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ACCLAIM ENTERTAINMENT, INC. RESPONDS TO CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING LAUNCH OF 'BMX XXX' FOR NEXT-GENERATION PLATFORMS

Company Believes Product is Being Held to Different Standard Than Similar Content in Other Entertainment Media, Including Movies and Television

 

GLEN COVE, NY, October 17, 2002 - Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. (NASDAQ.SC: AKLM) today responded to the widespread controversy surrounding the launch of its forthcoming mature rated release, BMX XXX.

 

"We believe that there is a general, unfair characterization of the interactive entertainment industry and as a result, our product is being held to an entirely different standard than other entertainment media with comparable content, including movies, television and radio," said Greg Fischbach, Co-Chairman and CEO of Acclaim.  "According to NPD's August report, more than 60 percent of all next-generation hardware owners are men over the age of 18, and this combined with the fact that last year's number one selling game was mature rated, fully supports our belief in the demand for this type of content."

 

"While we acknowledge that we are setting new benchmarks with BMX XXX, we are disappointed that there are groups who fail to see how this humorous product is truly on par with such widely accepted mainstream entertainment experiences, including movies like American Pie, and TV shows like The Sopranos and Sex and the City," added Fischbach.  "As a leading publisher, we fully believe that consumers should have a right to choose their entertainment, and with that right comes the importance of responsible consumerism."

 

"This product was not designed for, nor is it being marketed to consumers under the age of 17, and we fully support the Electronic Software Rating Board and encourage consumers to utilize their rating systems to make educated purchases," concluded Fischbach.  

 

The first action sports video game designed specifically for today's mature gaming audience, BMX XXX features scripted jokes and events created by some of Hollywood's top comedic writers, more than 2,000 BMX tricks and an incredible in-game soundtrack featuring today's top artists. The product's official web site, www.bmxxxx.com, debuted a trailer, which has been downloaded more than 500,000 times since the beginning of the month.

 

 
 

BMX XXX™ will be available in November across all of the next-generation platforms at suggested retail prices to be determined.  For more information on BMX XXX™, please visit www.bmxxxx.com.  In addition, consumers can pre-order the game at www.ebgames.com or www.gamestop.com.

 

About AKA Acclaim

Action sports are about freedom of expression, authenticity and extreme athleticism, all of which are the cornerstones of the AKA Acclaim brand.  Products under the AKA Acclaim banner are designed to push the technological envelope and entertain action sports enthusiasts, while maintaining the authenticity and credibility of the sport and those who play them.  Titles under the AKA Acclaim brand include, Aggressive Inline, BMX XXX, Dave Mirra Freestyle BMX 3, ATV Quad Power Racing 2 and Supercross.

 

About Acclaim Entertainment

Based in Glen Cove, N.Y., Acclaim Entertainment, Inc., is a leading worldwide developer, publisher and mass marketer of software for use with interactive entertainment game consoles including those manufactured by Nintendo, Sony Computer Entertainment and Microsoft Corporation as well as personal computer hardware systems.  Acclaim owns and operates six studios located in the United States and the United Kingdom which includes a motion capture and recording studio in the U.S., and publishes and distributes its software through its subsidiaries in North America, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and Spain.  The Company uses regional distributors worldwide.  Acclaim also distributes entertainment software for other publishers worldwide, publishes software gaming strategy guides and issues "special edition" comic magazines from time to time to support its time valued brands, Turok and Shadow Man. Acclaim's corporate headquarters are in Glen Cove, New York and Acclaim's common stock is publicly traded on NASDAQ.SC under the symbol AKLM.  For more information please visit our website at www.acclaim.com.

 

The statements contained in this release which are not historical facts, are "forward-looking statements." Acclaim cautions readers of this press release that a number of important factors could cause Acclaim's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in any such forward- looking statements. These important factors, including, without limitation, the financial strength of the interactive entertainment industry, dependence on new product introductions and the ability to maintain the scheduling of such introductions, technological changes, dependence on major platform manufacturers and other factors that could affect Acclaim, are described in Acclaim's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2001, and Acclaim's subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, all of which were filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Readers of this press release are referred to such filings.

 

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