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THROWBACK announces the acquisition of ACCLAIM gaming titles


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Posted

Extreme-G Racing 5 xD :P lets hope they come up with good updates for alot of them :)

 

TORONTO, ON (July 7, 2006) – Throwback Entertainment, Inc. announced that the company has acquired the rights and interest in multiple Acclaim Entertainment titles. The vast library of game-related properties includes, but is not limited to Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance™, Vexx™, Extreme-G Racing™, Legends of Wrestling™, Re-Volt™, and Summer Heat Volleyball™.

 

“Acquiring the Acclaim titles provides a significant addition to our company, and will allow us to target different markets and opportunities.†said Thomas Maduri, CEO of Throwback Entertainment, Inc.

 

Established in 1987, Acclaim Entertainment developed, published, marketed and distributed interactive entertainment products. Publishers of many successful franchises, Acclaim faced financial difficulties and declared chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2004.

 

“Acclaim Entertainment was responsible for the creation of some wonderful original games, and unfortunately couldn’t see them through their lifecycle. We are very pleased to have been afforded the opportunity to take these titles through the next generation, and onwards. Many of the titles have all the elements required to establish franchises, with new services broadening the reach of games, Throwback will be well positioned for the expansion of the franchises.â€

 

About Throwback Entertainment, Inc

Headquartered in Toronto, On, Throwback Entertainment, Inc. is a publisher of interactive entertainment products. The Company’s diverse product line-up now includes notable video game properties such as Vexx™, Extreme G Racing™, Re-Volt™, and Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance™.

 

Titles

 

18 Wheeler Pro Truck

 

Advanced Dungeons and Dragons: Iron and Blood

 

AFL LIVE 2004

 

Aggressive Inline

 

Alias

 

Alien 3

 

Alien Trilogy

 

All-Star Baseball

 

Battle Monsters

 

Big Foot

 

Big Hurt Baseball

 

Blast Lacrosse

 

Bubble Bobble featuring Rainbow Islands

 

Bust-A-Move 1999

 

Bust-A-Move 2

 

Bust-A-Move 4

 

Bust-A-Move Millennium

 

Champions World Class Soccer

 

College Slam

 

Cutthroat Island

 

Cyberoid

 

Dakar 2: The World's Ultimate Rally

 

Darius Gaiden

 

Dirt Trax FX

 

Double Dragon 2

 

Double Dragon 3

 

Dragonheart Fire & Steel

 

Ducati World Racing

 

Ecco the Dolphin

 

ECW: Anarchy Rulez

 

ECW: Hardcore Revolution

 

Extreme G Racing

 

Extreme G2 Racing

 

Ferrari F355 Racing

 

Ferrari Grand Prix

 

Ferrari Grand Prix Challenge

 

Foreman For Real

 

Foreman’s KO Boxing

 

Fortress of Fear

 

Frank Thomas Big Hurt Baseball

 

Fur Fighters

 

Fur Fighters: Viggo’s Revenge

 

Galactic Attack

 

Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance

 

Head Hunter

 

Iggy’s Reckin’ Balls

 

Impact Racing

 

Ironsword: Wizards and Warriors 2

 

Jeremy McGrath Supercross World

 

Jeremy McGrath Supercross 1998

 

Jeremy McGrath Supercross 2000

 

Judge Dredd

 

Jupiter Strike

 

Killing Zone

 

Kwirk

 

Legends of Wrestling

 

Legends of Wrestling 2

 

Magic! Gathering Battlemage

 

McGrath Vs. Pastrana Freestyle Motocross

 

No One Can Stop Mr. Domino!

 

Myst

 

NBA JAM

 

NBA JAM ‘99

 

NBA JAM 2000

 

NBA JAM 2001

 

NBA JAM 2002

 

NBA JAM Extreme

 

NFL Quarterback Club

 

NHL Breakaway

 

Newman Haas Indy Car featuring Nigel Mansell

 

Populous

 

Power Shovel

 

Punch King

 

RC De Go

 

RC Revenge

 

RC Revenge Pro

 

Re-Volt

 

Riven: Sequel to Myst

 

Robotica

 

SHOWDOWN: Legends of Wrestling

 

Spawn

 

Speed Kings

 

Spot goes Hollywood

 

Stargate

 

Street Fighter: The Movie

 

Striker ‘96

 

Striker 3DO

 

Summer Heat Volleyball

 

Super Bust-A-Move

 

Swords & Serpents

 

SX Superstar

 

Tee-Off

 

Total Recall

 

Trickystyle

 

True Lies

 

Tunnel B1

 

Vanishing Point

 

Vexx

 

Virtual Open Tennis

 

Warlock

 

Wetrix

 

Wizards and Warriors

 

Wizards and Warriors III

 

XG3: Extreme G Racing

 

XGRA: Extreme G Racing

 

Please note, some titles may constitute specific console rights only

 

More information about Throwback can be found online at throwbackentertainment.com

Guest Jordan
Posted

There are some decent games in there. Ecco, F355 especially.

Posted

Games them to make:

 

Alien Trilogy - Like AVP 1

Aggressive Inline

Double Dragon

Head Hunter

Magic! Gathering Battlemage

Populous

Re-Volt

True Lies - hahaha fuck yeah

XG3: Extreme G Racing / XGRA: Extreme G Racing

Posted

The first Extreme-G on the N64 was an awesome game!

