Acclaim, the publisher known for titles like Turok, Mortal Kombat, and WWF WrestleMania, has come back to life with a focus on indie titles and classic games from its (extensive) catalog. It’s a move no one saw coming; after all, the last thing anyone expects is for a studio that closed in 2004 to return 21 years later. Can you say blackjack?
With CEO Alex Josef at the head, Acclaim has the potential for a strong start due to the strength of its name alone. “It’s a relaunch, and revitalization of the Acclaim brand with a completely new team,” Josef said, according to VentureBeat.
The rebirth of the studio comes at a time when numerous other game studios are closing down, including the recent loss of the celebrated Monolith Studios. Acclaim plans to provide services like funding, marketing, and more to independent studios. Josef said, “It will provide all of the resources needed to bring their games to the widest possible audiences.”
The newly-revived Acclaim has an advisory board made up of names as classic as the games themselves, including wrestler Jeff Jarrett, among other professional athletes and musicians.
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The publisher first came onto the gaming scene in the late 80s with NES ttiles like Tiger-Heli and Star Voyager, before going on to publish a massive list of games including the hit puzzler Myst.
In recent years, several of Acclaim’s games have reemerged in some way or another — most to the Nintendo Switch Online catalog. Extreme-G and Iggy’s Reckin’ Balls were early additions to the NSO N64 library, while Turok 2: Seeds of Evil and Shadow Man came along later. Both of these latter franchises have new titles in development, too, with Blowfish Studios heading up a new Shadow Man game and Saber Interactive leading the charge with a new Turok.
As for specifically what games Acclaim plans to bring back, that isn’t clear. Josef said, “We’re taking a look at rebooting games. Some of the IP is not going to be available.” The goal, according to Josef, is to publish three or four games per year until it gets up to speed.