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SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549


FORM 10-K

 

(Mark One)

 

x   ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004

OR

¨   TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the transition period from           

Commission File Number 0-16986


ACCLAIM ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

(Exact name of the registrant as specified in its charter)

Delaware   38-2698904
(State or other jurisdiction of
incorporation or organization)
  (IRS Employer
Identification No.)
One Acclaim Plaza, Glen Cove, New York   11542
(Address of principal executive offices)   (Zip Code)

(516) 656-5000

(Registrant’s telephone number)


Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

None

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act:

Title of Each Class


 

Name of Each Exchange on

Which Registered


Common Stock, par value $0.02 per share

  Nasdaq Small-Cap Market

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.  Yes  x  No  ¨

 

Indicate by check mark if disclosure of delinquent filers pursuant to Item 405 of Regulation S-K is not contained herein, and will not be contained, to the best of registrant’s knowledge, in definitive proxy or information statements incorporated by reference in Part III of this Form 10-K or any amendment to this Form 10-K.  x

 

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an accelerated filer (as defined in Exchange Act Rule 12b-2).  Yes  x  No  ¨

 

On June 19, 2004, 129,573,500 shares of common stock of the registrant were issued and outstanding and the aggregate market value of voting common stock held by non-affiliates was $36,468,082.

 

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

 

Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement, to be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission within 120 days after the end of the fiscal year covered by this Form 10-K, with respect to the 2004 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This report consists of 114 sequentially numbered pages. The Exhibit Index is located at sequentially numbered page 107.


 


Table of Contents

ACCLAIM ENTERTAINMENT, INC.

 

2004 FORM 10-K ANNUAL REPORT

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

 

          Page No.

PART I    1
Item 1.    Business    1
Item 2.    Properties    22
Item 3.    Legal Proceedings    22
Item 4.    Submission of Matters to a Vote of Security Holders    23
PART II    24
Item 5.    Market for Registrant’s Common Equity and Related Stockholder Matters    24
Item 6.    Selected Financial Data    26
Item 7.   

Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

   27
Item 7A.    Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk    56
Item 8.    Financial Statements and Supplementary Data    57
Item 9.   

Changes in and Disagreements With Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

   106
Item 9A.    Controls and Procedures    106
PART III    106
Item 10.    Directors and Executive Officers of the Registrant    106
Item 11.    Executive Compensation    107
Item 12.    Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management    107
Item 13.    Certain Relationships and Related Transactions    107
Item 14.    Principal Accountant Fees and Services    107
PART IV    107
Item 15.    Exhibits, Financial Statement Schedules and Reports on Form 8-K    107
     Signatures    113

 

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As used in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, unless the context otherwise requires, all references to “we”, “us”, “our”, “Acclaim” or the “Company” refer to Acclaim Entertainment, Inc., and subsidiaries. The term “common stock” means our common stock, $.02 par value.

 

This Annual Report on Form 10-K, including Item 1 (“Business”) and Item 7 (“Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”), contains forward-looking statements about circumstances that have not yet occurred. All statements, trend analysis and other information contained below relating to markets, our products and trends in revenue, as well as other statements including words such as “anticipate”, “believe” or “expect” and statements in the future tense are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to business and economic risks, and actual events or our actual future results could differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements due to such risks and uncertainties. We will not necessarily update this information if any forward-looking statement later turns out to be inaccurate. Risks and uncertainties that may affect our future results and performance include, but are not limited to, those discussed under the heading “Factors Affecting Future Performance” included herein. Our website is located at www.acclaim.com. On our website, we make available, as soon as reasonably practicable after electronic filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to those reports. All of these reports are provided to the public free of charge.

 

PART I

 

Item   1.     Business

 

Overview

 

Acclaim Entertainment, Inc. was founded in 1987 as a Delaware corporation, and maintains operations in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain and Australia. We develop, publish, market and distribute, under our brand names, interactive entertainment software for a variety of hardware platforms, including Sony’s PlayStation® 2, Microsoft’s Xbox, and, on a more limited basis, Nintendo’s GameCube and Game Boy Advance and personal computer systems. We develop software internally, as well as engaging third parties to develop software on our behalf.

 

We internally develop our software products through our five software development studios located in the United States and the United Kingdom. Additionally, we contract with independent software developers to create software products for us.

 

Through our subsidiaries in North America, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, and Australia, we distribute our software products directly to retailers and other outlets, and we also utilize regional distributors outside those territories to distribute and market our software to many other territories throughout the world. As an additional aspect of our business, we distribute software products that have been developed by third parties. A less significant aspect of our business is the development and publication of strategy guides relating to our software products and the issuance of certain “special edition” comic magazines to support certain of our brands.

 

Since the Company’s inception, we have developed products for each generation of major gaming platforms, including IBM® Windows-based personal computers and compatibles, Sega Genesis, Super Nintendo Entertainment System®, Nintendo Game Boy®, Game Boy® Advance and Game Boy® Color, Sony PlayStation®, Nintendo® 64, Sega Dreamcast, Sony Playstation® 2, Microsoft Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube. We also initially developed software for the Nintendo Entertainment System and the Sega Master System.

 

Substantially all of our revenue is derived from one industry segment, the development, publication, marketing and distribution of interactive entertainment software. For information regarding our foreign and domestic operations, see Note 23 (Segment Information) of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein.

