Acclaim Is Coming Back As Game Publisher Focused On Reviving Classic Franchises

Acclaim, an iconic game publisher from the 1990s behind series like NBA Jam, has been revived as an indie-game publisher.

Acclaim was founded in 1987 and made a name for itself in many ways. It was known for licensed games, ranging from NBA Jam to Justice League Task Force, being the console publisher for arcade classics like Mortal Kombat, and its wild marketing stunts promoting games like Turok: Evolution and Shadow Man: 2econd Coming. After several high-profile flops like BMX XXX, Acclaim filed for bankruptcy in 2004 and had been defunct--until now.

Companies like Striker Entertainment, Ridge Partners, Global Force Entertainment, VaynerFund, and JET Management have all come together to revive Acclaim as a game publisher that will "support indie developers and reignite classic franchises." It plans to provide funding, marketing, and PR support for any independent developers it works with. This new version of Acclaim is following in Atari's footsteps; Atari has also revitalized itself in recent years and reimagined classic titles like Breakout and I, Robot.

It's unclear what specific franchises this new version of Acclaim has ownership over, as this initial announcement is more focused on confirming members of its new leadership team, like CEO Alex Jose. That also includes Jeff Jarrett, a Hall of Fame wrestler who worked with the old version of Acclaim on its WWF titles. "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," Jarrett said of the revival in a press release.

No new games were announced alongside this revival of Acclaim, although Josef teased that the company has "already signed some incredible titles, which we'll be revealing soon."