Acclaim Entertainment, the publisher best known for working on Mortal Kombat, Turok, and the original WWF wrestling games, has been resurrected by a group of games industry veterans, and pro wrestler Jeff Jarrett.
The company has been reassembled from its long-defunct parts, with a view to aid independent game developers, “reignite classic franchises,” and “revitalise” the gaming landscape. It will provide funding, marketing, and PR support resources for a new slate of games in development, and it aims to give studios “the opportunity to bring their creative visions to a broad audience.”
One of the major goals is also to resurrect Acclaim’s “beloved portfolio of IP,” although given the studio’s major properties were auctioned off after its closure in 2004, it’s unclear which IP will actually be available to bring back. Burnout, for example, is currently owned by Electronic Arts. It’s long since lost the rights to produce WWF/WWE wrestling games. Turok currently sits under Saber Interactive.
Regardless, it appears there’s plenty of excitement from the new version of Acclaim, and its new leadership. As noted, Alex Josef (Turnip Boy) will be the CEO of new Acclaim. The company will also be overseen by an advisory board of “esteemed industry leaders” including Russell Binder (Striker Entertainment), Mark Caplan (Ridge Partners), and Jeff Jarrett. Its growth strategy will be led by Phil Toronto (VaynerFund), and Eric Vogel (ET Management).
Read: Atari is reviving the Infogrames publishing label
“It’s an absolute honour and pleasure to be leading the charge in bringing Acclaim back to the forefront of the games industry,” Josef said of his appointment. “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.”
Jarrett’s move to Acclaim
And for its novelty, here’s Jeff Jarrett – who’s currently on a wild and very enjoyable romp through AEW – talking about why he’s decided to support the resurrection of Acclaim.
“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,” Jarrett said.
“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.”
We’ll have to stay tuned to see what’s planned at Acclaim, as the new version of the tenured publisher evolves.
