After more than 20 years, the legendary publisher Acclaim Entertainment is making a comeback. The new leadership will consist of: Alex Josef (Graffiti Games), Russell Binder (Striker Entertainment), Mark Kaplan (Ridge Partners), and former wrestler and entrepreneur Jeff Jarrett.
In the announcement, they stated that their goal is to focus on indie creators, as well as reviving classic franchises that brought them fame in the 90s. Acclaim was originally founded by three former Activision employees in 1987 and became known for many video games based on popular licenses, but went bankrupt and closed on September 1, 2004.
Jarrett, who was a playable character in Acclaim's WWF Attitude, said: "For three decades, I have had the opportunity to be part of both the wrestling world and the video game world, and I am happy to be a partner in reviving Acclaim, the iconic publisher of popular games from the 80s and 90s."
"From my first engagement with the publisher's 16-bit WWF titles and the experience that helped build the TNA wrestling series that created the first wrestler to be part of the Squared Circle team, I have seen firsthand the impact that video games can have on players and fans. Reviving Acclaim is an opportunity to pass on that same passion and love to new generations, and I am excited to be involved."
Acclaim Entertainment in its heyday released around 300 video games based on popular movies and TV shows, some of which include: WWF games, The Simpsons: Bart vs the Space Mutants, Terminator 2, Alien 3, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, South Park, and home versions of Midway series such as Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam.
