.Commodore.ca.
What Happened To Commodore After The Bankruptcy?
As with all large companies, they don’t instantly go away after a bankruptcy. If another company does not buy them whole, they get broken up and sold off in parts. It is the receivers job to maximize the revenue to pay debtors.
In Commodore’s case, it was sold as a single unit… several times and still exists today… sort of:
Escom AG (June 1995 – 1996)
- Purchase Price: $14 million
- Notes: A German company that acquired Commodore’s assets but went bankrupt in 1996
Tulip Computers (September 1997 – 2004)
- Purchase Price: $1.5 million
- Notes: A Dutch company that purchased the Commodore brand and later sold it
Nedfield Holding B.V. (2004 – 2010)
- Purchase Price: Undisclosed
- Notes: A Dutch company that held the Commodore trademark and intellectual property rights until it went bankrupt in 2010
Reunite Investments Inc. (2010)
- Purchase Price: Undisclosed
- Notes: Acquired the Commodore brand from Nedfield after its bankruptcy, becoming the sole owner before selling it to Commodore Licensing BV, a subsidiary of Asiarim, later in 2010
Asiarim Corporation (August 2010 – November 2011)
- Purchase Price: Undisclosed
- Notes: A Hong Kong-based company operating through Commodore Licensing BV, managing brand licensing agreements. Lost control of the trademark in November 2011, when C= Holdings took over
C= Holdings (November 2011 – Present)
- Purchase Price: Undisclosed
- Notes: The current owner of the Commodore brand, primarily managing licensing agreements and retro-themed product
What Products Has Commodore Produced Since The Bankruptcy?
Commodore, as you are thinking of it, has not had a “real” product since about 2007 when Tulip was trying to change Commodore from a PC type hardware company into music focused consumer electronic company with products like Commodore .MP3 players and the Commodore Music Tower (great idea but tormenting and then streaming killed it).
Since 2010 Commodore has been little more than a licensing company. They sell the use of their name for products other company manufacture and retail:
2007-2010
- Commodore Gaming PCs
- Company: Commodore Gaming (Netherlands)
- Product Volume: Limited production
- Region: Europe
2010-2012
- Commodore PC64
- Company: Commodore USA (United States)
- Product Volume: Several thousand units
- Region: United States
- Commodore Amiga Mini
- Company: Commodore USA (United States)
- Product Volume: Limited production
- Region: United States
- Commodore VIC Slim
- Company: Commodore USA (United States)
- Product Volume: Limited production
- Region: United States
- Commodore Phoenix
- Company: Commodore USA (United States)
- Product Volume: Limited production
- Region: United States
- Commodore 64x
- Company: Commodore USA (United States)
- Product Volume: Several thousand units
- Region: United States
- Commodore Amiga 1000X
- Company: Commodore USA (United States)
- Product Volume: Limited production
- Region: United States
- Commodore Amiga 2000X
- Company: Commodore USA (United States)
- Product Volume: Limited production
- Region: United States
- Commodore Amiga 3000X
- Company: Commodore USA (United States)
- Product Volume: Limited production
- Region: United States
- Commodore Amiga Mini Pro
- Company: Commodore USA (United States)
- Product Volume: Limited production
- Region: United States
- Commodore Amiga Mini Elite
- Company: Commodore USA (United States)
- Product Volume: Limited production
- Region: United States
- Commodore C64x Extreme
- Company: Commodore USA (United States)
- Product Volume: Limited production
- Region: United States
- Commodore C64x Barebones
- Company: Commodore USA (United States)
- Product Volume: Limited production
- Region: United States
- Commodore C64x Ultimate
- Company: Commodore USA (United States)
- Product Volume: Limited production
- Region: United States
- Commodore C64x Supreme
- Company: Commodore USA (United States)
- Product Volume: Limited production
- Region: United States
- Commodore C64x Gold Edition
- Company: Commodore USA (United States)
- Product Volume: Limited production
- Region: United States
2015
- Commodore PET Smartphone
- Company: Italian-based firm using Commodore branding
- Product Volume: Limited production
- Region: Poland, Italy
2018
- Commodore 64 Mini
- Company: Retro Games Ltd. (United Kingdom)
- Product Volume: Mass production
- Region: Global
2020
- Commodore 64 Maxi
- Company: Retro Games Ltd. (United Kingdom)
- Product Volume: Mass production
- Region: Global
2021
- Commodore PET Mini
- Company: Retro Games Ltd. (United Kingdom)
- Product Volume: Mass production
- Region: Global
Here is a sad video of the last day at the Commodore Amiga factory:
0 Comments