 

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We are required to file periodic reports, proxy and information statements and other information with the SEC. You may read any materials filed by us at the SEC’s public reference room at 450 Fifth Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. You may obtain information about the operation of the public reference room by calling the SEC at 1-800-SEC-0330. Our SEC filings are also available to the public on the SEC’s Internet website located at http://www.sec.gov.

 

Our Annual Report on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and Current Reports on Form 8-K may be found on our website at www.acclaim.com.

 

Recent Developments

 

On May 4, 2004 we entered into a Waiver and Amendment agreement (the “Amendment”) with our primary lender, GMAC Commercial Finance LLC (“GMAC”), under which GMAC has agreed to waive the Company’s financial covenant defaults under our GMAC Credit Agreement for the quarter ended March 31, 2004. In addition, GMAC agreed to provide an additional $3 million overadvance in the form of a supplemental discretionary loan. Pursuant to the Amendment, the GMAC Credit Agreement and related financing agreements were to terminate on June 20, 2004. On June 18, 2004, we entered into an Extension Agreement with GMAC which amended the Waiver and Amendment agreement signed by us and GMAC on May 4, 2004. Under the Extension Agreement, GMAC has agreed to extend the date upon which our banking agreement with GMAC will terminate, from June 20, 2004 to August 4, 2004.

 

On May 4, 2004, we entered into a letter of intent with a proposed new lender, for an asset-based credit facility, with an equity component, to replace the GMAC loan facility. We are working with the proposed new lender in order to implement the new facility which is subject to the execution of definitive documentation by both parties. Timely implementation of the new facility will be crucial to avoid severe interruption of our business. See Risk Factors; “Our Ability to Meet Cash Requirements and Maintain Necessary Liquidity Depends on Our Ability to Timely Transition our Credit Facility”.

 

Also in May 2004, we received notification from The Major League Baseball Player’s Association (MLBPA) that we were late in making certain royalty payments and our license was terminated and that if we did not make the payments in a timely fashion, as well as certain other remedies, that our license would not be reinstated. We have made all required payments to the MLBPA and are current with our payment obligations with certain MLB players, however we have not reached agreement with the MLBPA regarding the other requested remedies and MLBPA is considering the license terminated. We disagree with MLBPA’s interpretation of the license agreement provisions and have advised them as such. We are in continued discussions with MLBPA on this matter.

 

In April and May 2004, we received notification from Battleborne Entertainment, Inc. (“Battleborne”) that due to various contractual disputes between us and Battleborne regarding our development agreement with Battleborne relating to the development of the videogame entitled Combat Elite: WWII Paratroopers, they were terminating the development agreement. We disagree with their interpretations of the development agreement and demanded that Battleborne fulfill its contractual obligations under the development agreement. In June 2004, Battleborne brought an action in New York state Supreme Court, Nassau County, seeking a temporary restraining order enjoining the release of the title until the contractual disputes have been resolved. The TRO was granted and the matter was scheduled by the court for expedited discovery by both sides. We are also in continued discussions with Battleborne in an effort to resolve this matter amicably.

 

In June 2004, we received notification from Classic Media, Inc. (“Classic”), the licensor of the intellectual property Turok, that due to failure to make certain royalty payments relating to the videogame title Turok: Evolution that our license agreement with Classic was terminated. We are in discussions with Classic in an effort to resolve this matter amicably.

 

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On May 5, 2004 we announced that, as a result of our internal review of our financial reports for our fiscal year ended March 31, 2004 we discovered an accounting error which occurred during the 2001 fiscal year. In fiscal 2001, we incorrectly recorded a $9.5 million bank advance relating to a junior participation transaction between the Company, its primary lender and six junior participants (see note 15F). The error resulted in an understatement of debt and an overstatement of net earnings in fiscal 2001 by $9.5 million. The correction of the error resulted in a reduction of bonuses for fiscal 2001 that were based on pre-tax income by $0.6 million, which were repaid to us in June 2004. We also identified adjustments for reconciling items related to bank advances aggregating $0.4 million that were recorded in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2002 that should have been recorded in the third quarter of fiscal 2002. As a result of these accounting errors, we have restated, in this Form 10-K, our previously issued financial statements for the quarters ended June 2, 2001 and August 31, 2001 and the fiscal year ended August 31, 2001, balance sheets as of each quarter and fiscal year end from December 2, 2001 through December 28, 2003, statement of operations for the quarters ended June 2, 2002 and August 31, 2002 and statement of cash flows for the fiscal year ended August 31, 2002 and all the quarters within fiscal 2002. Please see Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations as well as Note 2 (Restatement) of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein.

