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-   -   New Changes @ OWI (http://www.oddworldforums.net/showthread.php?t=11859)

Alcar 03-30-2005 09:56 PM

Another article on the matter: http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/new...php?story=5215

Alcar...

MojoMan220 03-30-2005 10:02 PM

I'm still hopeful Oddworld won't give up on the games, but it seems unlikely that they will go back after branching into other directions.

Alcar 03-30-2005 10:37 PM

Robert Brown has updated his post about it. It properly shows that it is the Oddworld SLO studio closing, thus Oddworld does indeed live on. Clarification for those non-believers, you! :p

:

Today marks the end of Oddworld as I have known it. The San Luis Obispo studio will soon close its doors and a great team of people will quickly be spreading their talents throughout the industry. I think I am more somber today than I was when I made the decision to part ways a couple of months ago. My very best wishes go out to the RT team(s) and friends that broke their backs over the years to get the "Odd-Vision" into tangible form. OW SLO was a truly unique place. I will miss the friends and the camaraderie dearly. It is going to be very interesting to see how the IP evolves under Lorne and Sherry's new direction.
Alcar...

MojoMan220 03-30-2005 10:45 PM

Okay, I thought he meant it in the literal sense. I thought perhaps, he was being brutally honest. I'm glad it's not over, but I'm still upset it is going to be a long time until the next game (if there is one).

AWWW 03-30-2005 10:51 PM

I never saw this coming as I thought after Stranger Wrath the company was going to back on track after Munch's Oddysee.

I sticking with Oddworld no matter what happens, while I'm quite unhappy of the fact that a new Oddworld is a very long way off and that something else would be out before it.

This may be bad now, buts its going to be alot easier on Oddworld to expand and to try more "new" things and then come back into games or both at the same time.

stingbee 03-31-2005 12:31 AM

:

I know this has already been posted in other threads, but I think this deserves a full topic, because let's see... oh yes, ODDWORLD IS NO MORE! Considering this is an Oddworld forum, this may just be the most important thing ever to come up. It's practically dead according to the information Alcar has discovered (employees out of work expressing their anger). It seems a lot are scattered and looking for new work. This means no more Fangus or quintology, all game development at OWI has been shut down. I guess they are moving on to movies or something. I don't know if this means they will never be made, but it looks like this could mean the end. I thought we should have a proper place to discuss this tragedy (if it is one). Just to be clear, I really have no idea what is going on, so please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong in an area (all areas). I'm an idiot, so mistakes are bound to happen... Alcar should really post his information here, because I don't know what I'm doing.

I think the game's are boring so I thing a movie would be great


stranger has won the xbox game of the year award why would oddworld want to give up now

Jacob 03-31-2005 01:20 AM

Hmmm...i wonder if it may be an April fools thing.

I'm probably wrong, but meh, i'm still quite drunk, and thus it is feasbile in my mind.

Yes. It. Is.

Do you think that they'll release all the information about where the Quint was going to go? And other undisclosed info? Or not bother?

Hmmm...

mudling 03-31-2005 01:24 AM

i'm shocked and scared, i want to pretend i've never read this! ok, it will be a change, struggle and challenge, but i am sure oddworld will get through this. this small company has experienced so much, a movie, a not completly satisfactory video game, a change of publishers, a change of game stlye, a book, a few games and also this. i think oddworld can survive this change, i feel sorry for everyone at the moment. i'm sure lorne is just trying to keep oddworld alive.

Alcar 03-31-2005 01:34 AM

I doubt it. Lorne Lanning has featured on two fairly prominent gaming websites, not too mention a few of the (ex) Inhabitants have posted their opinions / thoughts about it.

Alcar...

Wil 03-31-2005 04:38 AM

Stop over-reacting and scare-mongering, and look at the facts. We know OWI has downsized, but specifically, we only know of two Inhabitants who have been let go, and they're both from the same department, so claiming there has been a “massive cull” is a massive assumption.

There's also no evidence whatsoever that Fangus won't be developed. It seems OWI's programming department has been dispersed, but it's the same core creative force that came up with the idea. It could in all reality simply be realised by a different, external team. This frightens me, because I've come to trust OWI as a consistently talented technical team, despite all the technical problems Lorne keeps talking about.

ConkerTribe 03-31-2005 04:49 AM

Crash and Spyro anyone?

Yeah, let's think about this for just a second, shall we? Yes, the lovely Oddworld beauty will be back. Yes, the great Oddworld characters will be back. Yes, the same Oddworld themes will be back. But guess what?? Since the games are no longer really developed by OWI, you can expect that the games won't have anywhere near the quality or depth that Oddworld sews into every game they make.

