Accolade, Inc.

Accolade, Inc. was an American video game company founded in 1984 by former Atari developers Alan Miller and Bob Whitehead. It operated as both a developer and publisher, producing and distributing games for home computers and video game consoles. The company was particularly active in sports, racing, and action games, with notable series including HardBall!, Test Drive, and titles associated with Bubsy. Accolade commonly pursued multi-platform releases and combined internally developed products with licensed or externally developed software. The company attracted industry attention during the 1990s through software releases and intellectual-property disputes. Infogrames Entertainment acquired Accolade in the late 1990s, after which Accolade ceased to operate as an independent publisher. Its catalog and some of its franchises later became associated with the Infogrames and Atari corporate family. Today, Accolade is principally remembered as a historical video game brand and catalog.

Accolade was founded in the United States in 1984 by Alan Miller and Bob Whitehead, both of whom had previously worked on Atari-related video games. The company entered the competitive home-computer and console software market and combined development with publishing. Its early and subsequent releases covered sports, racing, and action genres, with HardBall! and Test Drive becoming its best-known series. Like many software companies of its era, Accolade supported multiple platforms and relied on retail distribution in North America and other markets. During the 1990s it continued releasing games and sequels, while also becoming involved in intellectual-property litigation with other game companies. As the industry became more concentrated and large publishers expanded through acquisitions, Infogrames Entertainment acquired Accolade in the late 1990s. Accolade subsequently ceased operating as an independent company, while parts of its catalog and franchise history became associated with the later Infogrames and Atari businesses.

• 1999

  Acquired by Infogrames

  [1]Accolade (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Infogrames Entertainment completed the acquisition of Accolade, after which the original company ceased to operate as an independent publisher.

• 1986

  Released Test Drive

  [3]Test Drive (1987 video game)en.wikipedia.org

  Accolade published the racing game Test Drive, forming a racing game series that continued to develop.

• 1985

  Released HardBall!

  [2]HardBall!en.wikipedia.org

  Accolade released the baseball video game HardBall!, which later became one of the company's representative products.

• 1984

  Company Founded

  [1]Accolade (company)en.wikipedia.org

  Alan Miller and Bob Whitehead founded Accolade in the United States, entering the home computer and home console software market.

Multi-platform video game developer and publisher for home computers and home consoles, with a focus on sports, racing, and action games.

• Sports video game · 1985

  HardBall!

  A baseball video game series published by Accolade for home computers and consoles, and one of the company's best-known sports properties.

• Racing video game · 1987

  Test Drive

  A racing game series published by Accolade, centered on driving high-performance road cars in road-racing environments.

• Action-platform video game · 1993

  Bubsy

  An action-platform game series centered on the anthropomorphic bobcat Bubsy, with Accolade involved in publishing and commercial operations.

• 1999

  Accepted Acquisition by InfogramesM&A

  Background

  In the late 1990s, the video game publishing industry gradually consolidated, with major publishers expanding their catalogs and market coverage through mergers and acquisitions.

  Action taken

  Accolade was acquired by Infogrames Entertainment.

  Aftermath

  Accolade subsequently ceased to operate as an independent company, and its catalog and related intellectual property entered the Infogrames system.

  Source

1. 1Accolade (company)en.wikipedia.org
2. 2HardBall!en.wikipedia.org
3. 3Test Drive (1987 video game)en.wikipedia.org