 

Strategy

 

Our objective is to become a worldwide leader in the development, publication and distribution of quality interactive entertainment software products that deliver a highly compelling and satisfying consumer entertainment experience. Our strategy includes the following elements:

 

Create and Maintain Diversity in Product Mix, Platforms and Markets.    We are committed to maintaining a diversified mix of product offerings which mitigates our operating risks, and broadens our demographic market appeal. See “Risk Factors: We Depend on a Relatively Small Number of Franchises for a Significant Portion of Our Revenue and Profits.” Therefore, we strive to develop and publish games spanning a wide range of entertainment categories, including action, action adventure, extreme sports, sports and racing, which can be played on the current videogame systems, including Sony’s PlayStation® 2, Microsoft’s Xbox, Nintendo’s GameCube console systems and Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance hand held device as well as personal computers. We may design our software for use on multiple platforms, where economically justified, in order to reach a greater potential consumer base. Accordingly, there are a number of factors that we take into consideration in determining the appropriate gaming system for each of the titles we develop, including, amongst other things, the gaming system’s user demographics, the potential growth of the installed base of each game system and the competitive landscape at the time of a product’s release.

 

Create, Acquire and Maintain Strong Brands.    We attempt to focus our game developing and publishing activities principally on titles that are, or have the potential to become, franchise properties possessing sustainable consumer appeal and brand recognition. Such titles can serve as the basis for sequels, prequels and related new titles, which can be released over an extended period of time, similar to the film industry. We have entered into a number of strategic relationships with the owners of various forms of intellectual property, which have allowed us to acquire the rights to publish games and create franchises based upon such intellectual properties. See “Risk Factors: Our Future Success Depends on Our Ability to Release Popular Products.”

 

Product Selection and Development Processes.    The success of our publishing business depends, in significant part, on our ability to develop games that will generate high unit volume sales while simultaneously meeting our quality standards. Our publishing units use a formal control process (The Greenlight Process) for the selection, development, production and quality assurance of our products. We apply this process to products under development with external, as well as internal, resources. This Greenlight Process includes upfront concept evaluation as well as in-depth reviews of each project at numerous intervals during the development process by a team that includes senior management and a number of operating managers from our brand management, sales, marketing, and product development areas.

 

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In-house Development Group.    We have an in-house development staff, both domestically and internationally, who work in teams to create our software. We are striving to provide our creative teams the independence and flexibility they need to build an environment that fosters creativity and teamwork. Employing in-house development teams provides us with the following advantages:

 

    They collaborate with each other sharing development techniques, software tools, game engines and useful experience, to form a strong collective and creative environment;

 

    They can re-focus their efforts quickly to meet the changing needs of key projects;

 

    They have more control over product quality, scheduling and costs; and

 

    They are not subject to the competing needs of other publishers.

 

Historically, we have developed our titles using a strategic combination of our internal development group and external development resources. We select our external developers based on their track record and expertise in producing titles within certain categories. As part of that strategy, one external developer will often produce the same game for multiple platforms and will produce sequels to the original game. This selection process allows us to strengthen and leverage the particular expertise of our internal and external development resources.

 

Software Development

 

During the year ended March 31, 2004, approximately 38% of our gross revenue was derived from software developed at our internal studios. The balance of our gross revenue for the year ended March 31, 2004 was derived from software developed by third-party developers. Through the first six months of fiscal 2005, we estimate that the majority of our revenue will be derived from software developed in our own studios, through the release of our titles Alias, All Star Baseball, Legends of Wrestling: Showdown, The Red Star and 100 Bullets.

 

The development time for a title on both the dedicated game platforms and personal computers is between twelve and thirty-six months and the average development cost for a title ranges from $2 million to $8 million. The development time for Game Boy Advance is between six and nine months and the average development cost for a title ranges from $200,000 to $400,000. Gross margin percentages for cartridge based Game Boy® Advance software are significantly lower than the gross margin percentages for disc-based software and the manufacturing time is significantly longer than that associated with disc-based software. The manufacturing lead time for disc-based software is approximately one to three weeks from the placement of an order, as opposed to four to six weeks for cartridge based software.

 

Our product development methodology and organization are modeled on elements of the consumer packaged goods and software industry. Brand managers assess the market and establish the direction for each brand. Producers manage and monitor the quality, delivery schedule, development milestones, and budget for each title, to ensure that the title follows the approved product specifications, and coordinate the testing and final approval of the title.

 

Additionally, we test all software, whether developed by our internal studios or by third-party developers, for bugs prior to the title’s manufacture. The software is also tested for bugs by the hardware manufacturers. The software titles for personal computers are also tested for bugs both internally and by independent testing organizations. To date, we have not had to recall any of our software due to bugs.

 

Products

 

We utilize a brand structure and market our titles under distinct key brands including Acclaim and Acclaim Sports. We support this strategy through the regularly scheduled introduction of new titles featuring these brands. In the twelve months ended March 31, 2004, we released a total of 47 titles for PlayStation 2, Xbox, GameCube, Game Boy Advance and personal computers. Through the first six months of fiscal 2005, we currently plan on

 

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releasing a total of approximately 20 titles for PlayStation 2, Xbox and personal computers. In fiscal 2004, we released 13 titles for PlayStation 2, 14 titles for Xbox, 9 titles for Gamecube, 5 titles for Nintendo Game Boy and 6 titles for PC. See “Risk Factors: Our Future Success Depends on our Ability to Release Popular Products”.

 

The average life cycle of a new software title is largely dependent on its initial success and will generally range from three months to upwards of twelve to eighteen months, with the majority of sales of the game occurring in the first thirty to one hundred and twenty days after the games release. Therefore, we are constantly required to introduce new titles in order to generate revenue and/or replace declining revenue from older titles.

