Entertainment
Acclaim Entertainment was one of the most prolific and well-known video game brands in the 1990s, having been responsible for creating series like Burnout and NBA Jam, but unfortunately things went awry in the 2000s and they shuttered in 2004. Most of their assets were sold off to companies like THQ and Crave Entertainment. My personal favorite, Turok, exchanged hands a bunch of times (at one point being owned by Disney) until finally landing at Saber Interactive a couple years ago. Without a doubt, anyone who played video games on a console in the ’90s knew Acclaim, but the world has changed.
Entertainment
Videos by ComicBook.com
In 2004, the Xbox 360 and PS3 hadn’t released yet, Spider-Man 2 just came out, Usher was dominating the music charts, and George W. Bush was still in his first term in office. Now look at things today — our entertainment tastes have vastly changed and technology that is ubiquitous now was considered a pipe dream back then. Hell, no one took Apple too seriously when they started developing their own phone around that time. That’s what makes it strange to see Acclaim back after 21 years. It’s not like it’s a recognizable name to younger generations who’ve grown to cherish newer developers — but that’s what makes their comeback so interesting.
Acclaim was officially revived earlier this year after over two decades on ice. And after hitting the ground running and putting in some time into developing a host of new titles, they’ve officially unveiled their initial slate: a whopping nine games. Of course, none of them are returning IP considering the previous sell off, but there’s a lot of influence from those older games in this new batch.
Acclaim’s 9 New Games Explained
TossDown (PC & consoles TBD): Deliver packages in a world where everything’s out to kill you, escape wild hazards and enemies, fight back using wacky power-ups and choose from a variety of perks to improve your chances of survival.
Ground Zero Hero (PC & consoles TBD): Ground Zero Hero is an action-roguelite with light survival elements set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Battle mutated freaks, absorb their radioactive guts, mutate yourself to gain new powers… and eat a lot of candy.
Basketball Classic (PC, Nintendo Switch): 5-on-5 Pro Basketball born from the golden era of sports games. This spiritual successor to the 8-bit ballers bridges the gap between retro and today’s simulation games.
Pixel Washer (PC & consoles TBD): Step into the hooves of Pigxel, a plucky pig armed with a powerful power washer, tasked with cleaning up a messy town. Wielding your trusty washer, you’ll spray your way through a variety of exciting challenges.
The Prisoning: Fletcher’s Quest (PC & consoles TBD): Enter the mind of Fletcher Howie Jr, a game developer on the brink of physical and emotional burnout during the final stages of an intense project. After a visit to the psychologist that goes horribly wrong, you must escape your perilous mental prison in a Metroidvania drenched in anxiety based on a very true story.
GRIDBeat! (PC & consoles TBD): A rhythm-fueled cyber-dungeon crawler where every move must match the music or risk total system shutdown. You just breached Knoss.OS, the planet’s most fortified corporate network, and made off with a payload of priceless data. Now you’re trapped inside, hunted by rogue security protocols and hostile malware. Your only way out? Sync with the system. Move to the beat. And escape before the grid locks you down for good.
Talaka (PC & consoles TBD): A fast-paced, combat-driven roguelite that brings Afro-Brazilian mythology to life in a vivid, hand-painted world unlike anything you’ve seen.
Hyper Yuki (PC & consoles TBD): Welcome to the Snowboard Syndicate! Race, compete, and explore the slopes as a colorful cast of unique characters! But what’s snowboarding without a little bit of drip? Through exploring and racing, you can unlock cosmetics such as designs for your snowboard and clothes to make sure you shine the brightest while shredding.
Katanaut (PC & consoles TBD): Katanaut is a fast-paced, Metroidvania-inspired action roguelite blending fluid combat and cosmic horror. Slash, dodge, and wield powerful abilities as you battle through a station sprawling with twisted, once-human horrors. Adapt, survive, and descend into the shadows to uncover dark secrets. Lovingly dubbed “Dead Space Cells” by early fans.
Acclaim CEO Alex Josef’s Interview With ComicBook
Ahead of the showcase, Acclaim CEO Alex Josef spoke to ComicBook and discussed the reasoning for reviving Acclaim, the inspiration behind some of the new games they’re developing, and the schedule they have roadmapped. He also gave us a glimpse into the future of the brand.
ComicBook: To gamers today, Acclaim may be considered a relic of a time long past. So, why revive it instead of making a new studio, and what’s the ultimate goal with the brand (besides just making games)?
