Despite being well-known these days for franchises like Tekken, Soulcalibur, and Tales, Namco Bandai has a bunch of old franchises that don't see much love lately. That's why they made ShiftyLook, an online platform that takes old games like Sky Kid, Rolling Thunder, and Wonder Momo and makes them into webcomics for free. And starting today, there's the first episode of a new podcast with a special announcement.

It's the 30th anniversary of Dig Dug, one of Namco's classic games and the inspiration for the awesome Mr. Driller spin-off. To celebrate, the company is gathering up webcomic artists and putting together a big collaboration. Over 30 creators have joined the project, with possibly more to come. And they're not just any chumps with MS Paint, either; these are some big, popular names attached, each with their own self-contained Dig Dug story.

It almost goes without saying that Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik of Penny Arcade are on board, along with close friends Scott Kurtz (PVP) and Kris Staub (chainsawsuit). But in addition, there are creators like Brian Clevinger (Atomic Robo), Matt Melvin (Cyanide & Happiness), Ryan North (Dinosaur Comics), R.K. Moylan (Something Positive), Zach Weiner (Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal), and a bunch of the staff behind ShiftyLook's webcomics. There's a full list of contributors below.

I always love seeing modern takes on the classic videogames that helped create the industry. The collaboration will launch this summer. I wonder if Namco Bandai's Japanese side is reaching out to any Japanese artists to celebrate the series?