Topic: Gameloft and Interplay Announces Earthworm Jim for WiiWare

[Flames_of_chaos]

Earthworm Jim gets a WiiWare revival.
 http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=19817

 Gameloft has recently teamed up with Interplay to revive the classic franchise, Earthworm Jim, on WiiWare. Gameloft has signed a multi-year licensing agreement to develop, publish, and distribute the game. It is unknown if more than one game will be created from this agreement.    

Interplay originally launched the Earthworm Jim series in 1994. The Sega Genesis version of Earthworm Jim was http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/newsArt.cfm?artid=17083>released last year on Virtual Console.    

Gameloft plans to release an Earthworm Jim game on WiiWare in Q4 2009.    

  Gameloft and Interplay to Bring Earthworm Jim to Mobile Platforms and Downloadable Consoles    

The Game Wiggles its Way on to Xbox Live Arcade, WiiWare(TM), PlayStation(R)Network and Mobile Devices    

NEW YORK, August 17 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Gameloft, a leading developer and publisher of downloadable video games, today announced a multi-year licensing agreement with Interplay to develop, distribute and publish Earthworm Jim, a popular run and gun platform video game featuring an earthworm who dresses up in a Super Suit to fight evil. The game will make its way to mobile, WiiWare(TM), PlayStation Network, with an exclusive one month run on Xbox Live(R) Arcade.    

"We are delighted to partner with Interplay to bring Earthworm Jim to multiple downloadable platforms," said Gonzague de Vallois, senior vice president, Gameloft. "The game, with its humorous and edgy style, is a great fit for today's gamer who craves a fully immersive experience that is fun and easily accessible. We look forward to delivering a fantastic game."    

"Earthworm Jim resonates with millions of people worldwide and we are excited to have one of the best developers in the industry create this game for a new audience," said Herve Caen, CEO, Interplay. "Gameloft's creativity coupled with its innate knack for innovative games, makes us 100% confident that the result will be nothing short of stellar."    

Initially released in 1994, Earthworm Jim's games garnered such a cult following that the character's popularity took him far beyond video games into an animated TV series, Toys and Comic books. Earthworm Jim centers around an ordinary earthworm who engages in normal worm activities- eating dirt, crawling and fleeing from hungry birds- that is until he comes across a high tech indestructible space suit. Jim takes refuge in the space suit while fleeing from hungry birds. The suit's powerful atomic particles cause him to grow and obtain newfound powers.    

The game will be available in the last quarter of 2009. For the latest information on the game, follow Gameloft on our Twitter feed: http://www.twitter.com/Gameloft

[Halbred]

So this will be a brand-new game? That's exciting, because the first two EJ titles were great, though I'm still too lazy (and broke) to buy the first game on VC.

As long as it's not 3D, I'm okay with it.

[EasyCure]

Wow this is exciting!

As long as it's not 3D, I'm okay with it.

[Ian Sane]

My friend is an Earthworm Jim nut.  He has versions of the game for consoles he doesn't even own.  He will buy this... even if it isn't very good.  And then he'll pretend he likes it for about a year until finally admitting the game sucks (see Earthworm Jim 3D).

I'm iffy about this.  The first two games are very good.  However the third game sucked and the recent GBA port was supposed to be shoddy.  I wonder if the third game was crap because it was 3D or because Shiny didn't develop it.  With the recent releases clearly showing a slack attitude towards quality and the original developers not being involved does it make sense to assume good things?

My friend will be thrilled though and he'll buy it no matter what so I guess I should just let him be excited if he wants to be.

[TJ Spyke]

Considering Shiny Entertainment's resume the last few years (Enter the Matrix anyone?), would you WANT Shiny to develop it?

[Mop it up]

I didn't even know Interplay was still around.

I don't think Earthworm Jim 3D is terrible by any means. Well, the camera is, but the control is tight and responsive which was something that was lacking from quite a few platformers on the Nintendo 64 (Space Station Silicon Valley for one).

[GoldenPhoenix]

I'll wait and see. Bringing bad old franchises doesn't always work.