One of the most surprising news from last year was the revival of one of the most iconic gaming publishers of the 90s: Acclaim. If you grew up with a Super Nintendo or a Nintendo 64, this name is pretty familiar to you. They were the publisher behind Turok, South Park, Forsaken, Shadow Man, and the console ports of NBA Jam and Mortal Kombat. After going bankrupt in the early 2000s, the brand was revived in 2025, but with a different statement from the one we’re used to.

Instead of focused on just industrially shoving out licensed game after licensed game, the new Acclaim is focused on curating and publishing a multitude of games from smaller indie studios, in a more developer-oriented manner. I had the chance of talking to one of the main minds behind the company’s revival and new MO, Justen Andrews, its production manager, during this year’s edition of Gamescom Latam, where we were also able to preview one of their upcoming games, the roguelike Talaka.

WTMG: After many decades of absence, what led the current team to revive the Acclaim brand to a newer gaming audience, some of whom may have never heard of the brand name before?

Justen Andrews: Yeah, so the leadership team knew they wanted to revive an old publishing brand; they just weren’t totally sure which one at first. But they kept circling back to Acclaim. Our CEO, Alex Josef, used to work at Graffiti Games, which is where I worked with him… if you look at some of the games we signed there, you can actually spot some similarities with what we’re doing now at Acclaim. So part of it was just that desire to bring back a classic publishing name, and Acclaim was kind of sitting there, unused.

It felt really underutilized, especially considering it still has that familiarity and nostalgia. That’s something we think pairs really well with modern indie games, stuff with contemporary design, updated genres, and fresh art styles. The idea is to connect those modern sensibilities back to what Acclaim used to represent. If you look at our portfolio now, and you break it down game by game, there’s usually something you can trace back to the original Acclaim—something that feels familiar, like, “Yeah, this could’ve been an Acclaim game back in the day.”

We thought that GridBeat was an excellent initial statement from the new Acclaim.

What is the main vision behind the revived Acclaim?

JA: The original Acclaim Entertainment was pretty genre-agnostic. When people talk about old Acclaim, everyone seems to have a completely different memory of it. For some, it was the wrestling games. For others, it was arcade-style sports titles. Some people remember more action-focused games, and for others, it was games like Turok. And a lot of that comes down to the publishing side of things. We ported Midway titles like Mortal Kombat, along with older games like Smash TV and so on. So there was always this wide mix of genres and styles connected to Acclaim, depending on what you personally played.

Acclaim Entertainment played a big role in bringing games to home consoles. A lot of titles that started in arcades—or even on PC, back when PC gaming was still pretty new—would get adapted for consoles through Acclaim. At the time, it was really about meeting a need. If a game worked somewhere else, Acclaim would help bring it into people’s living rooms.

I can’t really speak to the original Acclaim’s internal decision-making—like exactly why they chose certain projects—but if you look back at the hundreds of titles they published over the decades, there’s not a single, clear thread tying everything together. And that’s pretty different from how things work now. These days, you’ve got publishers that specialize in specific products, like a “cozy games” publisher, or one that focuses on horror or more graphic content. Acclaim, back then, was much more diverse. Their catalog covered a wide range of genres and styles.

A lot of that also came down to licensing: what deals they could secure, what brands they could tie into, and where those opportunities were. That’s something we’re actively trying to recreate now. We want to stay genre-agnostic, just like Acclaim Entertainment was back in the day. We don’t want to focus too heavily on any one type of game. The goal is to support indie developers doing all kinds of different things.

In terms of tone and identity, I like to describe it as a kind of “Saturday morning cartoon” energy. That can mean different things to different people, but it’s about capturing a certain vibe: something fun, colorful, and a little nostalgic. We want our games to feel like the ones we grew up playing, even if they’re built with modern ideas. Of course, nostalgia isn’t one-size-fits-all. Some people remember the more casual side of things, others remember specific licensed games.

We’re really interested in the developer–publisher relationship, especially when it comes to supporting smaller creators—solo devs, duo devs, small teams. Basically, the “indie of indies.” The goal is to give them a real shot at reaching a bigger platform and to amplify their games. That’s something the original Acclaim didn’t really do, mainly because indie games, as we think of them today, didn’t really exist in the same way back then. Most games were handled by mid-sized studios, or larger companies working with big licenses. So for us, there’s a real focus on helping studios grow.

We want to take a solo developer, a duo, or a small team working on their very first game—and give them the opportunity to grow as a company, build their studio, and develop their own franchises. Alex has done this before. You can see it in his work with the Turnip Boy series, supporting Snoozy Kazoo. Now they’ve reached a point where they can self-publish their own titles. And honestly, that’s kind of the goal. It’s almost like a badge of honor—if you can help a developer get their first break, get their footing, and grow to the point where they can stand on their own.

Bringing back the Harlem Globetrotters into a videogame, in an arcadey and nostalgic manner.

Are any members of the old Acclaim also part of the revived company?

