AJ Thomson

AJ Thomson is an independent developer best known for maintaining OpenJazz, an open-source re-implementation of the classic Jazz Jackrabbit™ game engine. By reverse-engineering the original DOS code, the publisher has made it possible to run the 1990s-era side-scrolling platformer on modern Windows, macOS and Linux systems without relying on emulation. OpenJazz preserves the fast-paced, sprite-based gameplay, split-screen multiplayer and level-editing features that endeared the original to PC gamers, while adding optional enhancements such as higher resolutions, networked cooperative play and support for custom episodes created by the community. Typical use cases include nostalgic replay of the shareware episodes, modding experiments, and retro-game research projects. Because the engine is released under the GPL, students and hobbyists can study its clean C++ codebase to learn 2-D collision detection, tilemap rendering and DOS-era asset handling techniques. The project also serves as a lightweight, portable alternative to heavier retro-platformer clones, making it suitable for low-spec laptops, retro handhelds and classroom coding workshops. AJ Thomson’s software is available for free on get.nero.com, where downloads are delivered through trusted Windows package sources such as winget, always installing the latest version and allowing batch installation alongside other applications.