 

Our titles incorporate a variety of exclusive and non-exclusive licenses, including:

 

    Professional sports—Major League Baseball, Major League Baseball Players Association (see Recent Developments) and The National Basketball Association;

 

    Television and film—Alias;

 

    Sports personalities—Derek Jeter and Hulk Hogan;

 

    Extreme sports personalities—Dave Mirra;

 

    Racing—Juiced, Speed Kings and XGRA; and

 

    Comic books—100 Bullets, The Red Star, Turok and Shadowman.

 

Some of the agreements granting us the rights to use these brands are restricted to individual properties, while some of the agreements cover a series of properties or grant rights to create software based on or featuring particular licenses over a period of time. See “Risk Factors: Inability to Procure Commercially Valuable Intellectual Property Licenses May Prevent Product Releases or Result in Reduced Product Sales” and Note 3 (License Agreements) to the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein.

 

The following table shows the number of software titles we released in the years indicated across the various game platforms:

 

   

Fiscal Year
Ended
March 31,
2004


 

Twelve

Months Ended
March 31,
2003


  Seven Months Ended

  Fiscal Years Ended

       
      March 31,
2003


  March 31,
2002


  August 31,
2002


  August 31,
2001


                (Unaudited)        

Microsoft Xbox

  14   10   6   2   6  

Nintendo GameCube

  9   13   8   8   13  

Sony PlayStation 2

  13   12   9   8   11   9

Sony PlayStation

            12

Sega Dreamcast

            5

Nintendo Game Boy

  5   11   4   4   11   6

PC

  6   1   1   1   1   3
   
 
 
 
 
 

Total

  47   47   28   23   42   35
   
 
 
 
 
 

 

Market

 

We do, and will continue to, develop and publish products for multiple hardware platforms, as this diversification is a key element of our business strategy. In the past, no hardware platform or video game system has achieved substantial long-term dominance in the interactive entertainment market, however, Sony Playstation 2 maintains the largest installed base of console systems. New entrants into the interactive entertainment and multimedia industries, such as cable and satellite television, telephone companies, and diversified media and entertainment companies, in addition to a proliferation of new technologies, such as online

 

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networks and the Internet, have increased the competition in our markets. See “Risk Factors: Industry Trends, Platforms Transitions and Technological Change May Adversely Affect Our Revenue and Profitability” and “Competition for Market Acceptance and Retail Shelf Space, Pricing Competition, and Competition with the Hardware Manufacturers Affects Our Revenue and Profitability.”

 

Platform License Agreements

 

We and various Sony computer entertainment companies (collectively, “Sony”) have entered into agreements pursuant to which we maintain a non-exclusive, non-transferable license to utilize the “Sony” name and its proprietary information and technology in order to develop and distribute software for PlayStation and PlayStation 2 in various territories throughout the world, including North America, Australia, Europe and Asia. We pay to Sony a royalty fee, plus the manufacturing cost, for each unit Sony manufactures for us. This payment is made upon the manufacture of the units. In March 2004, our agreements with Sony for PlayStation platforms renewed automatically and expire in March 2005. We do not expect any difficulties in renewing these licenses in the future. See “Risk Factors: If We are Unable to Obtain or Renew Licenses from Hardware Companies, We Will Not be Able to Release Software for Popular Systems.”

 

We and various Nintendo entertainment companies (collectively, “Nintendo”) have entered into agreements pursuant to which we maintain a non-exclusive, non-transferable license to utilize the “Nintendo” name and its proprietary information and technology in order to develop and distribute software for GameCube in North America and for Game Boy Advance in Australia, Europe, New Zealand and North America, Game Boy and Game Boy Color in various territories, including North America, Australia, Europe and New Zealand. For Game Boy Advanced software we pay Nintendo a fixed amount per unit, based in part, on memory capacity and chip configuration. This amount includes the cost of manufacturing, printing and packaging of the unit, as well as a royalty for the use of Nintendo’s name, proprietary information and technology. For GameCube software we pay Nintendo a fixed amount which includes the cost of manufacturing the disc and printing of the packaging of the unit, as well as a royalty for the use of Nintendo’s name, propriety information and technology. These fees and charges are subject to adjustment by Nintendo in its discretion. Our agreements with Nintendo expire at various times in 2004, and we do not expect any difficulties in renewing those licenses. See “Risk Factors: If We are Unable to Obtain or Renew Licenses from Hardware Companies, We Will Not be Able to Release Software for Popular Systems.”

 

Acclaim and Microsoft have entered into an agreement pursuant to which we have a non-exclusive, non-transferable license to design, develop and distribute software for the Xbox system. Territories where Xbox software may be distributed by us are determined on a title-by-title basis by Microsoft when the concept of the applicable software title is approved by Microsoft. We pay Microsoft a royalty fee for each unit of finished products manufactured on our behalf by third-party manufacturers approved by Microsoft. Our agreement with Microsoft expires in 2004 and renews automatically for 1 year terms. We do not expect any difficulties in renewing that license. See “Risk Factors: If We are Unable to Obtain or Renew Licenses from Hardware Companies, We Will Not be Able to Release Software for Popular Systems.”

