The age of the mascot platformer is long dead in the video game world, with only its few greatest champions still enjoying any public recognition. One of the most tragically unlucky figures in this iconic genre is finally getting a new day in the sun, in the form of an irreverent animated comedy series.
Announced out of nowhere with a fun animated trailer only a few days ago, Interplay Studios is developing a brand new Earthworm Jim cartoon, tentatively subtitled Beyond the Groovy. Little is yet known, Interplay's TV division is newly formed, but could lead to a number of interesting projects in the future.
Earthworm Jim began life in 1994, created by Doug TenNapel as a collaboration between now-defunct developer Shiny Entertainment and now-defunct toy company Playmates Toys. The game was a sidescrolling platform shooter with an anarchic presentation and a hard edge of satire. Shiny spent most of its existence developing tie-in platformers like 7-Up's Cool Spot, so Earthworm Jim was a deliberate send-up of the genre. The game was well received and led to a more refined sequel, but before the release of the third entry in the series, Shiny was purchased by Interplay Entertainment. Earthworm Jim 3D was developed by a different team and pushed into a fully different 3D gameplay style, which resulted in years of development hell, poor sales, and abysmal reviews. Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy, the fourth and thus-far last game in the franchise was also developed by a totally different team and not particularly well-liked. But after two hits and two flops, the long-suffering history of Earthworm Jim had barely begun.
22 years have passed without a new game in this franchise, though not for lack of trying. Remasters and rereleases have seen the light of day, but fans awaiting a sequel have been on an emotional rollercoaster for years. A new game in the franchise was announced in 2006, reported near done by 2007, and firmly canceled later that year. This was part of the larger catastrophe in the game industry which resulted from the long slow death of Atari, who acquired and eventually sold off Shiny. At long last, in 2019, a new Earthworm Jim was announced by much of the original team behind the first two games. Alas, that ill-fated project was set to be an exclusive launch for Intellivision Amico, a console that has been pushed back time and time again, most recently in August with no announced release date. The light in the darkness for this franchise finally came, in the form of the recently dropped animated trailer.
Earthworm Jim also had a cartoon series in his heyday, running two seasons from 1995 to 1996. The series saw Jim portrayed by Dan Castellaneta, and the show as a whole was created by TenNapel. This show is fondly remembered, contributing in large part to the character's enduring popularity, even through the dark days of his later games and total silence. In fact, Jim's third and fourth games were at least partially inspired by the show's new additions to the series. The show, like the games, was notable for its sense of humor and satire of video game cartoons. Its meta style was new at the time, but the new series seems to have a more modern take on the idea.
Who has Interplay tapped to create this foray back into the animated world? The animation studio on deck is Passion Pictures. Passion has a wide variety of expertise, being in the production industry since 1987. They are credited with producing some of the modern era's greatest music videos; specifically multiple masterworks in collaboration with world-famous powerhouse Gorillaz. They are also well-known for their contributions to both seasons of Love, Death, and Robots. Their first season contribution, Zima Blue, was among the best-recieved shorts of the entire project. Passion is an extremely prolific studio that has clearly demonstrated mastery in many mediums, the new trailer shows off the fun new look for the series.
Earthworm Jim: Beyond the Groovy is set to be the first steps of Interplay's TV studio, but if all goes well, it may not be the last. Interplay is a messy studio, its story is one full of lawsuits, sold IP, and constant duels to the death with competing studios. Its most popular games are largely scattered to other companies, acquired or sold off in a variety of unfortunate trades and transfers. Fallout was initially developed by Interplay, and many fans maintain that Bethesda ruined their beloved work. Baldur's Gate, too, is no longer Interplay's property and has continued to succeed elsewhere. Interplay has one award-winning smash hit to its name that could be its next target. Planescape: Torment, one of the best-loved RPGs in gaming history, was developed by Black Isle, a subsidiary of Interplay, and remains in their hands. If Interplay is able to continue TV production, this deep fantasy story could be on its way to the small screen next.
Earthworm Jim has undergone a long and hard journey to its current place, but fans may finally get the comeback they deserve. Though little is known now, anything could still come of Interplay's foray into TV.