It’s been six years since ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove heralded the return of gaming’s funkiest alien duo, and while that’s by no means the longest gap between entries (the third game, Mission to Earth, was released in 2002), fans have naturally been curious about what the future has in store for the series—if anything. The good news is, there are indeed plans for a new ToeJam and Earl game. The bad news is, at this stage, they’re little more than that.
The update comes direct from ToeJam and Earl co-creator Greg Johnson, who took to Reddit recently for an AMA. The subject of a new game was eventually broached by user Arkeband, who asked whether there was anything Johnson could share about previous “whispers” of another entry.
Johnson’s response was brief, but candid. “I can say that a new game is in the planning stage. We intend to make it happen,” he replied. Unlike 2019’s Back in the Groove, this game won’t be developed by Johnson’s company HumaNature Studios, though some contributors to that project will be involved.
“It’s going to be developed by a third party, [with] design led by the infamous and talented producer of BitG, Nap,” Johnson elaborated. As for what form the next ToeJam and Earl will take, Johnson said it will be “a combo of games one and two and incorporate some of the design ideas of the original game 2 that never got made.” This sounds in-keeping with Back in the Groove, which was a blend of remake, remix, and all new stuff.
Watch On
Although that’s it for details about a new game, Johnson also shared an update about the ToeJam and Earl movie, which was first announced in December 2022 and is being developed by Amazon Studios. Reddit user Mess_Man asked whether the film will be animated or live action with CG, to which Johnson responded that he isn’t sure.
“I’ve read the script and really it could be either all animated, or it could be a mix like [the] Sonic [movie], as it’s primarily [set] on Earth,” Johnson explained. “I’m as curious as you are as to what they will do. Right now, they are still looking for a director so things are a bit stalled out. Hopefully that train will start moving again soon.”
Johnson has no direct involvement with the movie, and the extent of his input into the new ToeJam and Earl game isn’t clear, either. Currently, he’s working on a separate project called Dancing with Ghosts, which has a very different timbre to the wacky sci-fi adventures of ToeJam and Earl.
Dancing with Ghosts is a narrative adventure about a teenage orphan living in Thailand who makes friends with the spirit of an 11 year-old girl. It’s a deeply personal project for Johnson, both inspired by and dedicated to his daughter, who died in 2022. HumaNature Studios is currently running a Kickstarter to fund the remaining development of the project, and there’s a playable demo on Steam too, if you want to check it out.
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