UPDATED: Breaking News: Acclaim Sees Massive Redundancies As End Draws Near

It's amazing to think that just five years ago, this company was topping charts with the likes of WWF Attitude and blowing people away at the Dreamcast demo pods with Trickstyle.

It'll be interesting to see where titles such as Juiced and 100 Bullets end up now. And hey, if you needed any more proof that EA's vision of the future is not too far-fetched, here it is. A shame that such an established developer is dropping out, and I feel sorry for the ex-staff.

It is a shame isn't it, this company have published an created many fine games in the past, almost as sad as when sierra was shut down.

Indeed tis a sad day, all stand for the 21 light gun salute. As sad as it is, from endings come the seeds of something new.

I'm sure though a lot of Acclaim staff will most likely end up setting up on their own new softcos, or joining established softcos.

I guess this is the saddest part of the industry, when jobs are lost so easily as large corps like EA look on if laughter. They also know it's only a matter of time before some ex-Acclaim employees come knockin at their door.

Just like to thank ex-Acclaim staff for Turok and Turok 2, they really made my N64 days so much better.

Games are corporate.

Do you worry when McDonalds staff loose their jobs no???

Seems that Juiced will pay off all the management.

I was gonna suggest raising a glass, this Friday eve, but all the good staff have gone..hence the mess.

Actually. This is not quite true about the Manchester Office being shut down, true they have been told to go home and have not been paid their last months wages (payday was supposed to be today) but they are not officially redundant. This has not yet occurred, technically they are still employed by acclaim..until they are notified otherwise.

redrobe500 wrote:

>Actually. This is not quite true about the
>Manchester Office being shut down, true they have
>been told to go home and have not been paid their
>last months wages (payday was supposed to be
>today) but they are not officially redundant.
>This has not yet occurred, technically they are
>still employed by acclaim..until they are
>notified otherwise.

SPOnG London took a call from an unnamed AEM employee who said exactly this. Piece edited accordingly.

The beginning of the end for videogame publishing diversity.

The start of a painful and stinging convergence that will surely cause oligopolisation of the market by several large companies, those only aim is profit.

And a warning to everyone else to watch their back. The good days are over.

Turok 2 was truly a superb game, but as the 'flagship' franchise for Acclaim, perhaps they should have worried more about delivering subsequent sequels of a similar high quality, rather than over-hyped, poor quality, cash-ins?
As someone who was actually looking forward to the last Turok (I was stupid enough to shell out my £40 on the day of release) I was appalled by the singular lack of any kind of quality in this 'next gen' instalment of my favourite N64 classic!
When I took a very brief look at the 'making of' DVD and realised that they'd actually based the animal violence upon the filming of actual hunting/slaughter I felt doubly sickened!
Don't feel bad for Acclaim, feel glad that we wont be duped into buying any more rubbish that funds certain programmers love of sickening blood-sports!

That's a nice stance to take about the company.

However have you taken the time to think about the people who have not been paid this month, who have an uncertain future, especially those with families.

It's okay to joke about the companies future or lack of it, but before you start taking the piss think about those people.

Would you find it funny if people started bad mouthing you and laughing at you when you were in this Situation. I would be supprised if you did.

Everything that's being said is speculation by people who don't know whats happening. I was made redundant from infogrames 2 and a half years ago so i know what there going through, and i hope it gets sorted soon.

Turok 2 was truly a superb game, but as the 'flagship' franchise for Acclaim, perhaps they should have worried more about delivering subsequent sequels of a similar high quality, rather than over-hyped, poor quality, cash-ins?
As someone who was actually looking forward to the last Turok (I was stupid enough to shell out my £40 on the day of release) I was appalled by the singular lack of any kind of quality in this 'next gen' instalment of my favourite N64 classic!
When I took a very brief look at the 'making of' DVD and realised that they'd actually based the animal violence upon the filming of actual hunting/slaughter I felt doubly sickened!
Don't feel bad for Acclaim, feel glad that we wont be duped into buying any more rubbish that funds certain programmers love of sickening blood-sports!

NOTE: Reply to 'Exarkun'
The above message isn't 'taking the piss' and I dont see why I should feel sorry for a company whose demise is simply due to the fact that they stopped producing commercially viable products?
I'm sure I'm not the only buyer of 'Turok Evolution' who was left feeling 'ripped off' after a few seconds play?
And with the amount of negative publicity that 'fake' violence in Video Games generates, I think that to use development money to fund 'actual' violence against innocent animals to make the make the game 'more real' is absolutely sickening and completely outrageous.
FACT: Turok Evolution's total lack of quality certainly contributed to this situation, and had they produced a game of the quality of TUROK 2-Seeds of Evil, we almost certainly would not be having this discussion. It would certainly have provided some respite.
As for the question of 'Is it acceptable to commit real acts of violence to make a video game'?
I think anyone with any kind of decency would have to conclude NO NOT EVER!
So, do I feel sorry for a company that took my money and sold me a lousy product?
What do you think?
Do I feel sorry for the general 'staff' who lost their jobs because of the defective reasoning of their managment?
Yes, of course.
I hope the industry learns not to release poor quality rushed sequels with debatable morality underlying their development.

Being a Journalist myself, I'm appauled by your lack of judgment on this story.

Obviously you don't understand what Chatper 11 Bankrupcy means, or you wouldn't be going on about :
.

"The dissection of exactly how the firm fell from grace so conclusively will have to wait for another day."

Grow up children. First to post doesn't mean ignore the facts.

I could rant all day about the management at Acclaim but I won't. I'm more concerned with what's happening to the staff right now, most of the people at Manchester came from the old Creations which went pop 2.5 years ago when we were flung out the door with no pay, which isn't very funny when people have mortgages and kids.
As much as I dislike the company I sincerely hope that they manage to struggle on just for the sake of the guys there, who really don't deserve this Sh*t again.
Hope everybody has their escape route planned (I could do with a plumber, you know who you are...)

PS we were going to make make the new Turok at Manchester but the marketing dep canned it as they thought the image was too badly tarnished after Evolution. Shame really we thought we might have had quite a good go at that.

Well said. I do wonder if the Manchester studio was the only one to go without pay...and of course, if the fat-cat management, who brought all this on in the first place, also lost out.
Interesting that head office should remain operational. Evidence again of the life-blood of development getting sucked out by corporate vampires, especially when Manchester studio's staff were kept completely in the dark about this right up to kicking them out.

Ex Acclaim Manchester people dont bother going in on tuesday ive just heard through the grapevine that Baliffs have been in and closed the place down. Atari shutting the building down due to non rent being paid.

anybody have an idea what is happening to the Cheltenham studio? According to acclaims job website they have been hiring for the last month or so.

You can also send me a mail if you know what is happening at jankees77@hotmail.com