Neverhood creator developing a full, stop-motion animated adventure game

The Neverhood

Hang on, I'll be right with you after I finish squealing in glee. Eeeee —alright, I'm good. There's just so much good news going on lately for revivals of classic PC games. Like this: Doug TenNapel, the creator of the 1996 claymation adventure classic The Neverhood, has announced on Facebook he's working on another stop-motion point-and-click adventure along with members of Neverhood's original team.

Don't call it a sequel, though—Neverhood's license rests with EA after it bought original publisher Dreamworks Interactive, now known as Medal of Honor studio Danger Close, in 2000. That's perfectly fine with TenNapel, who feels it's better to jump on fresh ideas while keeping to the original game's quirky, sculpted visuals.

By the way, if you're unfamiliar with TenNapel's work on The Neverhood, you might remember him as the creator of some unknown character named Earthworm Jim. Just putting it out there.

"I want to note that EA is not being bad in protecting their property, and they have no obligation to make an iPhone port or to let me use the character," he explains in a separate post . "I sold them the license after all when I assigned the character rights to Dreamworks Interactive. If it was up to me, I'd make 800 Neverhood sequels the same way that I would make 800 new Earthworm Jim games. It's not my decision, and it's not my place. It's much easier (and frankly, funner) to create something new!"

Neverhood animators and artists Mike Dietz and Ed Schofield are also on board for the project as well as composer Terry Taylor, whose soundtrack is one of the most memorable in old-school adventure gaming. Although it's slightly saddening we won't get to see more of Neverhood's wacky cast (Klaymen! Hoborg! Willie Trombone!), I'm very interested to see what TenNapel thinks up next. Even better, you can help him shape up his new game's design by sharing suggestions in the Facebook thread .

Omri Petitte

Omri Petitte is a former PC Gamer associate editor and long-time freelance writer covering news and reviews. If you spot his name, it probably means you're reading about some kind of first-person shooter. Why yes, he would like to talk to you about Battlefield. Do you have a few days?

Latest in Adventure
Image of illuminated manuscript-style drawings from the game Pentiment.
Random characters kept swearing in Obsidian's font-obsessed murder-mystery when its procedural error system ran amok: 'Naughtiness abounded'
An image of a corpse with the text "You've been re-educated."
I played the lost videogame sequel to 1984, and came away more nostalgic than ever for gaming's awkward adolescence in 1999
Rosella encounters a satyr in a forest in King's Quest 4
Eagle-eyed streamer spots that Roberta Williams' portrait in King's Quest 4 is based on her author photo on the back of the game box: 'I never noticed it before.'
Myst puzzle game
'You’ve been asking, and we’ve been listening': Myst remake adds a whole new world to the classic adventure, one originally introduced in another overhaul from 25 years ago
The character takes a test in a school room.
Expelled! review
Max, protagonist of Life is Strange and Life is Strange: Double Exposure, stares with trepidation at something off-screen with her friend.
Life is Strange: Double Exposure reportedly a 'large loss' for Square Enix, says analyst, who adds: 'The company's IP fundamentally varies too much between good and bad'
Latest in News
A female Zoi making two hearts with her fingers.
Following 24 hours of Denuvo-based backlash, Inzoi is taking a surprising step and removing it entirely: 'We want to sincerely apologise for not aligning more closely with player expectations'
An ancient, angry stone mech from No Man's Sky's new Relics update
No Man’s Sky lets you unearth ancient, angry mechs in the astro-archaeology filled Relics update
Assassin's Creed Shadows promo image
Ubisoft scores a legendary ratio against Elon Musk on his own platform—which hopefully marks a final end to all the Assassin's Creed Shadows' culture war nonsense
Tzarina Katarin Bokha, the Ice Queen of Kislev
Total War: Warhammer 3 rolls out a cool Kislev overhaul, changes befitting Tzeench’s magic, new projectile units and creakier skeletal horses
An image of a golden first place award from Geoguessr
'We're actually getting GeoGuessr on Steam before GTA 6': the Google Street View puzzler arrives on Valve's platform this April
Napster client circa 1999
Former music-pirating platform Napster to be reborn rather ironically as a metaverse for musicians to connect with their fans after $207 million deal