Jazz Jackrabbit 3D
Friday, April 8, 2005, 15:05
Developed by World Tree Games
Unpublished
When the original Jazz Jackrabbit was finished, it wasn't long before Epic Games announced a sequel: Jazz Jackrabbit 2. This title would push 2D platform gaming to its limits, with multiplayer options to boost. Yet when the sequel was released, the rest of the world was venturing into the third dimension. Characters like Mario, Sonic and Rayman made the leap to 3D. It was only natural for Jazz Jackrabbit and his comrades to follow. Or was it?
World Tree Games
In dire secrecy a team of devoted developers, including Jazz Jackrabbit veterans such as Dean "Noogy" Dodrill and Alexander "Siren/Sandman/whatever" Brandon, were working furiously on a new game. It was to be a 3D platforming game based upon Epic's Unreal engine. It contained colorful environments, up-tempo music and it starred a certain green rabbit along with his closest siblings.
Yes, this was to be Jazz Jackrabbit 3D, the game that everyone had been anticipating for years. Even though the team consisted out of professional developers, all work was done in their spare time without any form of payment. Thus, when the game was playable enough and the developers were already starving, the game was pitched at Epic Games HQ.
And Epic saw that it was good...
As you'd expect the folks at Epic Games were pleasantly surprised. Not only by the fact that Jazz Jackrabbit 3D was in development but also by the high quality of this "mere" work-in-progress version.
With Epic's permission now in the bag, work on the title continued. The demo was polished up even further and soon it was time to pitch the game at the publishers.
... leave it up to G.O.D. to smack them down
Let it be known that the people at the Gathering (formerly "Gathering of Developers") were as equally raving about a possible sequel to Jazz Jackrabbit 2 as everyone else. However the current market proved otherwise. Jazz Jackrabbit 2 wasn't exactly a "best-seller". In fact it was the first game the Gathering ever made a loss on! So you can understand they weren't immediately jumping at the chance to publish a new Jazz Jackrabbit title.
As other publishers also declined and the European publishers, for whom Jazz Jackrabbit 2 had proven to be somewhat of a success, went bankrupt there were little alternatives left. The development team had to move on in order to pay their bills and Epic Games already had their hands full with their Unreal franchise. Jazz Jackrabbit 3D went on ice...
Aftermath
As news spread about the canceling of Jazz Jackrabbit 3D the community and media were shocked. A seemingly successful franchise would be denied a sequel. Rumors started to spread, actions and petitions were undertaken yet none seemed to have any effect. World Tree Games had moved on to such projects as Tyrian2000 and Tyrian for the GameBoy Advance. The people at Epic Games were swamped with "Unreal" deadlines. It was to remain quiet around the mean green hare for a few more years.
And then suddenly GameBoy Advance developer GameTitan announced their new game: Jazz Jackrabbit Advance. The small bunny was to make his comeback on a new system, doing what he did best: shooting bad guys, taking loot and rescuing damsels in distress.
With the release of this title interest in the green rabbit has been renewed. Related parties such as Cliff Bleszinski and Dean Dodrill have expressed their joy of seeing their furry green hero back in action, even though it's now on a pocketsize screen. And who knows, with the current well established market for 3D platforming games certain people may reconsider their previous decisions and still give a certain green bunny the new adventure he deserves.
Pros
- Unreal engine
- Several veterans on the team
Cons
- Unpublished
Verdict
As it's an unpublished game, it's quite hard to get a review-copy. But for what it's worth the game looked very promising indeed, even for a mere internal beta.
