Hey! Remember Earthworm Jim? Some pretty damned good run-and-gun platformers starring an earthworm in a spaceship, it’s one of the best and most revered games in Interplay’s line-up of intellectual properties. Unfortunately for our favourite annelid his transition to 3D wasn’t very good – so he’s been relegated to the pile of failed mascot heroes from the 16 bit era.
Could he be coming back? Possibly. Earthworm Jim, along with a wealth of other properties owned by Interplay, is going up for sale. The company announced its intention to sell of over 70 of its IPs.
“Interplay has entertained millions of players with its well-recognized games, including Earthworm Jim, Freespace, Giants, Kingpin, Messiah, MDK, Run Like Hell, Sacrifice, Battlechess, Clayfighter, Dark Alliance, and Descent. As game creators, we are proud of the entertainment these properties have provided over the years.
With the proliferation of mobile, augmented reality, virtual reality and other new forms of consumption, we believe that consumers are ready to experience and interact with Interplay’s characters, stories and game play in ways never possible before. We look forward to seeing how this unique portfolio of interactive entertainment icons will evolve for the worldwide audience,” says Eric Caen, President of Interplay.
I think Interplay is just about dead. Of course, it’s not the first time the company has sold off a beloved property. Once upon a time, Interplay published the Fallout games, but sold that off to Bethesda in 2007, giving us Fallout 3.
Are there any Interplay games you’d love to see make a comeback?
Last Updated: September 8, 2016
Pariah ???
September 8, 2016 at 11:33
MDK, Giants, and that Descent game.
Original Heretic
September 8, 2016 at 11:40
MDK!!
Dutch Matrix
September 8, 2016 at 11:58
Meer Dom Koppe?
HvR
September 8, 2016 at 12:00
Original Heretic
September 8, 2016 at 12:23
Nee blerrie hel, daar’s al klaar te veel van hulle!
Ottokie
September 8, 2016 at 11:37
They should do a remake of the original but still keep it a platform runner.
kieker
September 8, 2016 at 11:41
Earthworm Jim, Kingpin, MDK and Sacrifice. yes please! these were some of my favourite games when growing up. I am sad that I missed some of the other games on this list, as I am sure that they were also very good 🙂
Original Heretic
September 8, 2016 at 11:44
Planescape: Torment. Damn, still one of the best stories I’ve ever experienced in a game.
Dungeon of JJ
September 8, 2016 at 11:50
MDK and Earthworm Jim.
MDK has the potential to be a great title.
And whatever you do, DON’T try to make Earthworm Jim 3D. There’s nothing wrong with keeping it 2D.
Dutch Matrix
September 8, 2016 at 11:50
…
Original Heretic
September 8, 2016 at 12:22
Death by snu snu?
Dungeon of JJ
September 8, 2016 at 12:23
LOL!
Dungeon of JJ
September 8, 2016 at 11:50
Glob, I hope EA doesn’t buy them. Then it’s one game of each, riddled with MTs and then it’s RIP.
Dutch Matrix
September 8, 2016 at 11:55
I dunno. Earthworm Jim in Mass Effect sounds kinda awesome…
Dungeon of JJ
September 8, 2016 at 11:55
Until Shepard tries to have sex with him too.
Dutch Matrix
September 8, 2016 at 11:56
“Show me your Earthworm, Jim…”
Dungeon of JJ
September 8, 2016 at 11:57
XD
HvR
September 8, 2016 at 11:57
with or without the suit?
Dungeon of JJ
September 8, 2016 at 11:59
You just had to go there! XD
HvR
September 8, 2016 at 12:22
*WHIP*
Cow Launched Achievement Unlocked
HvR
September 8, 2016 at 11:56
CONQUEST OF THE NEW WORLD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HvR
September 8, 2016 at 12:24
Dammit Quicksliver was the dev and owns the IP. Interplay only published
VampyreSquirrel
September 8, 2016 at 12:02
So many memories in one list of IPs… hope they get picked up by nice homes which will use the IPs to give us even more fond memories in the future.
Spathi
September 8, 2016 at 12:36
Wasn’t Lost Vikings also an Interplay title? Loved that game!
Viking Of Science
September 8, 2016 at 12:37
That one was owned by the Devs Silicone Synapses…. Or you might know them by their new-ish name: Blizzard.
RustedFaith
September 9, 2016 at 08:13
Yup was one of Blizzards first games.
Archdruid Kromas
September 8, 2016 at 13:00
GIANTS … more GIANTS!
Don’t they also own Armed and Dangerous?
Jonah Cash
September 8, 2016 at 17:01
Earth worm Jim on mobile would have been more than good enough and would have made serious money.
Khul
September 8, 2016 at 19:02
Stonekeep FTW !!!
miaau
September 9, 2016 at 07:27
Anyone else remember Freespace 2? A great Space sim, loved it. Like you in your little ship, carrier so big. SOOOOO big. Scale was well done, felt more real.
RustedFaith
September 9, 2016 at 08:16
One of the best Flight Sims ever, It also caught my eye. Hope a proper dev house picks it up.