Iconic Publisher Acclaim Reborn With a New Mission
It’s been 21 years since noted video game company Acclaim closed its doors, but now it’s back with a fresh mission statement. Originally known for publishing licensed IP and porting arcade classics, this time around Acclaim will focus on supporting independent development studios.
Gamers of a certain generation will recognise Acclaim as the publisher behind hugely popular games such as the original Mortal Kombat franchise, NBA Jam, and Double Dragon II. However, this new version of Acclaim plans to give indie games a shot at the spotlight.
“It’s an absolute honor and pleasure to be leading the charge in bringing Acclaim back to the forefront of the games industry,” said Alex Josef, CEO, in a press release. “We’re fortunate that we have an extremely talented team and that we’ve already signed some incredible indie titles, which we’ll be revealing soon.”
Shining a Light on Indie Devs
As part of its new mission, Activision is looking for promising indie developers to partner with and publish. To this end, the company actively encourages anyone to pitch their idea, along with details such as a necessary budget to complete it, a GDD (Game Design Document) and, ideally, at least a partial build/proof of concept.
“I grew up playing some of the amazing games from this iconic publisher and I’m thrilled to be leading the charge,” said Josef on LinkedIn, where he shared the news of the relaunch and encouraged devs to get in touch. “We have an amazing team and are actively seeking out awesome developers to work with.”
Press Restart
Acclaim rose to prominence in the late 1980s, after being formed by former Activision employees Greg Fischbach, Robert Holmes and Jim Scoroposki. While none of them are involved in the new version of Acclaim, it is being spearheaded by people with over 30 years experience in the game industry.
Alongside Josef, who has worked with Konami, Blizzard, and ran Graffiti Games, there’s Jeff Jarrett, a two-time Hall of Fame wrestler.
“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,” Jarrett said in a press release.
Acclaim’s new advisory board is rounded out by industry veterans, Russel Binder and Mark Caplan, who have shaped the multimedia success of properties such as Five Nights at Freddy’s and The Simpsons.