10 Video Games That Killed Companies

10. BMX XXX - Acclaim

Acclaim wasn’t a company that was ‘acclaimed’ in any way form or manner.

Beginning in 1987 with the release of Tiger-Heli for the NES, Acclaim kept themselves just above water by releasing games that were just above acceptable.

Later in their life, however, Acclaim seemed to go mad with trying to stay in business. Their marketing became more and more ridiculous, to the point where it started to have a detrimental effect on the company.

This self-destruction reached fever pitch with the release of BMX XXX in 2002.

Dave Mirra’s Freestyle BMX was a series that was fairly popular, but when they pitched Mirra this softcore porn title he walked, leaving Acclaim to market it themselves. Nonetheless, Acclaim staked a lot on BMX XXX with a hefty marketing campaign, yet it was a huge flop mainly due to its adult themes and strip club footage that was far too extreme for a series that used to be family friendly.

Proving that sometimes sex doesn’t sell, it forced Acclaim into a downward spiral that they just couldn’t recover from, and they shut their doors in 2004 never to open again.