Acclaim Entertainment is the Perfect Publisher for an AEW Game

The rebooted Acclaim Entertainment would be an ideal publisher for another AEW Game.

All Elite Wrestling (AEW) was announced to the world in 2019 as part of the Being The Elite YouTube series that was created by Matt and Nick Jackson (The Young Bucks). The promotion released a video game entitled Fight Forever in 2023 based off of the weekly television shows and pay-per-views promoted by the company. This has been the only video game released for the company, whereas WWE releases a game yearly through publisher 2K. News of gaming publisher Acclaim Entertainment being brought back by a group of investors brings an interesting opportunity for AEW to publish another video game that would be from a different studio then Fight Forever.

Before we dive too deep, let’s examine what a video game publisher does. The publisher of a video game decides who will develop the game. This is either done in house at the publisher or done by an external devolper that is contracted by the publisher. After the game is completed and ready for release, the publisher handles the release, distribution, and marketing of the title.

Should Acclaim Entertainment Publish a New AEW Video Game?

Acclaim Published WWE (WWF) Video Games

Acclaim published many titles during the 17-year history of the company. Some of the better-known titles included entries in the Mortal Kombat, Turok, Crazy Taxi, Baulder’s Gate, NBA Jam, Burnout, and more series.

In addition to these, Acclaim published 14 WWE (then known as WWF) titles from 1989 to 1999. Some of the more notable titles published included WWF WrestleMania, WWF Royal Rumble, WWF King of the Ring, WWF Raw, WWF WarZone, WWF In Your House, and WWF Attitude.

These titles were released on a variety of platforms, including the NES, Gameboy, Sega Genesis, Nintendo 64, and PlayStation. The games were developed by multiple developers, including Rare, Sculpted Studios, and their in-house studio, Acclaimed Sports.

Needless to say, the company has plenty of experience in the wrestling video game space. In addition to publishing 14 titles, their in house studio Acclaim Sports handled the development of WWF Attitude. The brand has recognition in the space, similar to THQ, Yuke’s, and 2,K who have all been key parts of wrestling video games for the past 15 years.

Acclaim is a brand that long-time gamers and wrestling fans will be familiar with. That familiarity can easily spin into nostalgia for the brand and video game that would be released. If the style of the video game is similar to some of the arcade-like wrestling games that Acclaim published, it would be a perfect callback to the 90s feel of wrestling video games that Acclaim published. Even if the team behind a new video game is completely different, the brand speaks for itself and would bring a great mix of nostalgia and brand trust to a new AEW video game.

The advantage Acclaim would have over Yuke’s, THQ, and 2K would be that they have been dormant for a while and would stand out to fans as the first Acclaim game to be released since 2004. There would be plenty of interest and curiosity around the brand and the hype of a new release after 20+ years would build into a natural and organic marketing campaign for a new AEW video game.

Jeff Jarrett and WrestleQuest

Jeff Jarrett has wrestled for many companies and was also the founder of Total Nonstop Action (TNA) Wrestling. With experience wrestling in World Championship Wrestling (WCW), WWF/E, AEW, TNA, Lucha Libre AAA, Game Changer Wrestling (GCW), and more. He is currently part of the AEW roster and holds a management position on the Business Development team.

In addition to being a pro wrestler, promoter, and podcaster, Jarrett has dabbled in the video game world. Jarrett served as the Executive Producer of Wrestling for the game Wrestle Quest. The game was developed by Mega Cat Studios and published by Skybound Games in 2023 across PC, mobile, PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo platforms. In addition to being an Executive Producer, Jarrett is also a recruitable character in the game. It is a departure from traditional wrestling games in that it takes a turn-based role-playing game approach to the genre.

In addition, Jarrett is part of the Advisory Board for the re-launched Acclaimed. That, combined with his front office position and past gaming experience, makes him a perfect candidate (alongside Kenny Omega) to champion a new AEW game from the relaunched publisher.

Fight Forever’s Mixed Reviews

Fight Forever was developed by Yuke’s Entertainment and published by THQ Nordic. This tandem was responsible for many of the WWE Smackdown games in the early 2000s. The game was released to mixed reviews, with most of the criticism aimed at the writing of the Road to Elite mode, customization options, and early bugs and crashes on the Nintendo Switch platform. The arcade feel of the gameplay was well received.

With the groundwork laid by the first release, Acclaim would have the chance to hit the ground running with a sequel that is better received than Fight Forever. With Acclaim’s name recognition, nostalgia appeal, and Jarrett’s connection to both the publisher and AEW, there is a great chance for collaboration to make a game that gamers can spend hours enjoying.

Would you like to see a new AEW Video Game from Acclaim? Have you played AEW Fight Forever? What were your thoughts on it?

Thanks for reading! Be sure to subscribe to HeartAsArt.com (100% free) to receive the latest wrestling and gaming opinions, editorials, interviews, and other content straight to your inbox. Be sure to follow on socials and feel free to reach out to HeartAsArtMedia@gmail.com