 

We do not have the right to directly manufacture any CDs, DVDs or cartridges that contain our software for Sony’s PlayStation or PlayStation 2, or Nintendo’s GameCube, Game Boy Color or Game Boy Advance systems. We do have the right to manufacture CDs or DVDs for the Xbox system through subcontractors pre-approved by Microsoft. See “Risk Factors: If We are Unable to Obtain or Renew Licenses from Hardware Companies, We Will Not be Able to Release Software for Popular Systems.”

 

Pursuant to the agreements with the hardware manufacturers, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have the right to review and evaluate, under standards which vary for each hardware manufacturer, the content and playability of each title and the right to inspect and evaluate all art work, packaging and promotional materials used by us in connection with the software. We are responsible for resolving, at our own expense, any warranty or repair claims brought with respect to the software. To date, we have not experienced any material warranty claims.

 

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Under each of our platform license agreements, we bear the risk that the information and technology licensed from Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, and incorporated in the software may infringe the rights of third parties. Further, we must indemnify Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo with respect to, among other things, any claims for copyright or trademark infringement brought against them, as applicable, and arising from the development and distribution of the game programs incorporated in the software by us. To date, we have not received any material claims of infringement. See discussion below on “Patent, Trademark, Copyright and Product Protection.”

 

Marketing and Advertising

 

The target consumers for our titles vary due to the specific content of the title and the title’s rating from the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. The primary audience for these titles is generally comprised of males aged twelve to thirty-five. For PC titles our target audience is primarily males aged fifteen to thirty-five.

 

In developing a marketing strategy for a title, we seek story concepts and brands or franchises that we believe will appeal to the interests of the title’s target consumer. We strive to create marketing campaigns which are consistent with this strategy and which we believe will appeal to the targeted consumers for each of those titles. We market our software through:

 

    Television, radio, print, outdoor and Internet advertising;

 

    Our website (www.acclaim.com) and the Internet sites of others;

 

    Product sampling through demonstration software;

 

    Consumer contests and promotions;

 

    In-store promotions, displays and retailer assisted co-operative advertising;

 

    Publicity activities; and

 

    Trade shows.

 

In addition, we enter into cooperative advertising arrangements with certain of our customers, where our software is featured in the retailers own advertisements to its customers. Dealer displays and in-store merchandising are also used to increase consumer awareness of our products.

 

Online, Broadband and Wireless Technologies

 

We think that there will be opportunities for further exploitation of our intellectual properties through the Internet, online services, hand held and other wireless devices and dedicated Internet online game services, as the hardware platform technology evolves and becomes more accepted. We are actively exploring the establishment of online game playing opportunities for the Internet and wireless services as (1) a method for realizing additional revenue from our products and (2) an additional platform for our products. We also plan to develop online components which will support online play for certain of our existing franchises, as well as for new software titles currently being developed for the next generation platforms. As an example, we released an online version of All-Star Baseball 2005, Worms 3D, and intend to release an online version of ATV Quad Power Racing 3 and Juiced for one or more of the game platforms. As wireless and online technologies evolve, we think that a number of our intellectual properties may have the potential to be exploited through these mediums.

 

Manufacturing

 

We prepare a set of master program copies, documentation and packaging materials for our products for each respective hardware platform upon which the product is released. Except with respect to products for use on the Sony and Nintendo systems, our disc duplication, packaging, printing, manufacturing, warehousing, assembly and shipping are performed by third party subcontractors. In order to maintain protection over their hardware

 

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technologies, Sony and Nintendo generally specify or control the manufacturing of the finished products. We deliver the master materials to the licensor or its approved replicator, which then manufactures the finished goods and delivers them to us and/or our warehouse facility for distribution to our customers. At the time our product unit orders are filled by the manufacturer, we become responsible for the costs of manufacturing and the applicable per unit royalty on such units, even if the units do not ultimately sell. To date, we have not experienced any material difficulties or delays in the manufacture and assembly of our products or material returns due to product defects.

 

Production, Sales and Distribution

 

Pursuant to our agreements with Nintendo and Sony, each platform manufactures the CDs or DVDs embodying the software we have developed for its system. Pursuant to our agreement with Nintendo, we are required to open a letter of credit simultaneously with the placing of a purchase order for the software. Game Boy Advance software is delivered to us approximately four to six weeks after order placement. Disc-based software for the three platforms is manufactured and then delivered to our warehouse within seven to twenty one days after we place the order with the manufacturer. The timing is dependant on seasonality and whether it is an initial order or a re-order. See “Risk Factors: If We Are Unable to Obtain or Renew Licenses from Hardware Companies, We Will Not be Able to Release Software for Popular Systems.”

 

We manufacture, through subcontractors, all of our software titles for personal computers. Orders for PC software are generally filled within ten to twenty-one days after order placement. Reorders for such software are generally filled within ten days.

 

We distribute our software by tailoring our distribution methods to each geographic market. In North America, our software is sold directly by our sales force, complemented by a regional sales representative organization which receive commissions based on the net sales of each product sold. We maintain an in-house sales management team to supervise the regional sales representatives. These sales representatives also act as sales representatives for some of our competitors. One of the sales representative organizations marketing our software is owned by James Scoroposki, an officer, director and principal stockholder of Acclaim. See Note 22B (Related Party Transactions) in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein.

