Co-creator Greg Johnson confirms ToeJam & Earl 5 is in development: "We intend to make it happen"

In an interesting reveal during a Reddit AMA promoting his latest Kickstarter Project, Dancing with Ghosts, beloved Sega Genesis title ToeJam and Earl co-creator Greg Johnson confirmed that a fifth installment in the beloved roguelike ToeJam and Earl series is officially in the planning stages, and it's expected to be more in line with the original duology.

ToeJam and Earl’s latest announcement comes nearly five years after the release of ToeJam and Earl: Back in the Groove in 2019. Johnson spoke candidly about his iconic Sega Genesis duo of the rapping, funny aliens, and assured fans:

“I can say that the new game is in the planning stage. We intend to make it happen.” This small tease lines up with recent whispers in the gaming community about a revival of the franchise, which crash landed on Earth in 1991, and has remained a dominant cult phenomenon for its randomized levels, witty presentation, and genre-mixing hip-hop soundtrack.

The upcoming title promises to incorporate the best of the original ToeJam and Earl from 1991 and ToeJam and Earl in Panic on Funkotron from 1993, while reviving the long-lost design ideas from a never-realized follow-up to the second game.

The development of the fifth ToeJam and Earl game will be handled by a third-party studio, with creative direction helmed by Anthony “Nap” Napolitano, known for his work on Back in the Groove.

Napolitano, whom Johnson hails as one of the “TJ&E superstars,” will take on the producer role for the solo project, making sure players get to enjoy a fresh yet faithful evolution of the series’ chaotic, co-op adventure formula.

Johnson pointed out that the game’s roots are in unbridled creativity, reflecting on how the originals were born from a desire to “cut loose” after more structured space exploration titles, Starflight from 1986 and Starflight 2 from 1989.

Johnson explained, “I wasn’t trying to make something that the market would want or that would sell.” He credited supportive collaborators like dev partner Mark Voorsanger and original producer Matt Conn, who, Johnson mentioned, was instrumental in getting the first game out the door despite its unconventional vibe.

The ToeJam and Earl series has proven itself a cult classic by punching above its weight in cultural impact. Despite modest initial sales figures, it stubbornly achieved cult status. The original Sega Genesis release moved 350,000 units in North America, which was pretty respectable for a quirky title that bucked the era’s platformer trends with some roguelike randomness.

Although ToeJam and Earl already established brand recognition, developer Johnson Voorsanger Productions initially prototyped the sequel, ToeJam and Earl in Panic on Funkotron, to be in line with the first title, Sega pushed for a conventional platformer. The move didn’t go too well with its fanbase, primarily due to its radical shift in gameplay, despite being received well by gamers in general.

This did contribute to ToeJam and Earl III: Mission to Earth finding itself trying to honor its roots while attempting a modern 3D take for the franchise. The game, however, struggled with sales and was poorly received by fans and critics alike, leading to the franchise’s dormancy until its Kickstarter revival with Back in the Groove in 2019.