June 2004
Abe Babe recounts OWI visit
Abe Babe wrote an article about her visit to Oddworld Inhabitants. Of cource she can’t tell us much.
Sources: Abe Babe
Links time!
Some Official stuff from EA:
Here is a bunch of links reporting the news of OWI signing with EA:
- IGN Online
- Game Daily
- Voodoo Extreme
- Game Infowire
- IGN Newswire
- TeamXbox
- BDGame
- GamerFeed
- The Adrenaline Vault
- Games Asylum
- SPOnG.com
- Ferrago
- DailyGame
- Gamers.com
- MCV
- Gamers Europe
- 1UP
Here are some links of sites mirroring the press release:
And by the way: Gizmoid is reporting a twist on the ‘Atari dumps OWI’ story.
EA to publish Stranger
Okay, beyond all belief, SPOnG was correct: GameSpot have updated with the full information on the new game, including an interview with Lorne Lanning and a new image of Stranger. The press release is on display on the updated Oddworld.com, and is due to be released by Electronic Arts imminently.
Official site Gecko compliant
Oddworld.com has been updated from .html to .shtml, resolving the long‐standing issue of the site not being able to load for those using Gecko‐based browsers such as NS6+, Mozilla and Firefox. Information comes from Buckminster and Alcar.
Additional articles on the news and rumours surrounding OWI are appearing at Designtechnica News, GameDaily, Total Video Games, EuroGamer, Games Domain, Game Baboons, Gamers Europe, Gizmodo (an accurate and amusing one), Gamasutra, BDGamer, Xbox Addicts, and the notoriously unreliable SPOnG.com, who claim that Stranger will be released on Xbox and PlayStation 2 in Quarter 2 of 2005, and that screens and artwork will be released along with an official announcement within the next 48 hours. Wear your dubious faces, please, ladies and gentlemen.
Finally, Stranger’s opening sequence’s presence at this year’s Animation Theatre has a mention in an article on the Computer Animation Festival.
Sources: Buckminster and Alcar
Oddworld wins ICE Awards
The National Association of Broadcasters, in cooperation with Future Media Concepts (FMC), announced the winners of the NAB Individual Creative Excellence (ICE) Awards: ‘Oddworld Stranger CG Intro’ has won the ‘Graphic & Animation (Non‐Broadcast)’ award and ‘Producing & Directing (Non‐Broadcast)’ award at the NAB ICE Awards.
By the way, here are a couple of other aticles about Microsoft owning half of Oddworld Inhabitants Studio: on XboxAdvanced and on Voodoo Extreme.
EA rumoured to publish Stranger
The second astounding news item on Oddworld today, and the third in the last few days, it now seems possible that Oddworld Inhabitants have found a new publisher: EA Games. Although not yet officially confirmed, Computer and Video Games claims that a senior developer contact reports the deal has been signed and the game has gone alpha, with an official announcement to be made at the end of June. The article also claims the gameplay “will encompass a first‐person shooter control and view style, with third‐person melee combat,” and that controls may be based on Halo’s, a game of which Oddworld Inhabitants are reputedly fans.
Many thanks to Worship for finding this article and appearing in OddChat with news of it. Read TeamXbox’s reaction to this story, as well as their thoughts on Microsoft purchasing a 50% stake in Oddworld Inhabitants. Note that member The GiB claims that CVG are “notorious” for posting rumours as facts, so remember this news is currently stands as unofficial and unconfirmed. The CVG article also makes mention of The Art of the Oddworld Universe book, Atari’s ditching of OWI, and the Stranger opening sequence being submitted to SIGGRAPH.
IGN have their own version of the Atari story.
Sources: Worship
Atari cuts ties with OWI
In its annual 10‐K form, recently filed with the American Securities and Exchange Commission, Atari has revealed that they no longer have any investment with Oddworld Inhabitants, as of the end of 2003. The news comes just months after hearing how Microsoft has ditched publishing of the next game. Atari sold their 50% stake in the developer to Microsoft for $1·8 million in publishing royalties, some eight years after investing $7·1 million in Oddworld when still GT Interactive (later Infogrames).
Atari was responcible for the publishing of Munch’s Oddysee in Europe, but in Spring 2002, they cut their investment down to less than half, just $3·5 million. The move seemingly leaves Oddworld Inhabitants, Inc. with no publisher, but half owned by Microsoft.
Sources: gamesindustry.biz, 1UP, and Permalink
Comments (3)
Discuss on the Oddworld Forums
Art of OWI hits media
Two news articles on the upcoming book have already appeared. TeamXbox’s contains information additional to that provided by Ballistic Publishings, including an extended quote from Lorne, while Slashdot’s is so short it’s pointless, even bringing money hats unnecessarily into things. The comments at both sites are worthless.
Finally, German‐speaking Oddworld fans are now able to RPG with ease thanks to Oddworld‐Fan’s new RPG Forum.
The Art of Oddworld Inhabitants
Ballistic Publishing have announced The Art of Oddworld Inhabitants: The First Ten Years 1994–2004, displaying artwork from the Oddworld Inhabitants team from their foundation in 1994 to the present day, with work spanning all four major projects to date. Lorne comments: ‘Since Sherry McKenna and I founded Oddworld Inhabitants back in 1994, we have eagerly anticipated the moment when a densely packed and finely printed “Art of Oddworld” book would find life.’
The book will be available from Fall/Autumn 2004, and is available to be pre‐ordered from the Ballistic Publishing website in August/September. A limited number of numbered and leather‐bound volumes will also be available on this date.
Ballistic Publishing, owned by Ballistic Media, sets standards for publishing computer graphics and digital art, and has previously released EXPOSÉ and EXPOSÉ 2—both of which have featured digital artwork from Oddworld Inhabitants—among other books.
The page features an option to sign up for news on Oddworld Inhabitants and The Art of Oddworld Inhabitants, which we strongly suggest you sign up for!
EDIT: The book has been announced on the Oddworld.com homepage, with an elaboration on its Press Page.
Stranger at Siggraph ’04
atusiya@ found out that ‘Oddworld Stranger CG Intro’ is in the Animation Theater section of the Siggraph 2004 Conference.
Discuss on the forums.
Sources: Atusiya
Spoiler Forum opens
Following the release of potential spoilers through Alf’s Inhabitants Anonymous, the Oddworld Forums have re‐opened the Spoiler Forum.
Finally, Hayley has enlarged images from Alf’s Inhabitants Anonymous on Depths Of Oddworld.
Official site updates, June 2004
Oddworld.com has been freshly updated for June, with an Inhabitant Profile of marketing assistant Kristen I. featuring new and specific questions, a non‐demeaning and productive Dear Alf, and the second installment of Alf’s Inhabitants Anonymous, featuring information that might be able to be built up into a vague plot device—a warning for the easily spoilered.