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106-566: Shiny Entertainment, Inc. was an American video game developer based in Laguna Beach, California . Founded in October 1993 by David Perry , Shiny was the creator of video games such as Earthworm Jim , MDK and Enter the Matrix . Perry sold the company to Interplay Productions in 1995, which sold the studio to Infogrames, Inc. in 2002. After Foundation 9 Entertainment acquired Shiny in 2006,

212-409: A balloon , and the player must control Jim as he floats upward, avoiding touching sharp objects which cause him to fall back down to the start of the level. Yet another plays as an isometric shooter, with Jim again on his "pocket rocket", where a balloon with a bomb must be directed to the end of the level, and defended from enemies. The last level of the game is not a typical boss fight, but rather,

318-588: A database , Voice over IP , or add-in interface software; this is also known as middleware . Examples of this include SpeedTree and Havoc . Independents are software developers which are not owned by (or dependent on) a single publisher. Some of these developers self-publish their games, relying on the Internet and word of mouth for publicity. Without the large marketing budgets of mainstream publishers, their products may receive less recognition than those of larger publishers such as Sony, Microsoft or Nintendo. With

424-451: A robotic suit and battles the forces of evil. The series is noted for its platforming and shooting gameplay, surreal humor, and edgy art style. Four games were released in the series: Earthworm Jim , Earthworm Jim 2 , Earthworm Jim 3D , and Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy , with the first game released in 1994. The series had lain dormant for almost a decade before Gameloft remade

530-408: A run and gun game as well. The player controls Jim and must maneuver him through the level while avoiding obstacles and enemies. The player can use Jim's gun as a method of shooting enemies, or his head a whip for whipping enemies. The whip move also allows the player to grab hold of, and swing from, certain hooks in the game. Some levels have additional requirements beyond merely getting to the end of

636-452: A culture of "toxic geek masculinity" within the workplace. In addition, the conditions behind crunch time are far more discriminating towards women as this requires them to commit time exclusively to the company or to more personal activities like raising a family. These factors established conditions within some larger development studios where female developers have found themselves discriminated in workplace hiring and promotion, as well as

742-433: A downward trend for the series' popularity, being considered neither a critical nor commercial success, with many reviewers claiming the game was uninspired, mediocre, and unable to compete with many other similar, higher reviewed platform games at the time, such as Super Mario 64 , Rayman 2 , or Banjo-Kazooie . Earthworm Jim: Menace 2 the Galaxy was even more poorly-received, with reviewers claiming it had lost

848-571: A first-party company. As a balance to not being able to release their game for other platforms, second-party developers are usually offered higher royalty rates than third-party developers. These studios may have exclusive publishing agreements (or other business relationships) with the platform holder, but maintain independence so that upon completion or termination of their contracts, they are able to continue developing games for other publishers if they choose to. For example, while HAL Laboratory initially began developing games on personal computers like

954-410: A fixed period and generally work similar hours as full-time staff members, assisting across all areas of video game development, but as contractors, do not get any benefits such as paid time-off or health care from the employer; they also are typically not credited on games that they work on for this reason. The practice itself is legal and common in other engineering and technology areas, and generally it

1060-539: A game based on the Knight Rider TV series, but eventually settled on creating an original game. When the company was about to hire Doug TenNapel , an animator formerly of DreamWorks , TenNapel demonstrated his skills by creating a sketch for a game character that would later become Earthworm Jim . The character's abilities were worked out by Perry and TenNapel, and the surrounding game, also called Earthworm Jim , became Shiny's first development project. To help with

1166-403: A game on schedule. The complexity of workflow, reliance on third-party deliverables, and the intangibles of artistic and aesthetic demands in video game creation create difficulty in predicting milestones. The use of crunch time is also seen to be exploitative of the younger male-dominated workforce in video games, who have not had the time to establish a family and who were eager to advance within

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1272-406: A game's profits. Current examples of first-party studios include PlayStation Studios for Sony, and Xbox Game Studios for Microsoft Gaming . Second-party developer is a colloquial term often used by gaming enthusiasts and media to describe game studios that take development contracts from platform holders and develop games exclusive to that platform, i.e. a non-owned developer making games for

1378-461: A lengthy three-year development cycle lent itself to the occasional belief that the project was destined to become vaporware . Consequently, numerous problems and errors arose from this extended development cycle. One hurdle, early on, was the necessity to redesign the characters from side-scrolling 2D to free-roaming 3D, while the frame rate and animation were still causing issues with game development more than 70% complete. Error-wise, much of

1484-399: A level, such as an auto-aiming gun, or the "brick-wall" gun which takes out every enemy visible on the screen. Additionally, Jim's friend "Snot" travels with him, and can be used to stick and swing to other slimy green surfaces, or as a parachute, upon jumping. Other levels stray much farther from this formula. In the third level, "The Villi People", the player must guide Jim, defenseless in

