Acclaim Entertainment was an American video game publisher from Long Island, active from 1987 until filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on September 1, 2004. Through a series of acquisitions between 1990 and 2002, Acclaim built itself a large portfolio of subsidiaries acting in the fields of development and publishing.
Development
Acclaim Studios
Acclaim Studios was established in July 1998 to organize all Acclaim-owned development studios under one management.[1] In May 1999, all underlying studios were uniformly rebranded to bear the "Acclaim Studios" prefix.[2] Acclaim Studios and all of its development facilities were closed on August 27, 2004.[3]
Acclaim Studios Austin
Acclaim Studios Austin (formerly Iguana Entertainment) was based in Austin, Texas. The company was founded in 1991 by Jeff Spangenberg, previously lead designer for Punk Development, and originally located in Santa Clara, California. Iguana found first success with Aero the Acro-Bat, moved to Austin and acquired Optimus Software (later Iguana UK) in 1993. Iguana was acquired by Acclaim in January 1995 and received another sub-studio, Iguana West (formerly Sculptured Software) in October that year. Spangenberg was fired from his position in July 1998 and filed a lawsuit on breach of contract the following October. Iguana was rebranded Acclaim Studios Austin in May 1999, and the studio was closed down in August 2004.
Acclaim Studios Cheltenham
Acclaim Studios Cheltenham was based in Cheltenham, England. The studio was founded in 2000 by former employees of Psygnosis' South West studio.[4]
Acclaim Studios London
Acclaim Studios London was based in Croydon, England. The company was founded in 1984 by Fergus McGovern and Vakis Paraskeva under the name Probe Software,[5] which was later renamed Probe Entertainment.[6] By 1988, the company employed 72 people.[7] Several games developed by Probe included references to McGovern's name or likeness, including the sentence "Is that you, Fergus?" presented to players of Trantor: The Last Stormtrooper upon gaining a low score.[5] The company specialized in the development of arcade game ports and movie tie-ins, including Out Run, Mortal Kombat and FIFA Soccer.[8]
On October 10, 1995, Acclaim agreed to acquire Probe for 1,732 shares of common stock.[9][10] The deal closed on October 16 and was valued at US$40 million, making McGovern a millionaire.[9][8] The same year, McGovern also received a Lifetime Achievement Award for his work at Probe.[8] McGovern left the company a few years later to found HotGen, also a video game developer.[6][11] With the consolidation of Acclaim Studios' branding in May 1999, Probe was renamed Acclaim Studios London.[2] Acclaim Studios London was closed in April 2000.[12]
Acclaim Studios Manchester
Acclaim Studios Manchester was founded in Manchester as Software Creations, a sole trader company, by Richard Kay in 1985.[13] The following year, the company was joined by Steve Ruddy, who began working on Commodore 64 conversions of games like Mystery of the Nile and Kinetik.[13] Subsequently, further employees, including the Follin brothers and Mike Ager, followed after Ruddy and joined Software Creations.[13] Successful titles produced or ported by Software Creations include Bubble Bobble (1987), Bionic Commando (1988), and Tin Star (1994).[13] After developing ports of Ghouls 'n Ghosts and LED Storm in 1989, Software Creations moved into custom-built offices located within Manchester.[13] The Pickford brothers, John and Ste, joined the company in 1990, producing Equinox and Plok.[13] In 1994, Software Creations was acquired by BCE Multimedia and became part of Rage Software.[13]
On May 1, 2002, Acclaim announced that they had acquired Software Creations, which was renamed Acclaim Studios Manchester.[14][15] At the time, Software Creations had approximately 70 employees.[16] Acclaim Studios Manchester was closed as part of Acclaim Studios and all of its development facilities on August 27, 2004.[3] Rod Cousens and Barry Jafrato, who served as chief executive officer and head of publishing, respectively, for Acclaim, announced in September 2004 that they were planning to create as new video game publisher, Exclaim, with the help of Europlay Capital Advisers.[17] Exclaim was set to acquire and reinstantiate Acclaim's two UK studios, namely Manchester and Cheltenham, and re-employ their roughly 160.[18] Exclaim's opening was expected on October 11,[19] however, Cousen's ownership over the two studios was challenged by Acclaim's liquidator, Allan Mendelsohn, leaving the UK staff in a state of limbo.[20] A successor to Acclaim Studios Manchester, SilverBack Studios, was founded by Jon Oldham in April 2005 and employed 15 former Acclaim Studios Manchester staff.[21][22]
Acclaim Studios Salt Lake City
Acclaim Studios Salt Lake City was based in Salt Lake City, Utah. The company was founded as Sculptured Software by George Metos, Bryan Brandenburg, Peter Adams, Mike Macris and Bob Burgener,[23] and incorporated on July 12, 1985.[24] Significant games developed by Sculptured Software include the Super Star Wars series, Doom (SNES), Mortal Kombat (SNES), Mortal Kombat II (SNES), and Mortal Kombat 3 (DOS, SNES, Genesis).[25]
Acclaim agreed to acquire Sculptured Software on October 9, 1995, and closed the deal the following day.[10][9] The deal included a transaction of 1,013 shares of common stock, valued at $30 million.[9][26] By February 1996, Sculptured Software employed 140 employees, and all founders but Metos had left the company.[23] Metos left the company the following year to found Kodiak Interactive Software Studios.[27] By December 1997, Sculptured Software was renamed Iguana West.[28][29] The renaming reflected a major change in the management which involved the former Sculptured Software being overseen by the president of Iguana Entertainment.[30] With the consolidation of Acclaim Studios' branding in May 1999, Iguana West was renamed Acclaim Studios Salt Lake City.[2] Acclaim Studios Salt Lake City was dissolved as a cost-cutting exercise in December 2002.[31] Through the closure, 70 employees were laid off and an unannounced title was canceled, while the remaining staff and the development of a third installment in the Legends of Wrestling series were shifted to Acclaim Studios Austin.[12]
