Acclaim Entertainment is officially back, and they've teamed up with web3 rewards platform Raijin for a $5,000 giveaway to mark their comeback. The Play Acclaim Showcase kicked off on September 10, with a packed lineup of indie titles and a rewards system powered by Raijin's fast-growing gaming network. The showcase ends on September 17, giving players around the world a full week to wishlist, watch trailers, and try out demos for a chance at real prizes.

Acclaim's Comeback Begins with a Showcase for Indies

The Play Acclaim Showcase is more than just a spotlight for indie titles. It's also the start of a new era for a company that was once one of the biggest names in gaming. This time, they're focusing on independent developers, offering support with publishing, marketing, and visibility. The showcase features 9 new games, each with its own flavor of action, creativity, or storytelling.

Some of the games include Katanaut, a dark sci-fi roguelite with slick swordplay and horror vibes, and Basketball Classics, a side-scrolling arcade throwback. There's also Pixel Washer, a peaceful power-washing sim with pixel art, and Tossdown, a delivery platformer with chaotic energy. Other titles include the rhythm-based GRIDbeat!, snowy sports action in HYPERyuki: Snowboard Syndicate, post-apocalyptic combat in Ground Zero Hero, narrative-driven myth in TALAKA, and the anxiety-drenched story of The Prisoning: Fletcher's Quest.

Each game is tied into the giveaway system, encouraging players to wishlist, watch trailers, and try demos to earn entries for real prizes.

Raijin has teamed up with Acclaim for a $5000 giveaway

Raijin Powers the Giveaway System

The giveaway is hosted on Raijin, a Steam-connected gaming platform that lets players earn rewards for doing what they already do: playing games. Built on the XAI network, Raijin gives out credits that can be used for gift cards and other prizes, but the system is smooth enough that most users won't even notice the blockchain side.

For the Play Acclaim Showcase, Raijin has integrated a set of missions that players can complete to join the $5,000 giveaway. With over 25,000 participants already locked in, the prize pool has hit Tier 5, meaning the full $5,000 has been unlocked.

The top 3 prize draws will reward 2,000, 800, and 500 credits respectively, with hundreds of smaller prizes scaling all the way down to 5 credits for the lower draws. Every entry is earned through Steam actions like wishlisting and playing the demo for Katanaut, which has its own play and earn setup for extra entries.

Raijin users are also rewarded for watching trailers for all 9 games, which nets 1 entry per trailer. Verification badges and activity levels add multipliers to boost your odds. That means the more engaged you are with the showcase, the better your chances of winning real rewards.

How the Wishlist System Works

Due to high demand, the wishlist limit for all titles has now been reached. To manage this surge in activity, new wishlisting windows have been added.

Players can only wishlist a game through Raijin once the timer ends. Wishlisting too early or through any other method will void the entry. The system helps handle the volume of traffic and ensures that every wishlist is counted properly toward giveaway entries.

Why This Partnership Matters

The Raijin–Acclaim partnership is making noise for a few reasons. First, it's a rare case of an old-school brand teaming up with a web3-native platform in a way that's player-first. Raijin doesn't require any crypto wallets or tokens, and the rewards come in familiar forms like Amazon or Steam gift cards.

Second, it shows how serious the new Acclaim is about supporting indie talent. Rather than focusing on massive IPs, they've built a showcase that highlights small studios, fresh ideas, and playable demos.

And third, the numbers behind Raijin are turning heads. As of last week, Raijin has delivered over 1 million Steam wishlists, helped 11 games hit the Steam front page, and onboarded more than 265,000 registered users. Nearly 600,000 demo installs have happened through the platform, with 52,000+ monthly active users and an 80% 30-day retention rate, a stat that speaks to just how sticky the platform is.

Over $1.39 million in prizes have already been awarded through Raijin, making it one of the most active reward platforms for PC gamers today.

How It Works for Players

To join the Play Acclaim Showcase, players just need a Steam account. From there, they can:

  1. Log in through Raijin
  2. Wishlist each of the 9 games (when allowed)
  3. Watch trailers for bonus entries
  4. Download and play the Katanaut demo for more entries
  5. Leave games on their wishlist or in their library until winners are drawn

The more actions you take, the more entries you earn. Upgrades like a Rare badge can double your entries, increasing your odds of hitting one of the top 200+ prize tiers. All entries are tied to your activity on Steam and verified through Raijin's platform, with live countdowns showing when each wishlist becomes active again.

A New Start for an Old Icon

The original Acclaim was founded in 1987 and became one of the biggest game publishers of the 1990s. The brand became known for bringing out hits like Mortal Kombat, NBA Jam, Turok, and Burnout, along with dozens of movie tie-in titles and sports games.

They also acquired well-known development studios like Iguana Entertainment and Probe Software, which helped them grow a strong in-house lineup. But things turned south in the early 2000s. After a string of poor sales and legal disputes, the company filed for bankruptcy in 2004, officially ending their run as a major publisher.

Fast forward to March 2025, and a team of industry veterans brought the brand back to life. The new Acclaim isn't trying to copy the old formula. Instead, they've repositioned as a support system for indie studios, offering tools to help smaller teams find an audience. That includes publishing, funding, distribution, and now partnerships like this one with Raijin.

Their first event, the Play Acclaim Showcase, is already showing what this new direction looks like. It's indie-first, rewards-focused, and built around getting attention on Steam.

What's Next

The giveaway continues through September 17, with winners to be drawn once the event wraps up. With over 25,000 players already taking part and the full $5,000 prize pool now unlocked, the event is picking up strong momentum. It marks a clear step forward for the new Acclaim and highlights Raijin's growing role in helping games reach players.