1590-536: A machine gun, and by using his head as a whip. By August 2006, the game was reportedly 80% complete, and many video game journalists had hands-on playable builds of the game, such as GameSpot , GamesRadar , and IGN . It was scheduled for an early 2007 release. However, Atari quietly put the game "on hold" by mid-2007. The game was later reported as cancelled due to financial troubles. Financial problems at Atari caused it to sell off its internal development studios, including Shiny Entertainment, which it owned at

1696-640: A new game was announced as an exclusive release for the Intellivision Amico , stated then as to be developed by the original team from the 1990s; the game was announced to release as a launch title for the Amico in the 2020s. In early 2023, video game website Time Extension reached out to members of the development staff for an update on the game; while none outright confirmed its cancellation, Jones stated that he had not done any work beyond initial brainstorming sessions years prior, similar to Perry, who had assumed

1802-478: A package called Earthworm Jim 1 & 2: The Whole Can 'O Worms for the PC. Next Generation reviewed the package, rating it four stars out of five, and stated that "This is what the PC really needs sometimes – a nice, fast-action game that will distract the player from the more mundane pursuits of word processing or data entry, without requiring the commitment of a huge RPG or strategy title." Earthworm Jim 3D started

1908-437: A position in a medium to large video game company. An experienced game-development employee, depending on their expertise and experience, averaged roughly $ 73,000 in 2007. Indie game developers may only earn between $ 10,000 and $ 50,000 a year depending on how financially successful their titles are. In addition to being part of the software industry, game development is also within the entertainment industry; most sectors of

2014-463: A race against Psy-Crow through an obstacle course, to get to Princess What's-Her-Name. Earthworm Jim 2 was also well-received on the Genesis and Super NES , with some reviewers such as IGN and GameZone declaring it as better overall than the original. The game's humor, innovative gameplay, and "mini-game"-style levels spread throughout the game were also held in high regard as a welcome change from

2120-624: A roundtable discussion with the International Game Developers Association (IGDA), the professional association for developers. Statements made by the IGDA's current executive director Jen MacLean relating to IGDA's activities had been seen by as anti-union, and Game Workers Unite desired to start a conversation to lay out the need for developers to unionize. In the wake of the sudden near-closure of Telltale Games in September 2018,

2226-407: A single publisher; one canceled game may devastate a small developer. Because of this, many small development companies are short-lived. A common exit strategy for a successful video game developer is to sell the company to a publisher, becoming an in-house developer. In-house development teams tend to have more freedom in game design and content than third-party developers. One reason is that since

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2332-709: A strict no-sequels policy at Shiny to ensure that new games developed by the studio would be surprising and associated with the developer, rather than with a franchise. The next game produced by Shiny was MDK , produced fully in 3D. The studio's team successfully switched from 2D to 3D development, and MDK , released in 1997, became a very successful game. Aside from being used as a benchmark test for new graphics cards by various magazines, Shiny scored between 40 and 60 deals to include support for peripherals, including joysticks and 3D glasses , as well as deal with Apple Inc. that saw MDK pre-installed on every first-generation iMac . Perry believed that selling Shiny because he

2438-403: A strong STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) background for women at the secondary education level, but there are issues with tertiary education such as at colleges and universities, where game development programs tend to reflect the male-dominated demographics of the industry, a factor that may lead women with strong STEM backgrounds to choose other career goals. There

2544-682: A unique case where nearly all parts of its labor force, including white-collar jobs such as video game development, may engage with labor unions under the Employment Protection Act often through collective bargaining agreements. Developer DICE had reached its union agreements in 2004. Paradox Interactive became one of the first major publishers to support unionization efforts in June 2020 with its own agreements to cover its Swedish employees within two labor unions Unionen and SACO . In Australia, video game developers could join other unions, but

2650-473: Is also a significant gap in racial minorities within the video game industry; a 2019 IGDA survey found only 2% of developers considered themselves to be of African descent and 7% Hispanic, while 81% were Caucasian; in contrast, 2018 estimates from the United States Census estimate the U.S. population to be 13% of African descent and 18% Hispanic. In a 2014 and 2015 survey of job positions and salaries,

2756-449: Is expected that this is meant to lead into a full-time position, or otherwise the end of the contract. But more recently, its use in the video game industry has been compared to Microsoft 's past use of " permatemp ", contract workers that were continually renewed and treated for all purposes as employees but received no benefits. While Microsoft has waned from the practice, the video game industry has adapted it more frequently. Around 10% of