Acclaim Studios Stroud
Acclaim Studios Stroud was formed in July 1999 to focus on the development of PlayStation games.[32] Led by Neil Duffield, the studio's team was made up of 26 staff formerly employed by Psygnosis.[33]
Acclaim Studios Teesside
Acclaim Studios Teesside was based in Stockton-on-Tees, England.[34] The company was founded in February 1988 by brothers Darren and Jason Falcus, at the time aged 19 and 18, respectively,[35] under the name Optimus Software.[34] The company was originally located in Stockton, where the Falcus brothers were born as well.[34] Both founders had previously started programming in 1981,[34] and released their first game, Castle of Doom, in 1983.[35] Games released by Optimus Software generated retail sales in excess of US$500 million.[34] These games included Big Nose the Caveman and the Seymour series, both of which they developed for Codemasters.[36]
In 1993, Optimus Software was acquired by Iguana Entertainment to undisclosed terms.[34][37] Subsequently, the company moved to new offices located in Middlesbrough,[34] and was renamed Iguana UK.[37] Iguana Entertainment itself was acquired by Acclaim in 1995, at which point Iguana UK moved back to Stockton.[38] Under the new banner, Iguana UK and the Falcus brothers developed the Shadow Man series, home console versions of various NBA Jam titles, and the Nintendo 64 version of Forsaken.[36] With the consolidation of Acclaim Studios' branding in May 1999, Iguana UK was renamed Acclaim Studios Teesside.[2] The Falcus brothers left the company in February 2000 and founded Atomic Planet Entertainment.[34][38] At that time, the studio had 75 employees.[35] The studio was closed in May 2002.[12]
Publishing
Acclaim Coin-Operated Entertainment
Acclaim Coin-Operated Entertainment was an Acclaim subsidiary based in Mountain View, California,[39] that focused on releasing coin-operated arcade games.[40] It was established in July 1994.[41] Leon Deith served as sales director for the company, as of January 1998.[40] Acclaim Coin-Operated Entertainment was closed in March 1998, as Acclaim wanted to shift development resources to Acclaim Studios closer to the company's headquarters in New York City.[42]
Acclaim Comics
Acclaim Distribution
Acclaim Distribution was established in June 1993 to act as the distributor for Acclaim.[41] Companies that partnered with Acclaim Distribution for distribution services include Digital Pictures, Marvel Entertainment, Sound Source Interactive, Sunsoft, and Interplay Productions.[41]
Lazer-Tron
Lazer-Tron Corporation focused on the production of coin-operated "redemption games".[41] The company was acquired by Acclaim on August 31, 1995, in exchange of 1,123 shares of Acclaim's common stock.[41] Acclaim sold off all assets of Lazer-Tron on March 5, 1997, for $6,000,000 in cash.[43]
LJN
LJN was a toy and video game company located in New York City, known for manufacturing toys from such licensed brands as E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Back to the Future, ThunderCats, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, as well as publishing software game titles (under the Enteractive trademark) for the Nintendo Entertainment System, including games about The Karate Kid, Jaws, and Major League Baseball.[citation needed]
Flying Edge
Flying Edge was a division of Acclaim that was founded in 1992 to publish games on Sega consoles. The division was dissolved in 1994.[citation needed]
Arena Entertainment
Arena Entertainment was a division formed under Mirrorsoft to publish games on Sega platforms. Arena was acquired by Acclaim in 1992 and dissolved in 1994.[citation needed]
Acclaim Sports
Acclaim Sports was established as a division of Acclaim in November 1997, as part of a $4 million–$6 million marketing campaign for NFL Quarterback Club '98.[44] Acclaim stated that the creation of the target specifically targeted challenging Electronic Arts' EA Sports label.[44] Bob Picunko was appointed director of marketing of Acclaim Sports.[44]
Club Acclaim
Club Acclaim was a division of Acclaim announced in January 2000, originally for a line of Game Boy Color games directed towards a younger audience.[45] Club Acclaim's most successful games were those based on Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen.[46]
AKA Acclaim
AKA Acclaim was a division of Acclaim that released extreme sports games. Originally known as Acclaim Max Sports, the division was renamed AKA Acclaim in 2002, and was discontinued in 2003.[citation needed]
References
- ^ "Computer game-maker shifts personnel". The Business Journals. July 30, 1998. Archived from the original on January 7, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Acclaim Studios Evolves into a Single Worldwide Entity; Internal Development Cornerstone of Product Success. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ a b Perry, Douglass C. (August 27, 2004). "Acclaim Closes Offices". ign.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ Strohm, Axel (June 26, 2001). "First look: Extreme-G 3". gamespot.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ a b "Sinclair ZX Spectrum Vega Plus Smashes Target - Retro Gamer". retrogamer.net. February 24, 2016. Archived from the original on January 7, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ a b "Probe Software founder Fergus McGovern passes away". eurogamer.net. February 29, 2016. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "Amstrad Computer User 01-90 (Aug 84 - May 92)". Retrieved August 26, 2018 – via Internet Archive.
