Acclaim Entertainment was one of those video game companies that seemed to run on three things: big licenses, bigger marketing budgets, and the unshakable belief that every movie, comic book, or celebrity deserved a video game. Sometimes they were right. Sometimes... well, let's just say history has a sense of humor.
Founded in 1987, Acclaim became famous for publishing games on consoles from the NES to the PlayStation era. They handled hits like the Mortal Kombat home console versions, making sure countless parents suddenly became experts on pixelated violence. They also published sports titles such as NBA Jam and plenty of licensed games based on comics, TV shows, and movies. If there was a popular franchise in the '90s, Acclaim probably tried to turn it into a game, and if it wasn't popular, they might have tried anyway.
Their marketing department deserves its own museum. Acclaim once offered to pay speeding tickets for drivers in the UK to promote a racing game. Another time, they proposed placing advertisements on actual tombstones. Unsurprisingly, that idea didn't receive a standing ovation. Their motto often seemed to be, "There is no such thing as a bad publicity stunt... right?"
Not every game was a masterpiece. For every beloved title, there was another that made players wonder if the developers had been working under the influence of too much vending-machine coffee. Yet that's part of Acclaim's charm today. They weren't afraid to swing for the fences—even if they occasionally hit themselves with the bat.
Unfortunately, ambitious marketing couldn't solve financial problems. After years of declining sales and increasing competition, Acclaim filed for bankruptcy in 2004.
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