Earthworm Jim 4 is no longer in development and may never have been allowed to enter production, according to a new report. The present evidence suggests that those who made the game's announcement anticipated that it would go quietly unnoticed. Sadly for them, nothing escapes the earthworm's loyal fan base.
Earthworm Jim 4, which was initially announced by creator Doug TenNapel and Intellivision's CEO Tommy Tallarico following the unveil of the Amico, appears to have been doomed from the start to fail. In a Discord conversation, the authors explain why the game has been canceled and speculate that Intellivision may not have even owned the rights to make it.
Earthworm Jim 2 and other NES/SNES classics are now available for Nintendo Switch Online.
OutofcontextEarthwormJim states that the company was either warned away from developing the game without the legal rights to it, or simply canceled it when it became clear that it would never acquire those rights. The company's hopes of this being eliminated have been thrown under the rug, though.
TenNapel launched an Indiegogo campaign for Earthworm Jim: Launch the Cow, a graphic novel reboot for the series, which raised over one million dollars. The novel was released in 2019, and a sequel was also released on the platform.
Intellivision has postponed the release of the Amico console repeatedly in the years following. Fans and supporters are requesting refunds, though the company has stated that it will produce it one day. Regardless of whether the console will be released in the future or not, all we have to remember is that Earthworm Jim 4 is a concept teaser video showing Jim crossing a beach for 20 seconds.
The Earthworm Jim games are a series of platformers that follow Earthworm Jim as he navigates alien planets using his unique wormy abilities. The character is an earthworm in a robotic suit, and you can see some concepts that would continue to influence 3D platformers in future console generations. Almost nothing sparked excitement like the fourth game's announcement.