Accolade brand returns with a new Bubsy game
Billionsoft resurrects publisher name for original PS4 and Steam platformer developed by Black Forest
The Accolade name is making a comeback this year, starting with the launch of a new game featuring its mid-'90s mascot platformer Bubsy. The publishing brand today announced the development of Bubsy: The Woolies Strike Back, set for release this fall on PlayStation 4 and PC.
Development on The Woolies Strike Back has been entrusted to German studio Black Forest Games, the studio founded out of the 2012 closure of Gothic 4 developer Spellbound Entertainment. The team has previous experience dusting off old platformer IP for new games, having created 2012's Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams as well as subsequent releases Giana Sisters: Dream Runners and Giana Sisters 2D.
Founded in 1984, Accolade built a name for itself in North America creating a number of popular series across the market's then-numerous home computer platforms. Some of its best-known titles included HardBall, Test Drive, and the Jack Nicklaus Golf series. The company was acquired by Infogrames in 1999 as the French publisher pushed for North American expansion, and the name was quickly retired.
The Accolade revival is the work of Hong Kong-based intellectual property management company Billionsoft, which also owns the Humongous Entertainment brand, as well as a number of classic gaming properties from GT Interactive, Spectrum Holobyte, MicroProse, and Atari. The new Bubsy game is the first step in a much larger plan for the company, which intends to bring back a number of old games, including HardBall, Slave Zero, Deadlock, Eradicator, Redline, and more.