JA: Not really, but we’ve definitely felt their presence in a different way. What’s funny is, I was at the Game Developers Conference wearing an Acclaim Entertainment hoodie, and someone tapped me on the shoulder and asked, “Wait… are you part of the new Acclaim?” He told me he’d been the seventh employee hired at the original company!

We get messages like that pretty often, on LinkedIn, social media, all over. A lot of the original Acclaim team has reached out, and they’ve been really supportive. They’re cheering us on, which is awesome. Most of them have moved on to other studios or retired at this point, but seeing their excitement, and getting their encouragement, means a lot to us. It’s kind of like getting their blessing.

It also adds a sense of responsibility. These are people who spent years, sometimes decades, building that company. And even though it eventually shut down, like we see happen a lot in this industry, there’s still a lot of love for that name. So for us, it’s about honoring that legacy and doing right by it, while also building something new.

Old Acclaim was known for its focus on licensed titles, whilst the new Acclaim is now focusing on curating indie titles from all over the world. What led to this completely different philosophy, and how would you explain this new modus operandi to an older crowd that grew up with a completely different vision of the company as a whole?

JA: That’s a challenge today, because a lot of those licenses just aren’t available anymore. When it comes to licensed titles, we absolutely still want to work with great partners and bring recognizable IP into games. That could mean cross-collaborations, or working with developers to build games inspired by certain brands, or even finding existing projects that could benefit from being tied to something culturally meaningful. But that kind of thing takes time. It also takes re-establishing ourselves, getting back on the radar as a company that partners want to work with.

If you hop into our Discord—or even just check social media—you’ll see people saying, “You guys should remake Turok!” And I’m like, “guys, that’s already happening. Nightdive Studios is doing an incredible job with it. The remasters have great reviews. Go check them out, go support them”. It’s awesome that companies are picking up these classic IPs and doing them justice.

Same thing with other titles. People will ask for something that’s already in development or already out there. And it’s funny, because it just shows how hard it is to keep track of everything happening in games right now. Even we don’t always know everything. I love that enthusiasm. I get it. I grew up in the ’90s—I was born in 1981—and some of the first games I ever played were Acclaim titles. I had an NES as a kid, and two of my first six games were Tiger-Heli and Star Voyager, both published by Acclaim. I understand that connection. Nostalgia is powerful.

But we can’t just do things purely for nostalgia’s sake. Sometimes the way we remember those games doesn’t quite match how they actually play today. You go back, and maybe it doesn’t hit the same—or maybe it just doesn’t fit the current landscape. Genres have evolved, the industry has changed, and even how games are marketed is completely different now.

There are things the original Acclaim did that made perfect sense at the time, but wouldn’t really work today, either from a design perspective or even culturally. If we just tried to repeat the past for the sake of nostalgia, it wouldn’t really benefit anyone; not the developers, not the players, and not the company. What we’re trying to do instead is carry forward the spirit of what made those games special, while building something that actually works today.

We really can’t wait for the upcoming HYPERyuki.

Taking into account that making a licensed title is not as simple as it sounds, considering licensing costs and interference from the IP owners, would Acclaim consider dipping their toes in this subsection of gaming once more?

JA: Companies like Warner Bros. and DC Comics are doing their own thing now, same with The Walt Disney Company. Back then, they didn’t have massive in-house gaming divisions, so partnerships looked very different. At the same time, we don’t want licensing to feel like just advertising. There has to be a real connection: something that genuinely benefits the game and the player. It should feel meaningful, like it adds something special.

So now the question becomes: can we find new, modern licenses that people connect with? Can we work with those brands and create opportunities for games around them? For example, we’re working with the Harlem Globetrotters on Super Basketball Classics. It’s about taking a recognizable, family-friendly brand and giving it a place in today’s gaming space. It’s a fun, playful, almost over-the-top brand… but it doesn’t always have a natural place in the current sports game landscape dominated by things like NBA 2K.

For it to make sense for Acclaim Entertainment, it has to work on all sides. It needs to benefit the game itself, respect the license, and actually add something meaningful for the player. If it doesn’t check all those boxes, it’s probably not the right fit.

Acclaim was known (in a good or bad way, depending on your point of view) for its outlandish marketing stunts. In this day and age, some of them would never be accepted, but people remember them, regardless. What are the challenges of marketing your games in this current environment?

JA: There are things Acclaim did back then that made sense at the time, but today, they wouldn’t really land the same way. Not just from a business standpoint, but culturally too. It wouldn’t be the kind of messaging people would get behind now.

Seriously. Just look at it!

So… no more Shadow Man ads on tombstones?

JA: (Laughs) Yeah… no, we’re probably not doing that again. But it is funny, we’re still talking about it all these years later, right?

Marketing games today is tough. There are so many games coming out, and people have more entertainment options than ever, sometimes without even spending money. There’s definitely still a need to think outside the box. And hey, I wouldn’t rule out us doing something a little weird or unexpected at some point. But the difference now is intent.

It has to fit modern sensibilities. It has to be something players actually enjoy or connect with—not just shock value for the sake of it. That kind of approach doesn’t really work the same way anymore. What people respond to now is authenticity; something genuine from the developers or publishers.