- ^ a b c Johnson, Bobbie (June 24, 2008). "Fergus McGovern: The games whizzkid who had everything". the Guardian. Archived from the original on February 28, 2016. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "ACCLAIM ENTERTAINMENT INC - 10-K Annual Report - 08/31/1996". Get Filings. December 17, 1996. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- ^ a b "COMPANY BRIEFS". The New York Times. October 11, 1995. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "Obituary: Fergus McGovern". gamesindustry.biz. February 29, 2016. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Acclaim ferme son studio de Salt Lake". gamekult.com. December 16, 2002. Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g Bevan, Mike (December 2013). "Bubbles, Baseball and Buzz Saws...". Retro Gamer. No. 122. Imagine Publishing. pp. 74–79.
- ^ IGN Staff (May 1, 2002). "Acclaim Acquires New Studio". ign.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "Acclaim Studios Manchester formed". eurogamer.net. May 2002. Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "Acclaim Launches New Studio In Manchester, UK". gamasutra.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ Jenkins, David (September 30, 2004). "Gamasutra - The Art & Business of Making Games". www.gamasutra.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "Former Acclaim boss in rescue bid for UK studios". eurogamer.net. October 2004. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "Acclaim CEO's new company plans to launch next week". gamesindustry.biz. October 6, 2004. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "Acclaim UK studios' future unclear as Exclaim deal stalls". gamesindustry.biz. October 14, 2004. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "Former Acclaim title returns". eurogamer.net. May 3, 2005. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "SilverBack Studios launches from the ashes of Acclaim UK". gamesindustry.biz. April 29, 2005. Archived from the original on July 24, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ a b "ONCE-STRUGGLING S.L. VIDEO FIRM HITS THE BIG TIME". deseretnews.com. February 18, 1996. Archived from the original on July 27, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "FindLaw's Supreme Court of Utah case and opinions". Findlaw. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "Avalanche: From Mortal Kombat To Toy Story 3". Game Informer. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "The End Game: How Top Developers Sold Their Studios - Part One". gamasutra.com. March 3, 2004. Archived from the original on September 23, 2017. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ Jebens, Harley (April 28, 2000). "EA Invests in Kodiak". gamespot.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ IGN Staff (December 16, 1997). "Iguana Breaks the Ice". ign.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ IGN Staff (April 1, 1999). "Breaking into the Industry Vol. 5". ign.com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "Acclaim Shakes Up Developers". Next Generation. No. 36. Imagine Media. December 1997. p. 23.
- ^ Varanini, Giancarlo (December 9, 2002). "Acclaim closes Salt Lake City studio". gamespot.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ Kennedy, Sam (May 9, 2000). "Acclaim Announces New Studio". gamespot.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "Acclaim forms new playstation team". tomshardware.co.uk. July 12, 1999. Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Falcus Brothers Complete 15 Years in Business - Timeline Event". spong.com. Archived from the original on August 11, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ a b c "In conversation with Jason Falcus". GamesTM. Archived from the original on October 26, 2018.
- ^ a b Caoili, Eric (December 13, 2011). "Worms Studio Team17 Amps Up Social Strategy With Iguana Acquisition". gamasutra.com. Archived from the original on August 5, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ a b "A Retrospective: The Story of Retro Studios". ign.com. December 17, 2004. Archived from the original on August 11, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ a b Live, Teesside (July 21, 2003). "Bites or bytes, there's a huge appetite for Tees excellence". gazettelive.co.uk. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "Owner's Manuel NBA Jam Extreme" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on January 22, 2022. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ^ a b Jebens, Harley (April 28, 2000). "Acclaim Joins Arcade Initiative". gamespot.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "ACCLAIM ENTERTAINMENT INC - 10-K Annual Report - 08/31/1995". Get Filings. December 8, 1995. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- ^ Johnston, Chris (March 6, 1998). "Acclaim Closes Arcade Division". GameSpot. Archived from the original on October 6, 2000. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
- ^ "ACCLAIM ENTERTAINMENT INC - 10-K Annual Report - 08/31/1997". Get Filings. November 12, 1997. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Acclaim pumps up sports games". adage.com. November 3, 1997. Archived from the original on July 10, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ Gamespot Staff (April 26, 2000). "Acclaim Talks 2000 Game Lineup". gamespot.com. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
- ^ "The best game EVAR! - News". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on August 27, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2018.