General FAQ
What is the status of the original Commodore brand today?
On 31 July 2025, we completed the full acquisition of the whole of Commodore Corporation, signing the final papers in the Netherlands, having completed payment ahead of schedule. This acquisition included all of the then 47 surviving original Commodore trademarks, the oldest dating back to 1983. We’re proud to have achieved this milestone and thank you sincerely for your faith and support in making it happen.
What’s Commodore’s strategy?
Commodore is built on two clear pillars: Retro and Modern. We call it retro • futurism – honoring the past, innovating the future. For every nostalgic offering, expect a modern counterpart that also fits our mission as a digital minimalism brand.
But it starts with the Commodore® 64 Ultimate range, the award-winning faithful hardware revival. Alongside that, we’re licensing standout community creations, and carefully developing new tech with today’s needs in mind, to bring people optimistic technology that wants nothing from you, and where you are not the product.
Is it more than just nostalgia?
Nostalgia is one of our two core pillars – alongside modern innovation. Like yin and yang, these forces balance and strengthen each other in that retro • futurism approach.
The commercial power of nostalgia is real – and it will help fuel and fund the development of modern, forward-facing products in turn. It’s a symbiotic cycle: retro inspires, modern sustains.
Will Commodore’s return be safe for small developers, open source projects, and the retro Commodore community?
Absolutely. We fully support the community that’s kept Commodore alive – we were born from it! Commodore today is founded by key figures in the retro scene who grew up with it and understand its values firsthand.
We’re not here to shut down creators. That wouldn’t make any sense. If you’re selling compatible products without using our trademarks, you’re free to continue. If you’re using our marks commercially and would like to use them officially, please see licensing for more details. And if you run a fan project like a BBS or YouTube channel with “Commodore” in the name, and it’s made clear somewhere that it is unofficial and done in good faith, that’s, of course, absolutely fine too.
That same spirit applies to open-source and open-hardware efforts. We’re not here to interfere with non-commercial projects that build on or celebrate Commodore’s legacy. Our focus is solely on preventing intentional misuse of the brand, not policing the community that helped preserve it. We get it. #wearecommodore
How do I get my product licensed or sold by Commodore?
For those who want to use the official logos or branding, or propose other partnerships and ideas, we be offer a simple and fair pathway at our Licensing Pipeline page. It includes stringent quality checks, tracking of your submission (e.g., “On Peri’s desk!”), and other tools. But there’s no pressure, and no obligation. Just an option many have dreamed of.
How much will you charge for official Commodore licenses?
Past owners charged flat fees or high percentages – often with complicated terms. We’re keeping it simple: just 6.4% of net sales, or the same for affiliate sales. Full stop. (We call it “Commodore 6.4”).
If you sell a product – say a Commodore case badge – for $1 net, you send us 6 cents. No setup fees. No hassle. We want to support creators, not drain them, while helping keep Commodore from blipping out again.
Can I send you my ideas for Commodore?
We are inspired by the creativity and passion of our fans. We love hearing from people who care about the brand, want to see it thrive, and want to contribute to its success. Having said that, like any company, Commodore cannot accept or commit to using unsolicited ideas or proposals for products, features, or other ventures, and any such submissions will be deleted. Here’s why:
- We often work on our own concepts internally, and sometimes they can look similar to what fans propose. For perhaps obvious reasons, we often can’t share what those concepts are before we’re ready to talk about them publicly.
- To avoid misunderstandings, we can’t promise to review, keep confidential, or compensate for ideas that are sent to us.
- Of course, we cannot force you not to send an idea – but if you do, please understand that, for our protection, it will be treated as non-confidential and Commodore may independently develop or use the same or similar ideas without obligation.
Our intention with this policy is to protect both you and us. We truly value your passion and support; along with solid legal protection, it’s what keeps the spirit of Commodore alive!
Is Commodore attending conventions right now?
We’ve had many kind invitations to events (a great problem to have!), but we mustn’t rush into unprepared appearances. Commodore has waited over 30 years and was only fully acquired on 31 July 2025, so when we do a convention, it must be done right, with a presence that matches our vision of sitting alongside major brands.