 

We market our software domestically, primarily to mass merchants, large retail toy store chains, and specialty stores. Our key domestic retail customers include Wal-Mart, Toys R Us, Best Buy, Electronics Boutique, GameStop, Target and Circuit City. We also distribute products through the rental market primarily to Blockbuster, Movie Gallery and Hollywood Video. Our sales to Wal-Mart accounted for approximately 7%, 6%, 10%, and 12% of our gross revenue for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2004, seven months ended March 31, 2003, fiscal 2002 and 2001, respectively. Sales to Toys R Us accounted for approximately 4%, 8%, 9%, and 11% of our gross revenue for the twelve months ended March 31, 2004, seven months ended March 31, 2003, fiscal 2002, and 2001, respectively. Our customers do not have any commitments to purchase our software.

 

Internationally, we administer the sales, marketing, and distribution activities of our European subsidiaries through a central management division, Acclaim Europe, based in London. For sales in other markets, we appoint regional distributors.

 

We generally are not contractually obligated to accept returns except for defective products, however, we grant price concessions to our customers who primarily are major retailers that control market access to the consumer, when those concessions are necessary to maintain our relationships with the retailers and access to their retail channel customers. If the consumers’ demand for a specific title falls below expectations or significantly declines below previous rates of sell-through, then, we generally will provide a price concession or credit to spur further sales by retailers to maintain the relationship. In circumstances when a price concession cannot be agreed upon, we generally will accept a product return. As the market for each generation of game consoles matures and as more titles become available, the risk of product price concessions and returns increases.

 

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We establish sales allowances at the time we record revenue for expected product price concessions and returns based primarily on (1) market acceptance of our products, (2) level of retail inventories, (3) seasonal factors, and (4) historical price concession and return rates. Management continually monitors and adjusts these allowances to take into account actual developments and sales results in the marketplace. There can be no assurance that actual price concessions will not exceed our established allowances and reserves. See “Risk Factors: If Price Concessions and Returns Exceed Allowances, We May Incur Losses” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations—Net Revenue”.

 

Our warranty policy is to provide the original purchaser with replacement or repair of defective software for a period of ninety days after sale. To date, we have not experienced significant warranty claims.

 

Intellectual Property Licenses

 

Some of our software titles are based upon brands or franchises that we have licensed from third parties, such as Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and their respective players’ associations and Disney Interactive. See Recent Developments. Typically, we are obligated to make certain non-refundable advance payments against royalties that may become due from the sales of the games, which embody such licensed rights. We can recoup these advance payments against royalty payments otherwise due in connection with future software sales. License agreements relating to these rights generally extend for a term of two to three years. These agreements are terminable upon the occurrence of a number of factors, including our material breach of the agreement, failure to pay amounts due to the licensor in a timely manner, bankruptcy or insolvency.

 

Some of these licenses are limited to specific territories and/or specific game platforms. Each license typically provides that the licensor retains the right to exploit the licensed property for all other purposes, including the right to license the property for use with other products and, in some cases, software for other game platforms. From time to time, licenses may not be renewed or may be terminated. See “Risk Factors: Inability to Procure Commercially Valuable Intellectual Property Licenses May Prevent Product Releases or Result in Reduced Product Sales”.

 

Patent, Trademark, Copyright and Product Protection

 

Each hardware manufacturer incorporates a security device in the software and in each of their respective hardware platforms. This is done in an effort to prevent unlicensed manufacture of software and infringement of the hardware manufacturers proprietary rights. Under our various license agreements with Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, we are obligated to obtain all available trademark, copyright and patent protection for the original work we develop and embody in, or use in conjunction with, the software we create. We are also required to display on game packaging materials the proper notice of such protection, as well as notice of the licensor’s intellectual property rights.

 

Each software title may embody a number of separately protected intellectual properties such as the trademark for the brand featured in the software, the software copyrights, the name and label trademarks, and the copyright for Sony’s, Microsoft’s and Nintendo’s proprietary technical information.

 

We have registered the “Acclaim” logo and name in the United States and in numerous foreign territories and we own the copyrights for many of our game programs. “Nintendo,” “Game Boy,” “Game Boy Color,” “GameCube,” “Game Boy Advance,” and “N64” are trademarks of Nintendo; “Sony,” “Sony Computer Entertainment,” “PlayStation,” and “PlayStation 2” are trademarks of Sony; “Microsoft” and “Xbox” are trademarks of Microsoft and “Sega,” “Saturn” and “Dreamcast” are trademarks of Sega. We do not own the trademarks, copyrights or patents covering the proprietary information and technology utilized in the game systems marketed by Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo. Additionally, in certain instances, we do not own the trademarks, copyrights or patents for properties licensed from third parties, or the brands, concepts or game programs featured in and comprising the software. Accordingly, we must rely on the trademarks, copyrights and

 

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patents of these third-party licensors for protection from infringement of such intellectual property. Under our license agreements with certain independent software developers, we may bear the risk of claims of infringement brought by third parties and arising from the sale of our software.

 

Competition

 

The interactive entertainment software business is highly competitive. It is characterized by the continuous introduction of new titles and the development of new technologies. Our competitors vary in size from very small companies with limited resources to very large corporations with greater financial, marketing and product development resources than ours. The availability of significant financial resources has become a major competitive factor in the interactive entertainment software industry, primarily as a result of the costs associated with the development and marketing of game software. See Risk Factors: Competition for Market Acceptance and Retail Shelf Space, Pricing Competition, and Competition With the Hardware Manufacturers Affects Our Revenue and Profitability”.