2862-533: Is generally illegal, companies often target their oldest workers first during layoffs or other periods of reduction. Older developers with experience may find themselves too qualified for the types of positions that other game development companies seek given the salaries and compensations offered. Some of the larger video game developers and publishers have also engaged contract workers through agencies to help add manpower in game development in part to alleviate crunch time from employees. Contractors are brought on for

2968-494: Is still their primary activity they are generally described as "publishers" rather than "developers". Developers may be private as well. In the video game industry , a first-party developer is part of a company that manufactures a video game console and develops mainly for it. First-party developers may use the name of the company itself (such as Nintendo ), have a specific division name (such as Sony's Polyphony Digital ) or have been an independent studio before being acquired by

3074-474: Is usually conducted in a casual business environment, with t-shirts and sandals as common work attire. Many workers find this type of environment rewarding and pleasant professionally and personally. However, the industry also requires long working hours from its employees (sometimes to an extent seen as unsustainable). Employee burnout is not uncommon. An entry-level programmer can make, on average, over $ 66,000 annually only if they are successful in obtaining

3180-639: The AFL–CIO writing an open letter to video game developers encouraging them to unionize. In January 2020, Game Workers Unite and the Communications Workers of America established a new campaign to push for unionization of video game developers, the Campaign to Organize Digital Employees (CODE), in January 2020. Initial efforts for CODE were aimed to determine what approach to unionization would be best suited for

3286-456: The International Game Developers Association (IGDA), are conducting increasing discussions about the problem; they are concerned that working conditions in the industry cause a significant deterioration in employees' quality of life. Some video game developers and publishers have been accused of the excessive invocation of "crunch time". "Crunch time" is the point at which the team is thought to be failing to achieve milestones needed to launch

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3392-508: The MSX , they became one of the earliest second-party developers for Nintendo, developing exclusively for Nintendo's consoles starting with the Famicom, though they would self-publish their mobile games. A third-party developer may also publish games, or work for a video game publisher to develop a title. Both publisher and developer have considerable input in the game's design and content. However,

3498-517: The Me Too movement and have tried to address the symptoms of these problems industry-wide, the video game industry has yet to have its Me Too-moment, even as late as 2021. There also tends to be pay-related discrimination against women in the industry. According to Gamasutra 's Game Developer Salary Survey 2014, women in the United States made 86 cents for every dollar men made. Game designing women had

3604-504: The Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) union doing work for video games struck several major publishers, demanding better royalty payments and provisions related to the safety of their vocal performances, when their union's standard contract was up for renewal. The voice actor strike lasted for over 300 days into 2017 before a new deal was made between SAG-AFTRA and

3710-623: The ZX Spectrum . One of these companies was Probe Software , where Perry worked on The Terminator , published by Virgin Games . By 1991, Perry had moved to Irvine, California , to work for the internal development studio of Virgin Games' American branch. At Virgin Games, Perry worked on three successful promotional games: Global Gladiators for McDonald's , Cool Spot for 7 Up , and Disney's Aladdin . All three games were profitable enough that Perry, after two years at Virgin Games, opted to leave

3816-477: The video game industry . He told the Los Angeles Times : "Someone who was part of the co-creation of that world and those characters isn't getting a credit or a nickel for the work they put into it. Maybe we need unions in the video game industry to be able to protect creators." Earthworm Jim (character) Earthworm Jim is a series of platform games featuring an earthworm named Jim who wears

3922-474: The 2000s, the franchise was still used in the last years of the decade. With the trend of games from the 1990s being re-released digitally, the two original Earthworm Jim games were re-released on platforms such as the Wii 's Virtual Console , PlayStation Network , and Xbox Live . The original was also ported to iOS for play on iPhones as well. In 2010, a remake of the original game, titled Earthworm Jim HD ,

4028-446: The IGDA found that people of color were both underrepresented in senior management roles as well as underpaid in comparison to white developers. Further, because video game developers typically draw from personal experiences in building game characters, this diversity gap has led to few characters of racial minority to be featured as main characters within video games. Minority developers have also been harassed from external groups due to

4134-521: The acquisition of Activision Blizzard , stated it supported these unionization efforts. After this acquisition, the employees of Bethesda Game Studios , part of Zenimax under Microsoft, unionized under the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in July 2024. Over 500 employees within Blizzard Entertainment 's World of Warcraft division also unionized with CWA that same month. Sweden presents

4240-572: The advent of digital distribution of inexpensive games on game consoles, it is now possible for indie game developers to forge agreements with console manufacturers for broad distribution of their games. Other indie game developers create game software for a number of video-game publishers on several gaming platforms. In recent years this model has been in decline; larger publishers, such as Electronic Arts and Activision, increasingly turn to internal studios (usually former independent developers acquired for their development needs). Video game development