Large shows require major bandwidth, major investment, and months of planning, so we’ll focus on bigger events starting around Q3 2026. More modest shows may be supported through a Community Partner Program, where trusted fans or stores can represent Commodore informally at a Camp Commodore table or small booth, with branded materials and demos. We recently did just this at VCF East in April 2026.
In short, if Commodore is officially present, you’ll know it; we won’t be a small corner stand with one poster. If not, community partners may step in. We’ll have decades of conventions ahead, so missing a few very early ones is a small price for doing it right.
Why are there Commodore channels on social media if you’re against social media?
It’s a fair question. Think of it this way – if you wanted to help people stop smoking, you’d need to start the conversation where the smokers are: at the cigar store.
Social media is still where many in the community gather. We’re there to connect, share updates, and gently offer a different path – one built on creativity, clarity, and calm, optimistic tech. We don’t reject the platform. We reject the toxicity and the algorithms designed to keep users trapped in a loop.
What’s the cool Japanese text on your website and merch?
コモドール (Komodōru) is the Japanese katakana spelling for Commodore. It’s a nod to the brand’s global legacy – the Commodore 64C, C128, and more were designed and tooled in Japan – and the era when Japanese tech design helped define the look and feel of computing’s golden age, not to mention retro-futurism, of course.
Is Amiga part of Commodore?
Not yet – though we’d love it to be. And we won’t repeat past mistakes related to that. We’re in open dialogue with the most relevant rights holder to explore a potential reunion, and techno-optimism is in the air. Commodore and Amiga belong together in spirit, and we hope to make that true in practice as well. We’re just waiting for them to give the green light so the fun can begin.
Who is at the helm of the good ship Commodore?
For our President & CEO, Peri Fractic, his journey began eight years ago on a whim, pointing an old smartphone at a Commodore 64 diode installation he was undertaking, to make a video about a hobby he loved. The community asked him to continue, and 40 million video views later, here we are; Commodore is back!
But a YouTuber label is one tiny part of a much bigger picture that includes three decades of creative work, patents, property development across four countries, and a business career that began with factory tooling setups and retail sales of his inventions by age 24 – just like he is doing now with Commodore. This isn’t a media project. It’s a structured revival led by someone with a proven history of turning vision into reality, as set out in “Let’s Buy Commodore – Part 1”; that video was intended as a resumé, handed to the community for the job application as CEO, and vocally accepted by the commenters.
Jack Tramiel himself started Commodore not as a corporate executive, but similarly as a hands-on worker repairing typewriters. Commodore has always been built by doers.
For more info about our the full team we’re proud to have on board, visit our Team page.
What’s Commodore’s AI policy?
To keep Commodore competitive where all other tech companies are using it, AI might be used where it adds meaningful value without disenfranchising people.
For pre-order announcements, early renders are common while hardware is being finalized – and for that we use CGI, AI trained only on our own products and actors who are compensated for their work, and photos of pre-production samples – and we’re excited to show more of the real things as we get closer to launch.
We believe in using AI responsibly, transparently, and where appropriate – not to mislead, but as a modern creative tool – just like every other tech company does.
To give another example, if a national curriculum or education ministry begins requiring that AI coding or other skills such as prompt engineering should be taught, we may release educational tools that recognize that. Ignoring such realities would risk repeating Commodore history – and our CEO’s main job is making sure Commodore never blips out of existence again.
It’s worth remembering that the first AI programs were running on Commodore computers! Who remembers ELIZA and NIALL, the Near Intelligent Artificial Language Learner? He actually wrote this FAQ! (Just kidding.)
Are you working with Retro Games Ltd.?
Yes – we stay in close contact with the makers of incredible THEC64® Mini, THEC64 Maxi, THEA500® Mini, and its upcoming big sister. Our dream at Commodore is a single, joined-up family of Commodore machines, from superb-value, low-latency emulators to premium chip-based systems. Collaboration, not competition, is how we build a stronger future for fans. Historically, Retro Games Ltd. gave our President & CEO prototypes to review, and the resulting videos about RGL devices have brought their computers to over two million eyeballs. Commodore can’t wait to work with them more officially in the near future.
