After more than two decades in the grave, the Acclaim name is officially back in gaming — just not in the way that longtime sports gamers might expect. The publisher best known for titles like NBA Jam, NFL Quarterback Club, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX, and a long list of WWE games is being resurrected under new ownership, but the company says it has no immediate plans to revive its old sports franchises.
In an interview with GamesIndustry, CEO Alex Josef explained that the new Acclaim isn’t focused on nostalgia or buying back dormant IP. In fact, many of the sports licenses the publisher once managed are gone for good. When the original Acclaim went bankrupt in 2004, most of its wholly owned IP was sold off to different companies, while others — like WWE, NBA Jam, and The Simpsons — were never theirs to begin with. Acclaim only licensed those brands, which means bringing them back would require major contracts, long negotiations, and big money.
“All of the IP just scattered in the wind,” Josef told GamesIndustry. “Some of it, there’s just no access to it, no ability to get that back.” He added that while Acclaim has spoken with rights holders, some of the asking prices don’t make sense for a newly rebuilt publisher.
That’s a disappointment for anyone hoping this return meant a new NBA Jam, an All-Star Baseball revival, or a modern take on Dave Mirra’s BMX series. But Josef made it clear that reviving old franchises isn’t the mission. Instead, the new Acclaim is built around indie development — specifically smaller, late-stage projects that need marketing, publishing support, and global reach.
The first slate of titles even includes a hand-painted roguelike and a chaotic package-delivery game, signaling a dramatic departure from the console-heavy sports and arcade slate that made Acclaim a household name in the ’90s and early 2000s. Josef calls the brand’s strategy “past meets future,” but emphasized that they’re not chasing nostalgia just for the sake of a recognizable logo.
Even if Acclaim eventually buys back or licenses something from its past, Josef says it has to make financial sense — and not every forgotten franchise fits modern expectations. “Just because it’s Acclaim IP of the past doesn’t mean that everybody wants to play it,” he said. “Doesn’t mean that it’s worth the price tag.”
So what does this mean for sports gamers? For now, nothing. The Acclaim name may spark memories of boomshakalakas, over-the-top wrestling, and BMX trick lines, but the publisher’s new direction is aimed at PC indies, not returning sports classics. Josef didn’t close the door entirely — but it isn’t a priority, and it won’t happen soon.
The resurrected Acclaim is treating its brand as a starting point, not a museum. That may disappoint fans hoping for retro sports comebacks, but it also means the company isn’t leaning on nostalgia as a crutch. Instead, it wants to prove it belongs in today’s industry, even if the games look nothing like the ones that made Acclaim famous.
