For people of a certain age, (who should certainly think about seeing a cardiologist or a proctologist at this point) the name Acclaim elicits feelings of the early days of games. In my collection, you can find the Acclaim logo on games like WWF WrestleMania: The Arcade Game, WWF: In Your House, Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, and Legends of Wrestling, among others.

Some of the most beloved games of the era feature an Acclaim logo somewhere on their boxes. It was almost impossible to go to your local Blockbuster or Toys R’ Us (again, make that cardiologist appointment) and not see the logo.

But during the mid-00s, the company hit some rough patches following a number of poorly selling games, declared bankruptcy, and sold off its assets. In 2025, Acclaim officially arose from the ashes with an all-new leadership team — and we’ll get a taste of what the revived publisher has in store for us soon enough.

On Wednesday, Sept. 10 at 2:30 PM ET, Acclaim will host its first “Play Acclaim” showcase and highlight the games they have on the docket for 2026. You can watch the very-much retro-inspired teaser below:

Among the leaders of the new Acclaim are CEO Alex Josef, current AEW Head of Licensing and Merchandising Mark Caplan, Striker Entertainment co-founder Russell Binder, and Jeff Jarret — yes, that Jeff Jarret, the King of the Mountain himself. Please allow me to use this as an opportunity to share my favorite Jeff Jarrett clip ever:

Jarrett said in a video posted to Facebook that he “had to jump at the opportunity” to join the company’s board and that he “loved the business of gaming.” Hopefully, this means we’ll get more wrestling games from Acclaim.

I liked this quote from Josef, who is quick to point out that, unlike many retro revivals, Acclaim isn’t just going to coast on the past:“We’re not here to chase ghosts,” Josef said. “We’re here to take the energy and chaos that made Acclaim unforgettable and channel it into something new. The old screens are cracking, and what’s coming through is something exciting and different.”

We’ll see if Josef is right about that on Sept. 10. Please give us a new arcade wrestling game.