Alex Josef: Reviving Acclaim isn’t just about dusting off a name. It’s about giving new life to a brand that once defined entire eras of gaming. We could’ve launched something from scratch, that is done everyday, but Acclaim’s legacy gives us a head start—some people know the name, and they’re curious, and we get a chance to build a whole new generation of Acclaim fans. Our mission now isn’t just to publish games; it’s to build on a movement where indie creators can take risks and bring bold ideas to players worldwide.
Continuing on that, some of your games are targeting that nostalgia, like Tossdown (“Crazy Taxi meets Paperboy meets Jet Set Radio”) and Basketball Classics (“golden era of sports games”). How are you balancing modern and future games with that nostalgia?
Nostalgia is the spark, not the strategy. Games like Tossdown and Basketball Classics nod to the past, but they’re not carbon copies of the old Acclaim—they bring fresh mechanics, visuals, and new developer communities into the mix. At the same time, titles like Talaka or Ground Zero Hero push forward into genres and aesthetics that can be considered modern and retro. The balance comes from honoring the DNA of what made people fall in love with gaming while refusing to live only in the past
I think most people would be expecting a game or two for the brand launch, but you actually have nine titles in this showcase. Can you talk about the breadth of genres that you’re hitting, and why you’ve chosen those? You have Roguelites, Metroidvania, Soulslike, arcade-style, etc.
Launching with nine is bold, but that’s the point. We wanted to send a signal that Acclaim is back in a very real way. The lineup hits across the board—roguelites, metroidvanias, arcade throwbacks, story-driven adventures. Variety is the key. We’re not betting the entire comeback on one game; we’re building a slate that shows the breadth of what Acclaim will be and grow from.
Which game is THE one that you think will represent the brand with this first batch? Of course, you’ll want them all to be successful, but is one of them the special focus?
GRIDbeat. It’s stylish, it’s competitive, it’s built on music and energy—it embodies what we mean by “Retro Future Nostalgia.” It feels completely modern, but it has that quick-hit arcade rush that people used to associate with Acclaim. That said, every game in this lineup matters. The showcase is about building a stacked roster, not putting one title on a pedestal. We are very proud of the Acclaim line-up.
Where are you in development with these titles? Is this a list of games people can expect to come out in the next 12 months, or are some games 1+ years out?
It’s a mix. Some games are nearly ready and will be in players’ hands within the next 12 months. Others are a little further out—we’re giving them the space to grow. The showcase is about transparency: here’s what’s near, here’s what’s in progress, here’s what’s coming down the road.
What are the chances of old Acclaim IP returning in the future? Or, is that not an option if assets/IP were sold off? Because while new games are great, people will still remember the classics — Turok, for me. If it’s the latter, is that why you have a game like Basketball Classic on the docket instead of NBA Jam?
A lot of those classics—like Turok—as Google will show, aren’t in our catalog anymore. They were sold off years back. But that doesn’t stop us from channeling the spirit of those games. Basketball Classic is a great example—it’s not NBA Jam, but it brings back that same joy of pick-up-and-play competitive sports gaming. We’re focused on creating the next generation of classics. Our dev partners are outstanding, and the new IP we’re building together don’t just stand on their own—they create space for potential crossovers and even the possibility of bringing back Acclaim’s classics that still matter to players in 2026 and beyond.
Originally, Acclaim developed games primarily for consoles (NES thru Xbox/PS2 era), with only a handful going to PC. Why, then, are virtually all of the games in this showcase releasing on PC first — some exceptions like Basketball Classic?
PC is the natural launchpad for indie publishing today. It’s where experimentation thrives and where communities can grow organically. That said, consoles are very much on the roadmap—we’re already in conversations about ports. Basketball Classic is leading that charge because of its multiplayer potential, but the long-term vision is multi-platform across our line-up.
What’s the next step for Acclaim after this showcase? Do you have any personal goals for the company?
The next step is execution. Launching all of our games on as many platforms to as many corners of the world that we can, supporting our developers, and proving that this isn’t just a flashy showcase—it’s a sustainable business. It is up to the games and gamers that love to dig into something fun and cool. Personally, my goal is to make Acclaim synonymous again with bold, fun, unexpected gaming. Not just a comeback story, but a story of reinvention that lasts.
And how much have you guys planned out in this first phase of the revival?
We’ve mapped out the next 12–18 months in detail— consistent release windows, marketing beats, community rollouts. This showcase is just the first chapter. There’s a long-term strategy behind it, one that mixes nostalgia with fresh energy, and we’re committed to delivering consistently, not just occasionally. There are a ton of cool surprises coming in the next few weeks.
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Mansoor Mithaiwala