Throwback Entertainment

Throwback Entertainment is a Canadian video game publisher and developer based in Toronto, Ontario, founded in 2006 by Thomas Maduri and Robert Maduri. The company built its identity around the preservation and re-release of classic games, most significantly through the purchase of over 190 titles from the Acclaim Entertainment library in 2006, making it the steward of one of the more significant catalogs of licensed and original games from the 1990s and early 2000s.

The Acclaim Library Acquisition

Acclaim Entertainment was one of the major publishers of the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation era, responsible for the Turok series, Extreme-G, Vexx, Legends of Wrestling, All-Star Baseball, and dozens of other titles across licensed and original intellectual property. When Acclaim filed for bankruptcy in September 2004, its catalog became available. Throwback Entertainment acquired over 190 titles from that library in 2006, taking on the rights to properties including Iggy’s Reckin’ Balls, Extreme-G, Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance, Wizards and Warriors, Vexx, Re-Volt, and TrickStyle. The acquisition positioned the studio as a preservation-focused publisher for a generation of games that had otherwise fallen into commercial obscurity.

Re-Releases and Platform Updates

Throwback Entertainment has used the Acclaim catalog to bring classic titles back to modern platforms rather than simply sitting on the rights. In February 2011 the studio sold the Re-Volt franchise to WeGo Interactive Co., Ltd. in Seoul, which used the property to develop Re-Volt as an active mobile title. Gladiator: Sword of Vengeance was made available on Xbox One and Windows through the Microsoft Store on May 6, 2015, following a presentation at Microsoft’s IGNITE conference. TrickStyle, the futuristic hoverboard racing game originally released for Dreamcast and PC in 1999, was re-released in December 2015. The studio has also collaborated with other preservation-focused publishers, including discussions with Nightdive Studios around legacy titles.

Throwback Entertainment Beyond Games

Alongside its gaming catalog, Throwback Entertainment has launched ventures outside game development. Double Clutch, an automotive lifestyle site, launched in June 2012. Sportsgoer, an iPhone application combining professional sports schedule data, launched in February 2013. Both products reflect the company’s interest in digital entertainment beyond its core gaming library rather than a pivot away from games, with the Acclaim catalog remaining the studio’s defining asset.