The Earthworm Jim franchise is coming back from the dead. Four games starring the cartoonish earthworm were released in the 1990s, but if you don’t count HD remakes, it’s been two decades since a new title was added.
Now the original team behind Earthworm Jim is back together and working on a new title.
The only catch? You won’t be able to play it on a PC, PlayStation, Xbox, or Switch. It’ll be an Intellivision Amico exclusive.
Wait… a what?
The Intellivision Amico is a new game console expected to hit the streets in late 2020 for a price somewhere between $150 and $180.
First unannounced last year, the new console is an unusual take on the retro gaming craze. While Nintendo, Sony, Sega, and SNK are all releasing cheap, tiny replicas of their classic game systems with a bundle of games pre-loaded, the Amico comes from a startup that now owns the rights to the Intellivision name. And while you’ll be able to play some classic games on the system, the developers have also promised to offer new titles and updated versions of classics.
We knew that there would be new versions of Lode Runner, Pong, and ToeJam and Earl. Now it looks like we can add a brand new Earthworm Jim game to the list.
Games are expected to sell for between $3 and $8, be family-friendly, and… lack 3D graphics. The Intellivision Amico is a 2D-only console, which makes platformers like Earthworm Jim a good fit.
The game system isn’t all retro. It’ll have an HDMI port so it works with modern TVs, WiFi for downloading games and viewing leaderboards, and Bluetooth game controllers with built-in touchscreens, speakers, vibration motors, and microphones.
As for the new Earthworm Jim game, there aren’t many details about it yet. But the character’s creator, Doug TenNapel, has been posting some older concept designs on Instagram in recent days, and Intellivision plans to live stream an event on May 4th, where TenNapel will hold an initial meeting with the original team members to start planning for the new game.
You’ll be able to follow along on YouTube, Facebook Live, and Twitch starting at 12:00PM PST/3:00PM EST on May 4th, 2019.