The Commodore Comeback? A Deep Dive into the Brand’s Latest Acquisition

Response to PKOR:

I get where you’re coming from—really, I do. Many of us want to see Commodore return in a meaningful way. But let’s be honest: what’s kept the spirit of Commodore alive for over 30 years hasn’t been corporate investment or trademark ownership—it’s been the community. The creators, hobbyists, and enthusiasts who’ve kept innovating, repairing, programming, and sharing without the help of a “full-blown company.”

You say you “want to see Commodore come back.” Why? Where did it go? Do you even know what Commodore is today? It isn’t a logo. It isn’t some man’s mission to own the company of his childhood passion. Commodore today is the people. It’s the warmth of nostalgia, the spirit of retro, the DIY energy that never left. That’s not something you can recreate in a boardroom or package up as a product line.

We’ve already done the Commodore Mini, the Maxi, the 64×. They were fun, sure. But from what I’m hearing now, anything that connects to a Commodore computer might soon have to come under some new branding and marketing consortium—which, of course, comes at a cost. And that cost comes right out of the pockets of the very creators and enthusiasts this whole revival is supposedly meant to support.

And now it’s being made more palatable by tying it to a charity for kids. Look—I want to help and support kids too. Who doesn’t? But what does that have to do with retro computing? It’s a diversion, a justification, a feel-good add-on to soften the pitch. That’s all.

So tell me—how does selling a Commodore-branded LCD or Linux box support the community that never stopped? How does this help anyone who’s been carrying the torch all these years? If this is truly about legacy, then respect the legacy. Don’t monetize the people who kept it alive while the company name changed hands like a collector’s toy.

You’re worried articles like mine might “sow doubt.” But maybe what’s really damaging is the assumption that slapping a logo on modern hardware is the legacy. It’s not. The legacy is already alive and well. It doesn’t need saving—it needs respect.

I have to agree with Thomas’ statements to which I will add my own:

I don’t think it’s realistic to bring Commodore back as a legitimate tech company—not in the way some are imagining. The dream of making it profitable with forward-looking products feels more like turning it into Commoditymore. Slapping a Commodore logo on a modern device doesn’t spark nostalgia—it just dilutes the brand. That retro thrill comes from the machines themselves, the quirks of the hardware, and the people who’ve been restoring, modding, and supporting it for over 30 years.

This community never went away. It doesn’t need rescuing.

What worries me is that this latest move—fueled by childhood obsession and YouTube momentum—might end up doing more harm than good. Commodore’s history is already littered with misguided revivals: smartphones, netbooks, even thermostats. Will we see that kind of branding grab again?

The real legacy of Commodore isn’t something you can buy. It’s alive and well in the hackers, collectors, coders, and builders who never stopped caring. You can’t “bring that back”—because it never left. The nostalgia isn’t just a product of the past. It’s the fuel that’s kept the scene alive, soldering iron in hand.

So by all means, good luck to the new venture. But let’s not pretend a trademark filing and a sticker make a movement. The real work’s been happening all along.

PKOR, I admire your passion and I understand your point of view. I think you may have misunderstood some of my points. I’m excited to see what these guys end up doing with this opportunity but I also see that Commodore did not need to be brought back from anywhere. Commodore in its current state is HUGE. I can’t say the same thing for the company but since when did a company benefit the community that loves that company’s product? A company is a company, business is business, and brands and licensing can be a major issue for community developers. In the case of Commodore without community developers there wouldn’t have been a commodore anything for the last 31 years. What you called a mess I call the most productive and progressive time in commodore history. With the community gaining more and more access to commodore they were able to produce, reproduce, and innovate. Is the new Commodore company going to put handcuffs on the people that built it up to its current state? I guess we will see.

Bravo Commodore4Ever.

Too much emphasis is being put on Peri and this action that’s unfolding. What is it that people don’t understand that if it were not for those in the community all these decades innovating and supporting Commodore that they wouldn’t have to pay 3 figures nevermind 7. Without the community, the brand would be worth nothing.

They’re clearly out of touch if they think Commodore was dead until some youtuber decided otherwise. Gimme a break.

I find it exceedingly offensive that they’re being viewed as the saviors of Commodore. Commodore would be absolutely nothing today without the ongoing efforts of the community.

And it doesn’t need saving. It’s been perpetually saved and nurtured by the community.

So, let’s get off our high horse PKOR and recognize reality. Commodore IS a dominant force in the retro community only because of people in the community. We don’t need saving!

COREi64

This article is unfounded. The buyers of Commodore are trying to bring the company, not just the name back. They’re investing a very large sum of money into a company that only means something to the community built around it. If they did anything like you suggest in this article they’d basically be flushing their investment down the toilet. They’re trying to bring the company back to make it successful and not be a mess like it has been for the last 31 years. Articles like the one you wrote are only going to sow seeds of doubt in the minds of the retro community and could possibly cause people to refuse to support the efforts being made to bring Commodore back. If that happens, it threatens future support creators would get from having a full-blown company supporting their efforts. I’m not affiliated with the investors in any way. I just want to see Commodore come back. Please don’t ruin the chances of that happening with articles like this. I don’t believe you realize how much damage it can do.