Old school game publishers going out of business is never fun to write about. With Acclaim though it is kind of bittersweet. Accalim held some of the best licenses of whatever generation of console we are talking about. They would also universally phone in the quality of the underlying game. For many, Acclaim made games that were fun and entertaining. On the opposite side of the coin gamers were unanimous in thinking the Acclaim name meant bad games. Not many gaming companies held such a split with the gaming public. How did they obtain this image? For one thing, this is the company that attempted to purchase advertising on actual tombstones in cemeteries.
Many names, same misguided management
This was one of several companies that was founded by former Activision employees that struck out on their own. The founders wanted to pick a name that came BEFORE Activision in the phone book. Acclaim was picked. Can you name the other companies founded by former Activision employees? Founded in 1987, Acclaim set out to build a name for themselves by licensing properties from other areas of entertainment. The would then outsource the actual game development to someone else. This is how some games were great while others were lackluster at best when carrying the Acclaim logo.
Just a lot of crap under the Acclaim name
Some of the titles that Acclaim are remembered for include their home and hand held ports. Mortal Kombat, Double Dragon and release of various Bust-a-Move games in North America saw release. They did some good during the life of the company. Those good releases were marred by more bad, who else remembers Total Recall on the Nintendo Entertainment System? When I was younger I actually liked that game. When revisiting, I am wondering what my younger self was thinking.Acclaim closed their doors on September 1st, 2004. The assets of the company were spread across the globe and various companies have risen to own various intellectual properties. What is your favorite release by this company over the years?
Want to relive those "fun" gaming moments that were brought to you by Acclaim, or one of its subsidiaries? Check eBay.
This article was originally published on Retro Gaming Magazine.