'Earthworm Jim' to return after nine years

First appearing in 1994 for the Sega Mega Drive, heroic gaming mascot Earthworm Jim is to make a return to the games world after a nine-year sabbatical.

The character, which was developed by Shiny Entertainment and its founder Dave Perry, became an international success thanks to its bizarre humour and versatility as a gaming icon, spawning an animated TV series and a comic in both the UK and US.

Now publisher Interplay has announced it is moving back into development, creating a sequel to Earthworm Jim, as well as sequels to Dark Alliance, Descent and MDK.

The company, which is funding development of the games after selling its acclaimed Fallout licence for $5.75m dollars, is also planning to develop a massively multiplayer game based on the Fallout brand.

"2007 set the foundation for our growth strategy," said Interplay's CEO Herve Caen.

"Going forward, we have the vision, unique intellectual property, and low debt and operational costs to help us pursue financing for our various projects."

A Portable PlayStation version of Earthworm Jim was planned for release last year, but technical problems saw the project being cancelled.