For those who’ve been playing games for quite some time now, you most likely have heard of Accaim Entertainment, the prolific company that released games based on popular IPs from comics, TV and movies.
While Acclaim closed down in 2004, citing Chapter 7 bankruptcy as the case, the company is back!
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Acclaim Rises From The Ashes
According to the press release, Acclaim’s relaunch seeks to support indie developers and “reignite franchise classics.” Acclaim will provide funding, marketing and PR support to indie developers to help bring their creative visions to a broad audience.
One of the key goals of the company is to resurrect and revitalize its portfolio of classic IPs. The advisory board consists of industry veterans: Russell Binder at Striker Entertainment, Mark Caplan at Ridge Partners and Jeff Jarrett at Global Force Entertainment (yes, this is the same Jeff Jarrett from the WWE, TNA).
Speaking of Jarrett, he gave a statement alongside the announcement, stating, “For more than three decades, I’ve had the privilege to have been a part of both the wrestling and gaming universes, and I’m thrilled to now be a partner in the revival of Acclaim, an iconic publisher known for releasing some of the most legendary games of the ‘80s and ‘90s. From my early involvement with the publisher’s hit 16-bit WWF titles to my experience helping shape the TNA Wrestling series, which spawned the first video game wrestler to become a full-time roster member in the Squared Circle, I’ve seen firsthand the type of impact great games can have on players and fans. Resurrecting Acclaim is an opportunity to impart the same degree of passion and love to a new generation, and I’m excited to be involved.”
Heading the company will be games industry veteran Alex Josef, who will act as CEO of Acclaim. Josef brings more than two decades of experience marketing and publishing hundreds of games on PC, mobile and consoles.
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Acclaim was founded in 1987, and was one of the most prolific video game companies in the ’80s and ’90s. Acclaim brought Mortal Kombat, Turok, NBA Jam to home consoles, and a ton of licensed games as well.
While not everything Acclaim pushed out was a gem (most of the licensed stuff was just awful from what I remember), the company did find success with its WWF games and other decent licensed products. The last game Acclaim released was Showdown: Legends of Wrestling on the PS2 and Xbox in 2004, which was developed by Acclaim Studios Austin (formerly known as Iguana Entertainment).
With nostalgia playing a huge factor in entertainment these days, now is the best time to relaunch the company. At the very least, it’s refreshing to see a video game company start in 2025 rather than seeanother one close downor be hit withmassive layoffs.
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