Acclaim is back! Classic publisher will be relaunched with a focus on indie games

New phase promises to revive classic franchises and support independent developers

If you grew up playing games in the 90s and early 2000s, you probably remember Acclaim, one of the most iconic publishers of the time. Responsible for memorable titles such as NBA Jam, Mortal Kombat (on consoles), and Turok, the company declared bankruptcy in 2004, after successive commercial failures. But now, the legendary brand is back, this time with a new purpose: revive classic franchises and support indie games.

The rebirth of Acclaim

The new Acclaim emerges through a partnership between several companies, including Striker Entertainment, Ridge Partners, Global Force Entertainment, VaynerFund, and JET Management. The proposal of this new phase is to act as a publisher of independent games, providing financial support, marketing, and public relations for smaller developers.

This model follows a similar path to Atari, which in recent years has reinvented itself by reviving classic franchises and betting on new versions of retro titles like Breakout and I, Robot.

What to expect from this new Acclaim?

Despite the official announcement, it is still unclear which classic IPs the company controls in this new phase. The focus of the revelation was more on the composition of the leadership team, which includes Alex Josef as CEO and a curious name: Jeff Jarrett, a former WWE Hall of Fame wrestler who has worked with the old Acclaim in the days of WWF-based fighting games.

"Reviving Acclaim is an opportunity to bring the same passion and love of classic games to a new generation, and I'm excited to be part of it," commented Jarrett in the official statement.

So far, no new games have been announced, but Josef assured that the company has already signed contracts for incredible titles, which will be revealed soon.

Now, we just have to wait and see which franchises from the past can be revived and how this new Acclaim intends to win the hearts of modern-day players.