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Accolade (game company)

Accolade, Inc.
Defunct
Industry Video game development and publishing
Fate Acquired
Successor Infogrames
Founded 1984; 33 years ago (1984)
Defunct 1999 (1999)
Headquarters San Jose, California, U.S.
Key people
Alan Miller and Bob Whitehead, founders
Products Star Control, Test Drive, Jack Nicklaus, HardBall!, Bubsy
Website [N/A]

Accolade, Inc. was an American video game developer and publisher of the 1980s and 1990s. Headquartered in San Jose, California, it was founded in 1984 by Alan Miller and Bob Whitehead after leaving another game developer and publisher they had founded, Activision.

According to legend, Miller and Whitehead named their company "Accolade" because it came before "Activision" alphabetically—implying that Accolade was superior to their previous company, as reportedly the name Activision was chosen as it came before Atari. Later, a new game development company, Acclaim, another company formed from ex-Activision employees, apparently formulated their name because it came before "Accolade."Absolute Entertainment, again, a third company formed from ex-Activision people, ended up being first with the 'first in the alphabet' race.

Accolade's revenues grew from $1.5 million in 1985 to $5 million in 1986. It developed for most 1980s-era home computers, including the Commodore 64, Atari 400 & 800, the Amiga, Apple II and the PC. Some of their first titles include Law of the West, Psi-5 Trading Company, The Dam Busters, Mean 18 Golf, Test Drive, and HardBall!. Test Drive and HardBall! went on to become two of Accolade's longest-running franchises.


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