4346-482: The best possible buyer. Thus, on October 2, 2006, Atari agreed to sell Shiny to Foundation 9 Entertainment under the terms that Shiny would at some point co-locate with The Collective , another Foundation 9 studio. On October 9, 2007, Foundation 9 announced that Shiny and The Collective were being merged; both studios had relocated their teams to new 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m) offices in Irvine, California , from where

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4452-431: The closest equity, making 96 cents for every dollar men made in the same job, while audio professional women had the largest gap, making 68% of what men in the same position made. Increasing the representation of women in the video game industry required breaking a feedback loop of the apparent lack of female representation in the production of video games and in the content of video games. Efforts have been made to provide

4558-627: The company on February 16, 2006. He was succeeded by Michael Persson, who became the studio's studio head . Perry went on to found GameConsultants.com, a consultancy firm for video game investors, in May 2006, and by September had joined Acclaim Games and was working on a massively multiplayer online game called 2Moons . Shortly following Perry's resignation, Atari announced that it was reducing its staff count by 20% and sell all of its internal studios, both actions also affecting Shiny. Perry's role as not an employee of Atari meant that he could aid Shiny find

4664-465: The company was merged with The Collective in October 2007, creating Double Helix Games . David Perry , a video game programmer from Northern Ireland , created his first video game in 1982, when he was 15, for the Sinclair ZX81 that he had at home. This led him to move to London , England, shortly following his 17th birthday, where would work with several early video game developers on games for

4770-604: The company. At the time, he had received employment offers from the Sega Technical Institute and Playmates Toys ; the latter was a toy company that had produced toys based on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles license and was looking to move into video games from that same license. Perry turned down both offers, instead working out an agreement with Playmates that would see the company fund an independent studio with several million dollars, in exchange for

4876-416: The console manufacturer (such as Rare or Naughty Dog ). Whether by purchasing an independent studio or by founding a new team, the acquisition of a first-party developer involves a huge financial investment on the part of the console manufacturer, which is wasted if the developer fails to produce a hit game on time. However, using first-party developers saves the cost of having to make royalty payments on

4982-503: The console. This established the use of licensing fees as a model for third-party development that persists into the present. The licensing fee approach was further enforced by Nintendo when it decided to allow other third-party developers to make games for the Famicom console, setting a 30% licensing fee that covered game cartridge manufacturing costs and development fees. The 30% licensing fee for third-party developers has also persisted to

5088-504: The content shown in previews and promotional material was either graphically different or removed from the final game; while the game's final packaging depicts Evil the Cat as the boss of the "Fear" level, Professor Monkey-For-A-Head became the actual in-game level boss. Also, many locations displayed in early versions of the game, such as a level set in a house wherein Jim is ant-sized, are non-existent in

5194-512: The course of its crowdfunding campaign. A crowdfunding campaign for a second new comic book, Earthworm Jim 2: Fight the Fish , was announced in August 2020; this also eclipsed the $ 100,000 threshold in its first day. Shiny has also made references to Earthworm Jim in its later titles; their game Sacrifice features an earthwormlike god of earth called James, and there were additional references in

5300-424: The deal. The game was released on console in 1994 to much success, spawning several sequels, spin-offs and ports to other platforms. Following a sequel to Earthworm Jim , Earthworm Jim 2 , Shiny ought to produce a game with 3D computer graphics , however, Perry was concerned that his team, which had only worked on 2D games, would find it difficult to produce a 3D game. Seeking help from other companies, Perry

5406-444: The developer if the game is not meeting expectations. When each milestone is completed (and accepted), the publisher pays the developer an advance on royalties . Successful developers may maintain several teams working on different games for different publishers. Generally, however, third-party developers tend to be small, close-knit teams. Third-party game development is a volatile sector, since small developers may depend on income from

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5512-417: The developers are the publisher's employees, their interests align with those of the publisher; the publisher may spend less effort ensuring that the developer's decisions do not enrich the developer at the publisher's expense. Activision in 1979 became the first third-party video game developer. When four Atari, Inc. programmers left the company following its sale to Warner Communications , partially over

5618-426: The disguise of a blind cave salamander , through intestinal passages, while avoiding exploding sheep and hazards embedded in the floor and walls. The latter part of the level suddenly switches to a game show / trivia format, where the player has to answer nonsensical multiple choice questions that commonly have no logically correct answer. Another level, aptly titled "Inflated Head", has Jim's head inflated much like

5724-467: The entertainment industry (such as films and television ) require long working hours and dedication from their employees, such as willingness to relocate and/or required to develop games that do not appeal to their personal taste. The creative rewards of work in the entertainment business attracts labor to the industry, creating a competitive labor market that demands a high level of commitment and performance from employees. Industry communities, such as

