Following complex negotiations with Acclaim's receivers, backers Fund4Games has assembled the team to produce games for the current game of home formats and for the next wave of systems. The ex-members of Acclaim Manchester were previously working on a game called Interview With a Made Man before the publisher's untimely demise, and Fund4Games has managed to extradite the rights to the title and existing development hardware, and the team will now continue to develop the game under their new Silverback Studios guise for release in 2006.

With a storyline by best-selling author David Fisher, the game revolves around the rise of a determined and ambitious Mafioso. From the jungles of Vietnam to the mean streets of the Big Apple, the third-person epic offers a dramatic insight to the world of organised crime, and those that inhabit it. To ensure the realism of the setting, content and characters, Bill Bonnano, one-time head of the legendary Bonnano crime family, will be acting as advisor on the title.

Already over a year in production, SilverBack Studios are now negotiating a publishing deal for the game. The studio is also looking to expand its core development team to ensure the very best talent contributes to the progression of Interview With a Made Man, and is already developing plans for sequels to the game.

"The support SilverBack has been given has been phenomenal and we are very optimistic about the future," commented Jon Oldham. "At a time when so many Northern-based developers are going to the wall, it makes a welcome change that some of the most talented programmers and artists the region has to offer get a chance to showcase their talents again. With offices that once housed publishing legends such as Ocean and Acclaim, we have everything at our disposal to create a stunning mob game, and will be entering discussions for a publishing partner in the coming months."