Acclaim re-enters the videogames market

Acclaim Games, under the ownership of industry veterans Howard Marks and Ken Chan, is re-entering the videogames industry and positioning itself as a free-to-play MMOG specialist.

Howard Marks secured the Acclaim brand shortly after the publisher's demise in September 2004, reportedly paying USD 100,000. The new company, whilst retaining the brand and logo, is being established with an entirely different publishing strategy and business model, mirroring the Asian MMO micro-transaction model pioneered by Seoul-based NHN Corporation.

Acclaim Games will operate localised versions of casual online games from Asia, which will be free to download and play, with various incentives and promotions to purchase in-game items generating a consistent revenue stream - complimented by in-game advertising and sponsorship deals.

The company's first titles, which are available at the newly launched Acclaim website, include BOTS, for which the company is currently soliciting live Beta testers, and 9Dragons, a release date for which has yet to be announced.

The new company's games will initially only be available through digital distribution via the Acclaim website, and Marks and his business partner Ken Chan hope to build a new community that leverages the familiarity with and loyalty to the Acclaim brand.

Howard Marks is no stranger to the re-establishment of entertainment brands, having secured a 30 per cent share in Activision in 1991 with Bobby Kotick, steering the company through bankruptcy proceedings and effectively rebuilding it from scratch into one of the leading publishers in the industry today. Whilst Kotick remains with Activision, Marks and Chan are looking to achieve similar success with the re-birth of Acclaim.