5830-557: The first video game-specific union, Game Workers Unite Australia, was formed in December 2021 under Professionals Australia to become active in 2022. In Canada, in a historic move, video game workers in Edmonton unanimously voted to unionize for the first time in June 2022. In January 2023, after not being credited in The Last of Us HBO adaptation, Bruce Straley called for unionization of

5936-470: The game MDK . Earthworm Jim also appears as a secret character in the first Battle Arena Toshinden game for PC. Universal Cartoon Studios made an animated series based on the franchise, and it ran for 23 episodes in 2 seasons from 1995 to 1996 on the Kids' WB programming block on The WB Television Network (now merged with UPN to form The CW ). The show maintains much of the absurd and surreal humor of

6042-575: The game as well, including Psy-Crow, Queen Slug-for-a-Butt, Evil the Cat, Bob the Killer Goldfish, Major Mucus, and Professor Monkey-for-a-Head. The game was very well-received on both the Genesis and the Super NES . It was awarded Best Genesis Game of 1994 by Electronic Gaming Monthly and was rated the 114th-best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Power 's Top 200 Games list. The game

6148-507: The game was on hold. This led to their general belief that the game had been cancelled. Earthworm Jim also starred as a fighter on Interplay 's Nintendo 64 title Clay Fighter 63 1/3 in 1997 and the Blockbuster rental title Clay Fighter 63 1/3: Sculptors Cut in 1998. In the original, Jim was a default character, however in the Sculptor's Cut, he was required to be unlocked . Also in

6254-414: The game's promotion, Playmates set out to create Earthworm Jim toys, but required that a TV series should be produced to market the toys. Perry subsequently met with executives of Universal Studios , who agreed to produce the series if there were toys to accompany it. The deadlock was resolved when Perry invited the heads of Universal and Playmates for dinner, agreeing each party would fulfill their part of

6360-518: The game, he and Boogerman hold a strong rivalry between one another. A line of Earthworm Jim toys and action figures was released in late 1995. In 1995 Marvel Comics published a 3-issue comic based on the character. In May 2019 Doug TenNapel raised money through Indiegogo to self-publish a new Earthworm Jim graphic novel called Launch the Cow . The comic book successfully raised more than $ 100,000 in its first 24 hours on Indiegogo and nearly $ 900,000 over

6466-455: The gameplay of the original two titles, playing as a 2D sidescrolling platform game with elements of a run and gun , but now with 3D computer graphics . It would be two-dimensional gameplay with three-dimensional graphics, much in the vein of Sonic Rivals or Klonoa: Door to Phantomile . Similar to the original two games, the gameplay consisted of maneuvering Jim through levels through running and jumping, and defeating enemies with

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6572-404: The gaming industry, while a 2017 IGDA survey found that the female demographic in game development had risen to about 20%. Taking into account that a 2017 ESA survey found 41% of video game players were female, this represented a significant gender gap in game development. The male-dominated industry, most who have grown up playing video games and are part of the video game culture , can create

6678-452: The industry by working long hours. Because crunch time tends to come from a combination of corporate practices as well as peer influence, the term "crunch culture" is often used to discuss video game development settings where crunch time may be seen as the norm rather than the exception. The use of crunch time as a workplace standard gained attention first in 2004, when Erin Hoffman exposed

6784-431: The lack of respect that the new management gave to programmers, they used their knowledge of how Atari VCS game cartridges were programmed to create their own games for the system, founding Activision in 1979 to sell these. Atari took legal action to try to block the sale of these games, but the companies ultimately settled, with Activision agreeing to pay a portion of their sales as a license fee to Atari for developing for

6890-468: The level. For example, the level "For Pete's Sake" involves making sure the computer-controlled Peter Puppy character gets through the level unharmed, which is accomplished by whipping him to make him jump over pits, and defeating enemies before they can damage him. Failure to do so results in Peter lashing out at Jim, taking health away from him. The developers also created a wide variety of colorful villains for

6996-464: The linear gameplay common at the time, although some reviewers had mixed reactions to some of various different gameplay mechanics. However, the game was later ported to the more advanced PlayStation and Sega Saturn systems, and those versions were generally criticized more due to not having any significant improvements despite the more powerful hardware. Shortly after the release of Earthworm Jim 2 , its original developer, Shiny Entertainment ,

7102-466: The majority of levels was still based on run and gun and platform game elements, separate levels incorporate different gameplay elements as well. Some levels, such as the opening level, "Anything but Tangerines", and the game's eighth level, "Level Ate", play largely the same as the original Earthworm Jim , with the exception of there being a larger variety of moves at the player's disposal. For instance, there are more types of guns to use once found in

