Earthworm Jim (lost build of unreleased PlayStation Portable port of platformer; 2007)

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Earthworm-jim-psp.png

A fan's interpretation of the game's box art.

Status: Lost

Earthworm Jim was a 2D platformer released on the Sega Genesis/Mega Drive and Super Nintendo in 1994 developed by Shiny Entertainment. The game was an immediate success, spawning two sequels, a cartoon series, and various ports over the years. 1999 Saw the last entry in the series called Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy and had remained dormant for some time. video game developer Atari had picked up the rights to the Earthworm Jim series and wanted to remake the first game in the series for the PlayStation Portable. Due to lack of payments that were not being made, Earthworm Jims PlayStation Portable port was eventually scrapped.

Development

At E3 2006, Atari had announced that they had acquired the rights for Earthworm Jim and were planning to port the game to the PlayStation Portable.[1] By August of 2006, it was reported that the game was 80% complete and would be ready for an early 2007 release. This port of Earthworm Jim was being developed by Interplay. By this time, Interplay was facing financial trouble as they were also working on a Fallout MMO and had to pay royalties to Shiny Entertainment. Atari had noticed the financial troubles and tried to renegotiate the contract between Atari, Interplay, and Shiny Entertainment, but failed to strike a new deal on royalty payments. Due to failed renegotiations, Atari ultimately shelved the project by mid-2007.[2]

Gameplay

Released gameplay footage shows that the port was using 3D graphics, but with 2D gameplay. The port would have classic levels like "New Junk City", but also would have added new levels. One referred to as "The Birds and the Bees" would have seen Jim caught in a war between birds and bees. Earthworm Jim would have also allowed for players to collect different parts for powerups on Jim's suit. Also new was a crouch feature that would have allowed players to crawl into smaller places.[3][4]

Avalability

A test demo was never released for the PlayStation Portable port. As of 2020, none of the game's files, nor has a demo of the game resurfaced.

Gallery

Earthworm Jim PlayStation Portable port gameplay of New Junk City.

References