U.S. video game publisher Acclaim is reintroducing itself.
The iconic gaming label first shuttered two decades ago after filing for bankruptcy. Now helmed by Graffiti Games founder and former CEO, Alex Josef, Acclaim is leaning into old-school aesthetics in an effort to re-establish its position in an industry that’s changed radically since the early aughts.
Acclaim sets the tone in a new press release:
“Acclaim is back. Not as a reboot, but a rebirth for the iconic publisher that dominated players’ living rooms for more than two decades.
“Released today, the new teaser video for the first-ever Play Acclaim showcase, which will take place on the official Acclaim YouTube channel on September 10th. Coming hot on the heels of last week’s social media reveal, it hints at what’s next for the brand, which saw its long-awaited return on March 4th, 2025.”
The publisher’s account on social media site X (formerly Twitter) also relayed the news:
“Transmission Received.
“Tune into the #PlayAcclaim showcase on September 10th, where we will begin this exciting new chapter for #Acclaim.
“Join us at youtube.com/@PlayAcclaim as we showcase the titles that will mark the beginning of a bold new era.
“We’re not just back, we’re leveling up. #indiegame #staytuned #showcase”
The brand’s Easter egg-packed teaser gives gamers a glimpse at its upcoming offerings while tipping its cap to the old guard. The video’s nods to CRT screens and intermittent static teleported me back to my grandparents’ place in the early 1990s. That effervescent static, the small displays, even the Acclaim name — it’s all enough to imbue me with an acute case of “remember when”-itis.
That being said, Acclaim wants players to know they’re not maladaptively holding onto the past, but honoring it while collectively looking to the future. “We’re not here to chase ghosts,” Josef states in the press release. “We’re here to take the energy and chaos that made Acclaim unforgettable and channel it into something new. The old screens are cracking, and what’s coming through is something exciting and different.”
“You can’t rewrite the past,” he adds. “But you can build upon it. This is about owning our story and moving it into a future that feels bold, energetic, and completely fresh.”
Acclaim, first founded in 1987, was among the world’s foremost developers and publishers. The studio brought arcade hits like Mortal Kombat, Turok, and NBA Jam to home consoles and handhelds. Acclaim closes the release by saying it hopes to “carry forward the ideology on which it was founded with its unrelenting support of talented indie developers and its delivery of high-quality, premium indie games to a global audience of discerning gamers.”
Watch the 39-second teaser for Acclaim’s “new era” here, and tune into its inaugural Play Acclaim showcase on September 10, 2025, at 2:30 p.m. EST.
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A lifelong gamer raised on classic titles like Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, and Croc, Stephanie brings her expertise of gaming and pop culture to deliver unique, refreshing views on the world of video games, complete with references to absurd and obscure media.
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