7208-772: The merged company would operate under the lead of Persson. In March 2008, the new studio was named Double Helix Games . Video game developer A developer may specialize in specific game engines or specific video game consoles , or may develop for several systems (including personal computers and mobile devices ). Some focus on porting games from one system to another, or translating games from one language to another. Less commonly, some do software development work in addition to games. Most video game publishers maintain development studios (such as Electronic Arts 's EA Canada , Square Enix 's studios, Activision 's Radical Entertainment , Nintendo EPD and Sony's Polyphony Digital and Naughty Dog ). However, since publishing

7314-551: The movement again called out for the industry to unionize. The movement argued that Telltale had not given any warning to its 250 employees let go, having hired additional staff as recently as a week prior, and left them without pensions or health-care options; it was further argued that the studio considered this a closure rather than layoffs, as to get around failure to notify required by the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act of 1988 preceding layoffs. The situation

7420-448: The nature of the video game culture. The industry also is recognized to have an ageism issue, discriminating against the hiring and retention of older developers. A 2016 IGDA survey found only 3% of developers were over 50 years old, while at least two-thirds were between 20 and 34; these numbers show a far lower average age compared to the U.S. national average of about 41.9 that same year. While discrimination by age in hiring practices

7526-529: The news, there have typically been followup discussions towards the potential to form a union. A survey performed by the International Game Developers Association in 2014 found that more than half of the 2,200 developers surveyed favored unionization. A similar survey of over 4,000 game developers run by the Game Developers Conference in early 2019 found that 47% of respondents felt the video game industry should unionize. In 2016, voice actors in

7632-407: The number were awarded special prizes, such as a book and action figures, as part of Jim's shortly-lived toyline from Playmates Toys. Shortly afterwards, the same development team started work on a sequel. The premise of the sequel was largely the same as the original; traverse through the levels in order to save Princess What's-Her-Name and defeat the game's numerous enemies, namely Psy-Crow. While

7738-496: The original game in HD for PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Arcade in 2010. Interplay announced Earthworm Jim 4 in 2008; little to no information surfaced until May 2019 and August 2020, and development was believed cancelled by the rights owners by 2023, as it had never left pre-planning stages. Playmates Toys , finding success with the license for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , wanted to start their own franchise. Inspired by

7844-417: The original games, as well as introducing its own features. Most of the episodes revolve around one of Jim's many enemies trying to reclaim the super suit or otherwise cause mayhem throughout the galaxy. Actor Dan Castellaneta , known for voicing various characters on The Simpsons , including its main protagonist, Homer Simpson , voiced Jim in the animated series. The original two Earthworm Jim games of

7950-406: The original two titles, Earthworm Jim and Earthworm Jim 2 , including Shiny Entertainment founder Dave Perry , Doug TenNapel , Nick Bruty , and Tommy Tallarico . The developers later announced that the game would be mostly new content, with elements of the earlier games included. Past characters to return in the game included Princess What's-Her-Name and Peter Puppy. The game was to retain

8056-428: The other company's preset limitations. In that respect, the game was actually created as a satire of platform video games at the time; for instance, "Princess What's-Her-Name" was a parody of how so many video games had throw-away female characters that exist only to be saved from danger. The resulting game would be the original Earthworm Jim . The game would play as a 2D sidescrolling platformer with elements of

8162-529: The player causes Jim to take too much damage, the player must start the level over again, with zero items collected. The game was poorly-received as well, with reviewers complaining about the tedium of the collecting, and the game lacking the charm and style of the original games. The series lay dormant for the first half of the decade. Rumors of a new Earthworm Jim game for the PlayStation Portable started in 2006. Referred to as Earthworm Jim , it

8268-694: The present, being a de facto rate used for most digital storefronts for third-party developers to offer their games on the platform. In recent years, larger publishers have acquired several third-party developers. While these development teams are now technically "in-house", they often continue to operate in an autonomous manner (with their own culture and work practices). For example, Activision acquired Raven (1997); Neversoft (1999), which merged with Infinity Ward in 2014; Z-Axis (2001); Treyarch (2001); Luxoflux (2002); Shaba (2002); Infinity Ward (2003) and Vicarious Visions (2005). All these developers continue operating much as they did before acquisition,

8374-414: The primary differences being exclusivity and financial details. Publishers tend to be more forgiving of their own development teams going over budget (or missing deadlines) than third-party developers. A developer may not be the primary entity creating a piece of software, usually providing an external software tool which helps organize (or use) information for the primary software product. Such tools may be

8480-429: The publisher's wishes generally override those of the developer. Work for hire studios solely execute the publishers vision. The business arrangement between the developer and publisher is governed by a contract, which specifies a list of milestones intended to be delivered over a period of time. By updating its milestones, the publisher verifies that work is progressing quickly enough to meet its deadline and can direct

8586-463: The publishers. While this had some effects on a few games within the industry, it brought to the forefront the question of whether video game developers should unionize. A grassroots movement, Game Workers Unite , was established around 2017 to discuss and debate issues related to unionization of game developers. The group came to the forefront during the March 2018 Game Developers Conference by holding

