Oddworld is developing game for PS2

[wco81]

It's upcoming Stranger is being published by EA for the Xbox and PS2.

Ah yes, wasn't it Lorne Lanning talking about how he would be creatively limited by the PS2? His abandonment of the PS2 project was grist for a lot of fanboys to shit on the PS2.

Anyways, in the Gamespot interview, he implies that the Xbox game was hurt by focus group testing and the rush to meet the Xbox launch.

Some people thought at the time that Lanning was motivated by MS money. Now it seems he's motivated at least in part by the greater installed base of the PS2.

 

[Guden Oden]

Lorne, it's only hard if you suck!

Sorry, but what title has he helped make that is so creative it could only be realized on...uh...the box (I assume)?

What is this new game supposed to be about?

 

[Farid]

Money's Lorne Lanning's best friend.

 

[wco81]

I saw this feature in this magazine about the cribs of the stars in video games. One of the homes was good old Lorne's. Forget what it was like but it didn't seem too ostentacious. Still, way more than most people could afford.

IIRC, the Munch game which came out with the XBox launch had been targeted for the PS2. In fact, Sony showed screens from it before the PS2 launch to tout upcoming games on the system.

Then MS made the deal with Oddworld to make it Xbox-exclusive and then Lorne talked about how PS2 was too limited and only Xbox could let him realize his creative visions. Well I remember Xbox commercials in prime time TV -- first time I ever recall video games being advertised on TV in the most expensive ad slots. And the Munch game of course was one of the games advertised.

From the other comments, I gather than he wasn't a developer or designer but more of an executive? One who had no compunction about sacrificing talent as long as he got paid?

 

[Qroach]

Actually, Lanning was complaingin about the PS2 hardware before MS picked them up. I'm thinking oddworld is like Shiny. 1 lucky hit game on the first try, and nothing but duds and infrequent releases since. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on their coming game, but after that I just don't know.

 

[cthellis42]

Didn't Microsoft just pick up Atari's 50% share of Oddworld Inhabitants? It seems decidedly odd to see something going PS2-a-ways...

 

[passerby]

Didn't Microsoft just pick up Atari's 50% share of Oddworld Inhabitants? It seems decidedly odd to see something going PS2-a-ways...

Yes it's unusual. The official bit from gaming-age:

Recently abandoned by Microsoft, Oddworld Inhabitants and their next game in the Oddwold series, has found a home. EA has just announced that they have signed an agreement with Oddworld for the worldwide publishing rights to the next Oddworld game.

Oddworld pulled their nearly complete last game (Munch's Oddysee) off the PlayStation 2 because they claimed the Xbox was the only console that can do the game justice. Munch's Oddysee went on to launch with the Xbox, though it was definitely not amongst the better selling titles. Ironically, the next game will land on both the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox in 2005.

“Partnering with EA is a major win for us. Through EA’s first-rate publishing and marketing expertise, the expanded universe of Oddworld can reach millions of game fans and extend the reach of this distinctive series,â€￾ said Lorne Lanning, President of Oddworld Inhabitants.

“Over the past 10 years, Oddworld has consistently elevated the creative bar in each of their titles, providing a rich and engrossing game experience. Oddworld Inhabitants represent the type of high quality developer with which we’re seeking to partner moving forward,â€￾ commented Greg Richardson, General Manager of EA Partners.

With this next title the Oddworld team has taken a combination of traditional genres and added their own unique twists to deliver a refreshingly new interactive experience. Players step into the role of the Stranger, a western-style bounty hunter, who chases outlaws throughout the enthralling new frontier of the Oddworld universe. Set to award-winning visuals, players will be moved by the complex and inspiring story as the Stranger comes to grips with his true nature in the hunt for the ultimate bounty.