During the 1990s, Acclaim Entertainment was one of the biggest video game publishers in the industry.
They were best known for the original Burnout games, NBA Jam, and the Turok series. Sadly, the company couldn’t sustain its success from the ’90s and filed for bankruptcy, selling off its assets in the early 2000s.
In March of this year, however, they announced plans for a revival with the plan to “reignite franchise classics.” Jeff Jarrett (yes, the wrestler Jeff Jarrett) is part of a new leadership group at Acclaim.
Resurrecting Acclaim is an opportunity to impart the same degree of passion and love to a new generation, and I’m excited to be involved.
The company, led by former Graffiti Games CEO (Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasion) Alex Josef, hosted the Play Acclaim Showcase on September 10th, 2025, announcing nine new games being developed by independent game studios.
“We’re ecstatic to relaunch Acclaim with a lineup that captures our legacy of bold creativity and delivers fresh, unforgettable experiences,” Josef said. “These games are just the beginning of our mission to redefine fun for players everywhere.”
Judging by the early reaction from gamers, it looks like they’re already having fun.
Acclaim’s Newest Games, Katanaut and Basketball Classics, Are Getting Rave Reviews On Steam
While Acclaim announced a total of nine games during their presentation, two of them are available now.
Katanaut, according to one of the many positive Steam reviews, is “Dead Cells slathered in a coat of Cyberpunk 2077 paint with Doom levels of gore.” The game is described as a fast-paced, Metroidvania-inspired action roguelite with Soulslike combat. It does have the unfortunate timing of releasing within a week of a little game called Hollow Knight: Silksong, but seeing its positive buzz is encouraging.
The second new game available now is Basketball Classics, which is a retro throwback to the old-school days of playing sports games on the NES. With the current state of basketball games being frustrating, to say the least, fans are incredibly pleased with how much fun they’re having, according to Steam reviews.
Both games are currently on sale as well. At the time of writing, Katanaut is available at 20% off for the price of $14.39, while Basketball Classics is 65% off for the low price of $3.49.
Every New Game Announced By Acclaim
In total, nine games were announced by Acclaim. Here’s the full rundown of titles coming as part of their revival, complete with their descriptions.
- Katanaut – “Katanaut is a fast-paced, Metroidvania-inspired action roguelite blending fluid combat and cosmic horror. Slash, dodge, and wield powerful abilities as you battle through a station sprawling with twisted, once-human horrors. Adapt, survive, and descend into the shadows to uncover dark secrets.”
- Basketball Classics – “5 on 5 Pro Basketball born from the golden era of sports games. This spiritual successor to the 8-bit ballers bridges the gap between retro and today’s simulation games. Side-scrolling, sweaty arcade action with simplified 3-button gameplay and retro vibes galore.”
- Pixel Washer – “Pixel Washer is a cozy, zen-like game where you play as a cute piggy power washing beautiful pixelated worlds. Wash dirty sprites, upgrade your power washer, and clean up this filthy town.”
- Takala – “Dive into a hand-painted world where myths come alive and turn against you. Unravel branching stories shaped by ancient Gods, explore lush, vibrant landscapes, and battle corrupted creatures from Afro-Brazilian folklore that threaten the balance of the realms. Destiny calls. The Gods are watching.”
- HYPERyuki: Snowboard Syndicate – “Race, Compete, and Explore the slopes as a colurful cast of unique characters! Do you have what it takes to impress with your tricks in competition mode? Do you have the speed to win in race mode? Play with friends locally and online to find out!”
- Tossdown – “Run, jump and dash through chaos, dodging hazards and enemies as you deliver packages. Fight back with wacky power-ups and choose from a variety of perks to improve your chances of survival. It’s Crazy Taxi meets Jet Set Radio!”
- GRIDbeat! – “Dungeons! Danger! Rhythm Action! You just hacked into the biggest corporation in the world and stole an unfeasibly valuable amount of data, but getting in was the easy part. To get back out you’ll need to explore the Mainframe, solve puzzles, battle security programs… and do it all on the beat!”
- Ground Zero Hero – “Ground Zero Hero is an action-roguelite with light survival elements set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland. Battle mutated freaks, absorb their radioactive guts, mutate yourself to gain new powers… and eat a lot of candy.”
- The Prisoning: Fletcher’s Quest – “After a psychologist visit goes terribly wrong, you find yourself trapped in the mind of a game developer on the brink of physical and emotional burnout during the final stages of an intense project. Experience a metroidvania-lite drenched in anxiety and based on a very true story.”