8692-496: The publishing rights to the first three games developed by that studio. Playmates agreed, and Perry, once he had gained lawful permanent resident status in the U.S., set up Shiny Entertainment using Playmates' funds in October 1993. Offices for the company were set up in Laguna Beach, California , and Perry was appointed as the company's president . Several developers formerly of Virgin Games followed Perry and joined Shiny, bringing its employee count to "around nine". The name "Shiny"

8798-411: The released copy. Additionally, original series designer David Perry had sold the rights to the franchise. Perry and original series creator Doug TenNapel were at first involved in the game as minor consultants, but were dismissed for unexplained reasons. Both expressed that they hated what was done with Earthworm Jim 3D , but legally could not prevent anything from happening. TenNapel said he felt

8904-480: The rights to Earthworm Jim from TenNapel, and started developing the game. From there, TenNapel would work on doing the game design, creating level ideas, and voicing Jim's character, while Perry and the other programmers created other characters and game mechanics. The game's crazy atmosphere, world, and characters were due to the fact that the company had previously always been restricted to doing licensed games, like 7up 's Cool Spot , where they had to conform to

9010-487: The series have been praised for their detailed graphics, well-developed platforming, and wacky humor. The original game was received very well , being rated the 114th best game made on a Nintendo System in Nintendo Power 's Top 200 Games list. Earthworm Jim 2 was also received very well . Both were better received than many of the other projects Interplay was working on around the same time, such as Boogerman , which

9116-421: The series was "ruined" by the game. The game was considered neither a critical nor a commercial success. Many reviews called the game uninspired, mediocre, and unable to compete with several other similar, more highly reviewed platform games at the time, like Super Mario 64 , Rayman 2 , or Banjo-Kazooie . A final, fourth Earthworm Jim game was released shortly after Earthworm Jim 3D in 1999. It

9222-510: The success of the Sonic the Hedgehog series with Sonic the Hedgehog and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 , they decided that they wanted to start the franchise as a video game, a rare approach at the time. From there, the game's design actually started with creator Doug TenNapel 's simple sketch of an earthworm that he presented to Shiny Entertainment . Impressed, David Perry and the rest of Shiny bought

9328-545: The target of sexual harassment. This can be coupled from similar harassment from external groups, such as during the 2014 Gamergate controversy . Major investigations into allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct that went unchecked by management, as well as discrimination by employers, have been brought up against Riot Games , Ubisoft and Activision Blizzard in the late 2010s and early 2020s, alongside smaller studios and individual developers. However, while other entertainment industries have had similar exposure through

9434-421: The time, and ultimately to cease development on all of its game projects, including Earthworm Jim, by the end of 2007. Interplay announced an Earthworm Jim 4 in 2008, but little has surfaced since. Series creator Doug TenNapel later denied work on it had ever started in 2010. However, Interplay referred to the game as "still in development" as of May 2011. While no new, original games were released in

9540-484: The toxic nature of the video game culture. This racial diversity issue has similar ties to the gender one, and similar methods to result both have been suggested, such as improving grade school education, developing games that appeal beyond the white, male gamer stereotype, and identifying toxic behavior in both video game workplaces and online communities that perpetuate discrimination against gender and race. In regards to LGBT and other gender or sexual orientations,

9646-487: The use of crunch time at Electronic Arts , a situation known as the "EA Spouses" case. A similar "Rockstar Spouses" case gained further attention in 2010 over working conditions at Rockstar San Diego . Since then, there has generally been negative perception of crunch time from most of the industry as well as from its consumers and other media. Game development had generally been a predominately male workforce. In 1989, according to Variety , women constituted only 3% of

9752-504: The video game industry typically shares the same demographics as with the larger population based on a 2005 IGDA survey. Those in the LGBT community do not find workplace issues with their identity, though work to improve the representation of LGBT themes within video games in the same manner as with racial minorities. However, LGBT developers have also come under the same type of harassment from external groups like women and racial minorities due to

9858-678: The video game industry. Whereas some video game employees believe they should follow the craft-based model used by SAG-AFTRA which would unionize based on job function, others feel an industry-wide union, regardless of job position, would be better. Starting in 2021, several smaller game studios in the United States began efforts to unionize. These mostly involved teams doing quality assurance rather than developers. These studios included three QA studios under Blizzard Entertainment : Raven Software , Blizzard Albany , and Proletariat; and Zenimax Media 's QA team. Microsoft , which had previously acquired Zenimax and announced plans to acquire Blizzard via

