Tomba is MonkeyPaw's next PSOne Classic

Oh heck yes. The retro gaming and localisation specialists at MonkeyPaw have announced its next PSOne Classic project: Tomba.

Joystiq reports the PSN release will support both PS3 and PSP play; presumably, it should eventually become available for Vita as well, as Sony continues converting the whole back catalogue.

The cult favourite 1998 platformer - which stars a pink haired lad on a quest to defeat an evil pig, and is at least six times better than that sounds - has been a frequent request for PSN conversion, but MonkeyPaw CEO John Greiner said it wasn't any easy deal to broker, taking a full year of wrangling to secure the rights.

"We often have to chase down multiple right holders. In this case, Sony and Whoopee Camp had rights that needed to be negotiated," he said.

Nevertheless MonkeyPaw has nothing but love for Sony.

"I think they appreciate the titles we've brought to the Store. And they value the support we give the games. Having a plethora of Japanese content is a distinct advantage PlayStation has over Xbox," Greiner noted.

"But the games still need to be brought Stateside. So our model helps Sony spread their Japanese edge and we help Japanese developers get their titles to a wider audience. Hence, Sony is willing to work with us on titles that may not have otherwise been licensed out. Support is key."

No release date as yet, but we'll be watching very closely. Tomba is already available via the Japanese PSN.

Thanks, Gekidami!