Legendary publisher Acclaim has returned

Announced on Tuesday, former Mortal Kombat and NBA Jam publisher Acclaim Entertainment is returning after two decades under new ownership. It will bring back classic franchises and “seeks to support indie developers,” according to the press release.

Acclaim is reborn

The newly reformed publisher will help indie studios with “funding, marketing, and PR support,” giving them the “opportunity to bring their creative visions to a broad audience,” Acclaim said in the press release. We do not yet know which developers or franchises Acclaim will work with.

Alex Josef is the CEO of the new Acclaim and has experience with marketing and publishing hundreds of games to PC, consoles, and mobile platforms. According to his LinkedIn profile, he was the Founder and CEO of Graffiti Games, which helped publish indie hits like Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion, Blue Fire, and Double Cross. His work with Graffiti Games ended in December 2022.

“It’s an absolute honor and pleasure to be leading the charge in bringing Acclaim back to the forefront of the games industry,” said Josef. “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.”

Its advisory board includes Russell Binder at Striker Entertainment, Mark Caplan at Ridge Partners, and wrestling legend Jeff Jarrett at Global Force Entertainment.

The company shut down more than two decades ago

Acclaim previously shut down in 2004 after failing to renew a loan. It went into bankruptcy and let go of around 600 employees at the time, according to IGN. During its last full year in operation, it launched a laundry list of licensed titles and a disappointing 3D platformer called Vexx. In 2002, it also released a strange adult-themed extreme biking game called BMX XXX. Hopefully, a new NBA Jam is on the way if Acclaim can get the rights.