9964-504: The workforce in video games is estimated to be from contract labor. Similar to other tech industries, video game developers are typically not unionized . This is a result of the industry being driven more by creativity and innovation rather than production, the lack of distinction between management and employees in the white-collar area, and the pace at which the industry moves that makes union actions difficult to plan out. However, when situations related to crunch time become prevalent in

10070-711: Was argued to be "exploitive", as Telltale had been known to force its employees to frequently work under "crunch time" to deliver its games. By the end of 2018, a United Kingdom trade union, Game Workers Unite UK, an affiliate of the Game Workers Unite movement, had been legally established. Following Activision Blizzard 's financial report for the previous quarter in February 2019, the company said that they would be laying off around 775 employees (about 8% of their workforce) despite having record profits for that quarter. Further calls for unionization came from this news, including

10176-495: Was bought by Interplay Entertainment , and then put to work on other projects, most notably the PlayStation platformer Wild 9 for three years. Subsequently, the franchise was given to VIS Entertainment , and it was decided that, like many platform game series at the time ( Super Mario , Sonic the Hedgehog et al.), gameplay would transition from 2D to 3D . Although development commenced shortly after Earthworm Jim 2 ,

10282-606: Was criticized as being cretinous, disgusting, and patronizing, and Cool Spot , a project Perry and Tallarico worked on, which was criticized for having a "lack of personality". The music from Earthworm Jim has been praised, with music from Earthworm Jim 2 being included in Game Central's Best of the Best CD compilation of video game music. It has also been requested at concerts where game composer Tommy Tallarico has had his music performed. The first two games were compiled into

10388-532: Was developed neither by the original team, nor the Earthworm Jim 3D team, but by David A. Palmer Productions and published by Crave Entertainment . The game played similarly to the first two games, but gameplay was greatly simplified, concentrating on exploring levels to collect items, rather than the constantly changing gimmicks present in the original two games. Levels typically involved goals such as collecting 100 or more coins to progress through levels, and if

10494-463: Was noted for its fluid animation, featuring a hand-drawn style that was unusual for 16-bit releases. A special version of the game, The Great Earthworm Jim Race , was broadcast in 1995 for the Sega Channel . The game featured an increase in difficulty level and a secret room which, when reached by the first 200 players, would display a password and a toll-free telephone number . Those that called

10600-582: Was offered deals by Nintendo and Sony to exclusively develop for these companies' console, but he instead agreed to sell Shiny to another video game publisher, Interplay Productions . The deal was announced by Interplay at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 1995 , with Shiny retaining their identity and management under the new ownership. Following this buy-out, half of Shiny's employees, including TenNapel, left Shiny to form The Neverhood, Inc. , another game developer. Meanwhile, Perry instituted

10706-439: Was often mistaken for a pornography production company. According to Perry, the young Shiny was not sure what to do, having neither a game project, nor a business plan. However, since Playmates was new to the video game industry , Playmates Interactive , the publishing arm set up by the toy company, had no high expectations. Playmates aided Shiny in finding licenses for potential game projects, and Shiny came close to developing

10812-409: Was originally believed to be a remake of the original Earthworm Jim due to footage of Jim in a level very reminiscent of the "New Junk City" level from the first game. The game was formally announced at E3 2006 by Atari , who had obtained from Interplay a five-year license of the right to develop Earthworm Jim games for handheld devices. However, the game was reported to still be made by members of

10918-535: Was released on PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3 , and Xbox Live for Xbox 360 . The game was very similar to the original, but had redone, smoothed graphics, and new multiplayer exclusive levels. In 2018 Earthworm Jim HD was removed from PlayStation Network and Xbox Live . Earthworm Jim is included on the NA/PAL version of the Sega Genesis Mini , which was released on September 19, 2019. In 2019,

11024-505: Was simultaneously diluting focus and talent, and none of the games sold as well as MDK . In April 2002, during financial instability at Interplay, Shiny was sold off to Infogrames, Inc. (later renamed Atari, Inc.) for US$ 47 million . Enter the Matrix , which was in development at Shiny at time, also changed hands to the buyer. Under Atari, Perry conceptualized a game named Plague , which Atari forced him to significantly size down to meet budget requirements. This led Perry to leave

11130-403: Was taken from the song " Shiny Happy People " by R.E.M. , which was popular around the time of the company's inception, while the "Entertainment" suffix was chosen because Perry believed that, should the studio attempt to co-operate with Hollywood film production companies, such companies would rather work with an "entertainment" company than with a "games" company. Despite this precaution, Shiny

11236-415: Was unconfident of his team's ability to produce a 3D game was the worst mistake he had ever made. After MDK shipped, Shiny employees Nick Bruty and Bob Stevenson left the company to form Planet Moon Studios with the same development principles as Shiny. Further Shiny games— Wild 9 , R/C Stunt Copter , Messiah , and Sacrifice —were developed in parallel at the company, leading to what Perry said

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