I just want to know why then, WHY, if this is true, are they stopping production of Fangus??? I mean, if they're still making the visuals for the game and just letting other companies make their games, what is stopping them from making the game? Don't tell me we have to wait until Xenon or something. My god this news is unbarable.

Wil 03-31-2005 05:22 AM

1. They're not necessarily stopping production of Fangus. Two programmers have been fired at the least, so it's only safe to assume they themselves are not making the game.

2. Lorne explains why. After so many things he wanted to include in games were proven not possible due to technical limitations, he's seeking teams and talent that hopefully will be able to bypass these problems.

ConkerTribe 03-31-2005 05:24 AM

So wait... Oddworld ISN'T dead? Would someone give me all the damn facts here? I'm getting all confuzzled and pissed off for nothing? That can't be right. I heard that Lorne is only doing concepts and ideas for games and then giving it to other companies to develop. That's not exactly seeking teams, that's giving up and letting someone else do all the work.

atusiya@ 03-31-2005 05:33 AM

the worst comes to the worst
 
My head is swinging, I am feeling like vomiting....*sight*

Pzak 03-31-2005 06:44 AM

It's not just a couple of people that are being let go, it's a small team of people that are staying and moving to the new location. It is a very sad time for many of the OW employee's, and I, for one, would like to thank them for the work they did. Good luck to you all on you next endeavors.

Pzak 03-31-2005 06:46 AM

Sorry for the double post, server gave me an error.

Elodie 03-31-2005 07:05 AM

Personally i believe it's April Fools. I mean what better way than to pull it off with Oddworld Inhabitants expressing there own opinions on it. Either that or facts are just vague and getting mixed up. I can't see how any game company would pack up shop and close without giving their employee's warning. Plus with the desires, ambitions and dreams that Both Lorne Lanning and Sherry McKenna have for the Oddworld concept, i find it hard to believe they would abuse there own creation so much. I mean at most i would suspect the worst that could have happened is, that in order to get the games done they are outsourcing it, or maybe even concentrating on their other projects. Especially with all this news of them moving, it's a perftect plot for an april fools.

Kimon 03-31-2005 07:13 AM

I can't say anything except I'm very scared and confused, I don't know how this will affect everything, but I'm really worried.

Angalok 03-31-2005 07:25 AM

Vindication feels nice, thank you Alcar.

oddguy 03-31-2005 07:30 AM

I'm not worried about OWI in the slightest. The video games industry is constantly changing, and you have to take risks and change the way you do business in order to keep up. Just think of where we'd be if nobody in the game industry took risks. I gurantee you it wouldn't be what we have today. And the fact is games still have a long way to go...

Lorne cares about Oddworld more than we do...he's the man who created it for crying out loud, so I don't imagine he'd drastically change the way his company runs without looking all the possibilities from every angle.

Oh...and did we forget this?

:

We love the games. We're proud of them. We're glad you've enjoyed them. We want to bring you more in the way we believe it can be done. We don't want to compromise on the quality and intensity. There's more to come.

Right...that's Lorne's message to the fans from that Gamespy article. Doesn't sound like Oddworld is haulting their games to me. Sounds like they want to bring us better quality games, as well as this "new media" we keep hearing about. That could be movies, tv...books even! We don't know. But I think we can expect more from Oddworld in the coming years...and that is a great thing.

-oddguy

Elodie 03-31-2005 07:33 AM

Just as Oddguy says. Couldn't agree with you more.

Chimaera Dragon 03-31-2005 07:58 AM

First I was pissed, but after Oddguy's post, I'm calming down. Mabey more information about oddworld on the next update of www.oddworld.com, thats like begin April right?

Dualist 03-31-2005 08:07 AM

If.
 
If it was April 1st, I would of said April Fool's maybe?

But alas, where in the world are you getting your information Alcar? I trust you, but from some of the members here it seems to be contradicting what you have said about OWI stopping its original game production.

Angalok 03-31-2005 08:16 AM

Thank you Oddguy, I was growing weary of being a lone voice of reason.

ConkerTribe 03-31-2005 08:31 AM

Well, I would be fine with this, but they straight out said that Oddworld was no more. Why straight out LIE to us like that? If they're not dead, don't say they are, damnit. You just end up scaring and pissing off people that way. Damn journalists.

ConkerTribe 03-31-2005 08:34 AM

:

I sticking with Oddworld no matter what happens, while I'm quite unhappy of the fact that a new Oddworld is a very long way off and that something else would be out before it.