 

We compete with Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo, which each publish software for their respective hardware platforms. We also compete with numerous companies which are, like us, licensed by the platform manufacturers to develop software products for use on their systems. These competitors include Activision, Capcom, Eidos, Electronic Arts, Atari, Konami, Lucas Arts, Midway, Namco, Sega, Take-Two Interactive, THQ and Ubi Soft, among others. We also face additional competition from the entry of new companies, including large diversified entertainment companies such as Disney Interactive and Fox Interactive, into our market.

 

Data derived from the Toy Retail Sales Tracking Service (“TRSTS”) indicates that, for calendar 2003, our market share of software sold for PlayStation 2 was 1.6%, for Xbox was 1.9%, for GameCube was 2.2% and for PCs was 0.8%. For calendar 2002, our market share of software sold for PlayStation 2 was 3.1%, for Xbox was 2.6%, for GameCube was 4.4% and for Game Boy Advance was 1.6%. The market for software for PCs is fragmented and we have a small share of that market.

 

Competition in the interactive entertainment software industry is based primarily upon:

 

    Availability of significant financial resources;

 

    The quality of titles;

 

    Reviews received for a title from independent reviewers who publish reviews in magazines, websites, newspapers and other industry publications;

 

    Publisher’s access to retail shelf space;

 

    The success of the game console for which the title is written;

 

    The price of each title;

 

    The number of titles then available for the system for which each title is published; and

 

    The marketing campaign supporting a title at launch and through its life.

 

We rely upon our product quality, marketing and sales abilities, proprietary technology and product development capability, the depth of our worldwide retail distribution channels and management experience to compete in the interactive entertainment industry. See Risk Factors: Competition for Market Acceptance and Retail Shelf Space, Pricing Competition, and Competition With the Hardware Manufacturers, Affects Our Revenue and Profitability.

 

Comic Book and Other Publishing

 

Our subsidiary, Acclaim Comics, publishes strategy guides relating to our software products and “special issue” comic books. We have not derived significant revenue and profit from the sale of Acclaim Comics’

 

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products. Although we intend to continue releasing software for multiple platforms based on characters licensed or created by Acclaim Comics, as well as strategy guides relating to our software and, at times, “special issue” comic books, as a result of our exiting the comic book publishing business in fiscal 2000, future revenue derived by Acclaim Comics will primarily depend on: (1) the licensing and merchandising of certain characters in interactive entertainment and other media, such as motion pictures or television, (2) the use of those characters in our software, and (3) the publication and sale of software strategy guides and “special issue” comic books.

 

Seasonality

 

Our business is highly seasonal. We typically experience our highest revenue and profit in the calendar year-end holiday season, our third fiscal quarter, and a seasonal low in revenue and profits in our first fiscal quarter.

 

Employees

 

On March 31, 2004 we had 585 employees. We believe that our relationship with our employees is good. None of our employees are subject to a collective bargaining agreement, and we have not experienced any labor-related work stoppages.

 

Financial Information about Foreign and Domestic Operations and Export Sales

 

See Item 7 “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and Note 23 (Segment Information) of the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements included herein.

 

Directors and Executive Officers

 

The following table sets forth information regarding our Board of Directors and executive officers:

 

Name


  

Position


   Age

Gregory E. Fischbach

   Co-Chairman of the Board    62

James Scoroposki

  

Co-Chairman of the Board, Senior Executive Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer

   55

Rodney Cousens

   Global President and Chief Executive Officer    53

Kenneth L. Coleman

   Director    61

Bernard Fischbach

   Director    58

Michael Tannen

   Director    63

Robert Groman

   Director    61

James Scibelli

   Director    53

Gerard F. Agoglia

   Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer    53

 

Gregory E. Fischbach, a founder of our Company, served as our President from our formation until October 1996 and then again from January 1999 through December 2001. Mr. Fischbach also served as our Chief Executive Officer from our formation through June 1, 2003. Mr. Fischbach has been a member of our Board of Directors since 1987 and our Co-Chairman of our Board of Directors since March 1989. Mr. Fischbach remains as Co-Chairman of our Board of Directors.

 

James Scoroposki, a founder of our Company, has been our Senior Executive Vice President since December 1993, a member of our Board of Directors since 1987, Co-Chairman of our Board of Directors since March 1989 and our Secretary and Treasurer since our formation. Mr. Scoroposki was also our Chief Financial Officer from April 1988 to May 1990, Executive Vice President from our formation to November 1993 and acting Chief Financial and Accounting Officer from November 1997 to August 1999. Since December 1979, he has also been the President and sole shareholder of Jaymar Marketing Inc., a sales representative organization.

 

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Rodney Cousens was appointed our President and Chief Executive Officer in May of 2003. Prior to that time, Mr. Cousens has held positions within the Company of Chief Operating Officer and President of the Company since January of 2003, President and Chief Operating Officer—International of Acclaim Europe, since October 1996. Additionally, from June 1994 to October 1996, Mr. Cousens held the position of President of Acclaim Europe, and from March 1991 to June 1994, Mr. Cousens held the position of Vice President of Acclaim Europe. Mr. Cousens first became an executive officer of the Company in August 1998.