I think that comes down to the game itself. It’s not about forcing a gimmick into the marketing to sell the game, it’s about letting the game speak for itself. If there’s something punk rock, weird, or bold about it, that’s what people will latch onto. At the end of the day, people don’t buy a game just because of a marketing stunt. They buy it because something about the game connects with them—maybe they saw a trailer, maybe a friend recommended it, maybe it just looked fun. That’s what really matters.

GridBeat was an excellent initial statement for the kind of quality and curation you are aiming for. How is Acclaim scouting and curating titles? What is their current process? Do you contact studios, do they pitch you a project and go through a screening? What can you share about it?

JA: It’s really a mix of everything. With GridBeat, for example, the game was actually pitched to us by the developer. And right away, it stood out—it was just tight. Super polished. Not completely finished, but at that point where you can already feel the quality. The game feel was there, the core loop was there. You could immediately see the potential.

From there, our role was more about refining things: playtesting, iterating, and making adjustments, like softening certain elements to improve accessibility and make sure it resonates with players before launch.

But in general, discovery goes both ways. We actively look for games we’re interested in, and at the same time, developers are reaching out to us. That’s actually part of why we announced the return of Acclaim Entertainment months before our first showcase. We wanted to give developers time to come to us—to say, “Hey, I’ve got something that could be a great fit for Acclaim.” GridBeat was one of those cases. It had that retro feel, the energy, the music, the characters, it just clicked with what we’re trying to do. And it also opened the door for things like music partnerships and licensing that complemented the game really well.

When it comes to scouting, we’re definitely looking for games that feel like Acclaim—but also games that just feel good to play. Something that’s easy to pick up, but still has depth. A game a kid can enjoy, but also something that someone who’s been playing games for 40 or 50 years can appreciate. We want games that surprise people, that maybe make them see a genre in a new way.

Because let’s be honest—we’ve all played roguelites, we’ve all played metroidvanias. Those genres aren’t new. So the question becomes: what’s pushing things forward? We’re looking for projects that are experimenting; whether that’s through gameplay, design, or art style. Games that feel like they’re on the edge of something new. If we can align ourselves with developers who are ambitious, innovative, and trying to do something different, then we know we’re on the right path.

The Brazilian-developed Talaka is very different from older games Acclaim used to publish, and this genre-agnostic library variety is one of the new company’s strongest aspects.

The Acclaim brand was synonymous with a handful of genres, such as shooters, action-adventures, and fighting games. So far, the company has delved into completely different styles, with arcadey titles, and Talaka being something different from everything else Acclaim has ever touched. Would you consider jumping into the genres that “made” old Acclaim the company they got known for in the future?

JA: Yeah. Without teasing too much, I’ll say we are in talks about some things that, if people saw them, they might go, “Okay… that feels like Acclaim again.” So we’ll see where those go. I’m definitely excited about what we might be able to share down the line.

That said, genres themselves have changed a lot. These days, games rarely fit into just one category. You look at platforms like Steam, and everything has a mix of tags: “it’s this plus that plus something else”. Back in the ’80s and ’90s, games were more clearly defined. You could say, “This is a shooter,” or “This is an action game,” and that was pretty much it. That’s not really how things work anymore.

Players today are looking for more unique, blended experiences. And there are entire genres now that didn’t even exist back then, like battle royale, or modern roguelites in the way we know them today. So part of it is understanding what the current landscape looks like, what people are drawn to right now, and how we fit into that.

A lot of our early decisions have been driven by instinct, what excites us as a team. What games can we not stop playing? What developers do we genuinely want to work with? Sometimes it’s even about the people as much as the project. You meet a team, you like what they’re doing, and maybe you want to work with them not just on their current game, but on what comes next.

Now that we’ve established an initial slate and given people a sense of what the new Acclaim Entertainment is about—including younger audiences who may not have any connection to the original brand—we’re in a position to be more strategic. We can slow things down a bit, be more selective, and focus on projects that really stand out, games that matter to us, and that we think will matter to players.

So yeah, could we explore genres that defined the original Acclaim? Absolutely. But the goal isn’t to go backward, it’s to take that spirit and apply it in a way that makes sense for today’s players and today’s industry.

Finally, we’ve seen Acclaim releasing a handful of titles right in its first year as a revived company. How many games should we expect from you in the future?

JA: Oh yeah, there are definitely some surprises coming. Stay tuned, because we’ve got new partnership announcements on the way, along with additional projects throughout the year. That said, I do want to set expectations a bit. A lot of what we’re announcing in the near future isn’t tied to legacy Acclaim titles. These are new projects, new IPs, from really talented developers all around the world.

Some of these games might already be announced, or even already out in some form, but our goal is to help bring them to new audiences. By working with Acclaim Entertainment, we want to amplify those titles and give them more visibility. And honestly, that’s what excites me the most: helping great games reach more players.

I love the projects we already have, and we’re working with some incredible developers. But I really believe the best is still ahead of us.