Here’s a chat I had with Acclaim CEO Alex Josef. As a kid that grew up in New York and spent several years in Oyster Bay, Acclaim was a big deal to me. My brother and I loved playing games like Wizards and Warriors and WWE WrestleMania, and thought it was supremely cool that the publisher was within walking distance from our house. We loved walking by the original Acclaim office whenever we got Italian ice at Bonanza’s.
In the video below, Acclaim CEO Alex Josef told me about why he and his partners wanted to revive the Acclaim brand, the challenges he’s faced in the company’s first seven months, some of the videogames he’s launching with (Katanaut and Takala were particularly interesting to me), his plans and dreams for the company’s future, and more.
This was a fun livestream for me on several levels. As a fan of the original company, it was fascinating learning about the company’s revival and plans for the future. On a personal level, this was more than a chat with Acclaim CEO Alex Josef. It was a chat with Alex, someone that I’ve known professionally for almost 30 years, but haven’t seen face-to-face in about 20. It was cool catching up with him, dropping in references on our past adventures, and talking about nerdy guitar stuff.
What Do You Think About the New Acclaim?
I’d love to hear what you think about the new Acclaim. Do any of the company’s launch games catch your eye? Are there any classic Acclaim videogames you’d like to see? Would you like Alex and his company to attempt some of the crazy marketing stunts that Acclaim Classic tried in the past (paying people to name their child Turok, getting Shadowman engraved on a tombstone, etc.)? Please leave me a comment here or on YouTube when you have a chance.
The Real Reason I Wanted to Interview Acclaim CEO Alex Josef
Oh yeah, it would be fantastic if you could bombard Acclaim’s social media channels with requests to have Alex drop by RPadTV again, but with partner Jeff Jarrett. As a lifelong pro-wrestling mark, it would be amazing to get Double J on a livestream. My dream goal is to get close enough to Jarrett that he introduces me to the woman that used to babysit his kids.