Fund4Games picks up Acclaim Europe titles

Development funding firm Fund4Games has announced that it has acquired the assets of Acclaim Europe and is seeking publishers for Interview With A Made Man and ATV3, both of which are being completed by the original development teams.

Acclaim went bankrupt last September, and since then most of its titles have been in limbo - with only the externally developed racing title Juiced, whose creation was financed by Fund4Games, being successfully transferred to another publisher.

Now Fund4Games has confirmed that it has picked up Acclaim Europe's assets and has resumed work on two of the firm's most promising titles, with the original Manchester-based development team being brought back on board to ensure "continuity within the design and development process".

A further two as yet unnamed Acclaim titles are also currently being evaluated by Fund4Games.

"Acquiring the assets of Acclaim's European operation is a significant step for Fund4Games," according to chief executive Tim Gatland, "but one we believe fits very well with the company's ongoing strategy. Interview With A Made Man and ATV 3 are now being completed by a superb team and we're now contacting publishers who may be interested in the titles. We're very pleased with the progress made to date and we're looking forward to a successful development and release of the titles."

Following the bankruptcy of Acclaim last September, an effort was made to spin off the UK operation into a new business, dubbed "Exclaim", by former Acclaim CEO Rod Cousens - but this bid stalled after it was challenged in the courts by administrators overseeing the liquidation of the US parent company.