 

Kenneth L. Coleman has been a member of the Board of Directors since July 1997. Mr. Coleman was Executive Vice President of Global Sales, Service and Marketing for Silicon Graphics, Inc. (SGI), a $2.3 billion computer systems company. In his 14-year career at SGI, Mr. Coleman held several senior management positions including Senior Vice President of Global Services and Senior Vice President of Administration and Business Development. Since 2002, Mr. Coleman was the founder of ITM Software and serves as its Chairman and CEO. Since January 1998, Mr. Coleman has served as a director of MIPS Technologies, Inc., a licensor of microprocessor architecture, in Mountain View, California. Since 2001, he has served as a director of United Online, Inc. a provider of value-priced Internet access through its NetZero, Juno and BlueLight Internet consumer brands, in Westlake Village, California. Since 2003, he served as a director of City National Bank, which provides banking, trust and investment services in Southern California, the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City.

 

Bernard J. Fischbach has been a member of our Board of Directors since 1987 and has, for more than the preceding five years, been a partner in the law firm of Fischbach, Perlstein & Lieberman LLP (and its predecessor firms) in Los Angeles, California.

 

Robert H. Groman has been a member of our Board of Directors since 1989 and has, for more than the preceding five years, been a partner in the law firm of Groman, Ross & Tisman, P.C. (and its predecessor firms) in Long Island, New York.

 

James Scibelli has been a member of our Board of Directors since 1993 and has, since March 1986, served as president of Roberts & Green, Inc., a New York financial consulting firm offering a variety of financial and investment consulting services. Mr. Scibelli is also a member of RG Securities LLC, a licensed broker-dealer in New York.

 

Michael Tannen has been a member of our Board of Directors since 1989 and has, for more than the preceding five years been the Managing Partner of Tannen Media Investment Fund LLC, an investment company specializing in early stage investments in media, entertainment and telecommunications companies. Acting on his own and through Tannen Media Ventures, Inc., a media investment company, he has been a business advisor, consultant and producer representing various media companies.

 

Gerard F. Agoglia became an executive officer of Acclaim in August 2000, when he joined Acclaim as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. Formerly, Mr. Agoglia was Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer of Lantis Eyewear Corporation, responsible for strategic initiatives including several successful acquisitions. Prior to such time, Mr. Agoglia served as Corporate Controller of Calvin Klein, Inc. Mr. Agoglia has over 20 years of corporate financial management experience in the apparel and accessories industries. Mr. Agoglia is a Certified Public Accountant and has a Masters of Business Administration degree.

 

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FACTORS AFFECTING FUTURE PERFORMANCE

 

Our future operating results depend upon many factors and are subject to various risks and uncertainties. The known material risks and uncertainties which may cause our operating results to vary from anticipated results or which may negatively affect our operating results and profitability are as follows:

 

Our Ability to Meet Cash Requirements and Maintain Necessary Liquidity Depends on Our Ability to Timely Transition Our Credit Facility.

 

Our short-term liquidity has been supplemented with borrowings under our North American and International credit facilities with GMAC, our primary lender. As of March 31, 2004, GMAC had advanced to us a supplemental discretionary loan of $2.0 million which we repaid in full as of April 8, 2004. As of March 31, 2004, we received waivers from GMAC with respect to those financial covenants contained in the credit agreement for which we were not in compliance.

 

On May 4, 2004, GMAC and we amended our North American credit agreement to allow for a supplemental discretionary loan of $3.0 million and the termination of the North American and International credit agreements on June 20, 2004. On June 18, 2004, we entered into an Extension Agreement with GMAC which amended the Waiver and Amendment agreement signed by us and GMAC on May 4, 2004. Under the Extension Agreement, GMAC has agreed to extend the date upon which our banking agreement with GMAC will terminate, from June 20, 2004 to August 4, 2004. Additionally, on May 4, 2004, we entered into a letter of intent with a proposed new lender, for a $30.0 million asset-based credit facility, with an equity component, to replace the credit agreement with GMAC. We are currently working with the proposed new lender in order to implement timely the new credit facility which is subject to the execution of definitive documentation by both parties; however, there is no assurance that the new credit facility or any other facility will be consummated. Failure to obtain a new facility would materially adversely affect our operations and liquidity and we could be forced to cease operations or seek bankruptcy protection.

 

Our Ability to Maintain Necessary Liquidity Rests in Part on Our Ability to Achieve Our Projected Revenue Levels, Continue to Derive Benefit from Reduced Operating Expenses, and to Sustain Cooperation from Key Suppliers and Vendors.

 

During fiscal 2003, to enhance our short-term liquidity, we implemented targeted expense reductions through a business restructuring. In connection with the restructuring, we reduced our fixed and variable expenses, closed our Salt Lake City, Utah software development studio, redeployed various company assets, eliminated certain marginal software titles under development, reduced our staff and staff related expenses and lowered our overall marketing expenditures.

 

In February 2004, we completed the sale of our 9% senior convertible subordinated notes from which we raised gross proceeds of $15 million. In September and October 2003, we completed the sale of our 16% convertible subordinated n