Ok, you, tell me where you heard that it will be a very long time before the next Oddworld game comes out. There was nothing like that in the article, from what I've gleaned from it, so if you've heard something, please tell us. If not, then don't say things you've got no clue about.

Dualist 03-31-2005 08:34 AM

:

The San Luis Obispo studio
Wait a second, isn't the Oddworld Studio located in Berkley Cali?

Dualist 03-31-2005 08:35 AM

Well it's strange that 3 of the guys who worked at OWI said it was going to close its doors...

Five 03-31-2005 08:41 AM

I'm worried too...
well, if it's all just an April fools joke...well.....it's a really bad one :fuzemb:

But I haven't read Oddguy's post before....and I think that you can be right! :fuzgrin:
I'm in my more optimistic mode again, thank you Oddguy :D

Angalok 03-31-2005 08:50 AM

I'll agree, ConkerTribe, that was an unfortunate remark, and the headlines of those articles are misleading (the Gamespy one was called "The End of Oddworld?"). If you just skim over it, it does look like they're through, but if you read the article it becomes clear that they aren't. I'll chalk up the remarks from the ex-employees to the fact that they're upset at being laid off; perhaps they meant Oddworld is over in the sense that it's dead to them. Lorne's probably left some bitter people in the wake of this.

Wil 03-31-2005 09:02 AM

It will be come the summer. They've been in San Luis Obispo for the last ten years, though.

_GrubHunter_ 03-31-2005 09:02 AM

Please OWI.... I want update of oddworld site tommorow!!!

Wil 03-31-2005 09:11 AM

:

Well it's strange that 3 of the guys who worked at OWI said it was going to close its doors...

Only two said that, and one then corrected himself by saying it's the end of Oddworld as he knew it. The third mearly said:

:

Oddworld has ceased game production operations.
Which is, of course, where that information has come from. No one has said OWI will still be producing games, Lorne simply said there would be more games.

Al the Vykker 03-31-2005 09:15 AM

:

"I'm not scared at all. I probably would be if I was forced to go this way, but like I said, this was a choice. I'd be afraid if we had to keep going the way we have been going. Running the operation as we have been has limited the amount of opportunities we can pursue. We have no regrets, but to continue this way, we'd have to keep turning down opportunities we've always seen as the future." - Lorne Lanning
When I first read this thread I thought it was a sad day indeed, but after reading the article on gamespy it made me more excited on the future of Oddworld.

I recommend anyone really worried or lost to read this article.

http://www.gamespy.com/articles/599/599811p1.html

Oddish 03-31-2005 09:23 AM

Oh man, I didn't want oddworld inhabitants to give up. :( They such a great and talented team and created a great world. I do want too see a big future like at first planned , but it will be difficult now.

Dammit :s

ConkerTribe 03-31-2005 09:24 AM

Well, I'm glad that Lorne is getting what he finally wants; to bridge all his talents and interests together and thereby becoming faster at creating things. My only real fear is that he's lost sight of his originaly plan, and that was to create new Oddworld games with the Stranger engine and perhaps more on the Xenon. I mean, just because you're liberated now, that doesn't mean you have to stop caring about the games you originally planned for. That's just a little contradictory given his interest in bringing us more, as the article suggested.

Thanks for the article Al.

Al the Vykker 03-31-2005 09:25 AM

I think everyone needs to relax, it's not the end of Oddworld. Just shift in physical location, and a lot of drastic changes that are underway. I doubt we will never see an oddworld game again, but that we will probably be seeing some new stuff in the coming months.

ConkerTribe 03-31-2005 09:27 AM

Let's hope so. I'm betting on E3. Anyone else in?

Al the Vykker 03-31-2005 09:44 AM

:

Well, I'm glad that Lorne is getting what he finally wants; to bridge all his talents and interests together and thereby becoming faster at creating things. My only real fear is that he's lost sight of his originaly plan, and that was to create new Oddworld games with the Stranger engine and perhaps more on the Xenon. I mean, just because you're liberated now, that doesn't mean you have to stop caring about the games you originally planned for. That's just a little contradictory given his interest in bringing us more, as the article suggested.

Thanks for the article Al.

Your welcome about the Article. I was really confused and actually worried when I first read all these posts about Oddworld being dead, so it was nice to find something that would probably ease people's minds a bit and clear any real big questions that werent answered already.

However, I do see a lot of truth in your last post. I'm just hoping the change was for the best.

Shinjara 03-31-2005 09:51 AM

Thankyou for pointing us to that article Al, I was feeling confused as to all the different information being thrown about.

I'm sort of disappointed but I'm glad Oddworld still has a future.