I hope what ever they do with the series, it's a game as great as the first!

 

Another Ecco the dolphin would be great aswell!

Guest Jordan
Posted

Sega own Ecco, afaik they can only republish this existing game on the Dreamcast/PS2.

Guest Stefkov
Posted

So what console for, Extreme G was an awesome game. Don't think i played the second one though, first was great.

Posted

UPDATED :

 

Throwback CEO Thomas Maduri took the time to answer GameSpot's questions about his company's big pickup.

 

GameSpot: Can you give a history of how Throwback came to be and what else it has done?

 

Thomas Maduri: Coincidentally, Throwback was established three or four weeks prior to the Acclaim bankruptcy. The original suggestion was to put together a bid to re-establish the company as it stood. After further discussions and due diligence on the situation, we felt it best to go in a different direction and begin work on other various projects. It is ironic, however, that we ended up in a similar result only a couple of years later.

 

As for a history of past projects, the Acclaim content acquisition is our first announced, completed project. We have multiple projects in development, and will be announcing them at a later date.

 

GS: How big an operation is Throwback?

 

TM: The Throwback operation can be classified as a startup for the time being. We're executing an aggressive growth schedule, and looking to hire some highly skilled individuals.

 

GS: Were all these rights picked up at last year's auction of Acclaim's remaining assets? How much was invested just in acquiring the rights?

 

TM: All the rights to the games were picked up after the conclusion of the auction held on May 11, 2006. Included in the auction were approximately 286 SKUs spanning multiple generations and consoles. Some of those titles are not mentioned on our site due to further investigations needed on our part. The total cost of the acquisition cannot be calculated at this point in time, and will be some time before it is ascertained.

 

GS: What criteria were you using in choosing which properties to pick up?

 

TM: Throwback didn't target and purchase individual titles. Every title remaining in the Acclaim library was sold to us in a single purchase. So there wasn't a selection process, as it was structured as an all-or-none proposition that we were pleased with.

 

The Acclaim titles were originally targeted because of the recently created original intellectual properties. Some titles like Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance did not have an opportunity to experience a full product life cycle, and the preliminary sales information was promising. Other titles like the Extreme-G Racing series represented an approximate $60 million revenue level. The financial information combined with more traditional research showed to us a level of consumer penetration that could be used in future iterations.

 

GS: What's the next step now that Throwback has the rights to these properties?

 

TM: Throwback is going to continue the projects that have been worked on for some time now. The acquisition does not fundamentally alter any plans for the existing pipeline, but just adds to it. It is highly possible that new franchises or titles that have been in development will be released prior to any Acclaim-based titles.

 

GS: Will we see rereleases of any of these games?

 

TM: Yes, we're dedicated to rereleasing many of the key titles for new gamers to enjoy. They will be distributed using various digital distribution channels.

 

GS: Will these franchises continue to be traditionally console-based, or will we see them appear on PCs, in plug-and-play TV games, on Xbox Live Arcade, or other formats?

 

TM: I think a fundamental problem Acclaim had with many of these franchises is there weren't services like Xbox Live Arcade, or non-traditional platforms like Nintendo is providing with the DS, and [the] anticipated Wii console, available to them when many of these games were created. A game like Re-Volt or Iggy's Reckin' Balls would be a perfect fit for the Xbox Live Arcade service. They provide quick gameplay, and do not possess a substantial learning curve for the controls. These services will create new markets using existing console technology, so in that sense they will be console-based, but in a non-mainstream format. Throwback is planning on taking advantage of those and any other yet-to-be-announced platforms or services we could potentially benefit from.

 

GS: Will Throwback handle the development, publishing, or distribution of future titles in these franchises? Or is it just a rights-holder that will contract with other companies to do those tasks?

 

TM: Throwback will be establishing itself as a full-service publisher. Development of titles will be determined on a game-by-game basis with some titles internally developed, and others contracted to outside studios.

 

GS: Which franchises will we see revived first?

 

TM: Throwback has established an internal road map, but we're obviously excited about Re-Volt and XGRA. Pending a formal announcement, we can't provide any further information.

 

GS: Is Throwback focusing on returning these properties just to gaming, or will there be an effort to expand them to toys, television, movies, and so on?

 

TM: I think if there's an opportunity to expand to other forms, we'd be willing to enter discussions. But we're realistic, and focusing all our efforts on returning these properties to the gaming world.

 

GS: Do the rights to titles like Aggressive Inline and Legends of Wrestling include the rights for names and likenesses of the real-life personalities featured in those games, or just the series' brands?

 

TM: There are some legal issues that need to be sorted through before we can even ascertain what those titles include and we've been told not to comment on their status. I apologize for that, and wish we could provide further insight.

 

GS: How soon will we see Throwback make use of these acquisitions?

 

TM: As soon as possible. We have some organizational and legal aspects to take care of, but we're committed to bringing some titles to the next generation and beyond. We expect development to begin shortly on some titles, and will be making the necessary announcements as development progresses.

 

GS:: Thanks, Thomas.

 

Via gamespot.com

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