Freaking Groovy. Interplay is working on their glorious comeback, according to a release issued yesterday, in which they cite having sold away most of the rights to Fallout for a pantload of cash. Now, their in-house studio is back up and running, they’re hiring new talent, and their website is preparing to launch. The splash screen there, by the by, mirrors this part of the announcement:
…the company will leverage its portfolio of gaming properties by creating sequels to some of its most successful games, including Earthworm Jim, Dark Alliance, Descent, and MDK.
Jim! Kurt! We missed you, pals. Earthworm Jim and MDK are two favorites of mine, and I’m cautiously optimistic about seeing them back in action. On the other hand, in certain franchises–especially character-driven ones–making a game without the original designers on board can be a really bad idea, often times essentially destroying the characters altogether. I’m looking at you, Monkey Island 4, Post-Naughty Dog Crash Bandicoot, and Leisure Suit Larry: Magna Cum Laude. However, upon visiting the forums over at TenNapel.com, home of Doug TenNapel, Earthworm Jim’s creator, I found the following signs of hope from the man himself:
I just had lunch today with Interplay. Let’s just leave it at that. And forget about PSP…we’re talking about other stuff that might actually be worth caring about.
I don’t ever have lunch with Interplay unless it’s about Jim. Let’s put it that way.
Can it be…?
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