:( This sucks. I was hoping for a "Hey, April fools, fans!". Gak, gak indeed. And other companies doing the games? Hell- this sure is decreasing my hope in Oddworld. Even if a 'small team from OWI' are helping, I'm sure it wouldn't be the same.

Damn, what a downer.

Just to point out it was mentioned on http://www.oddworld.com/

I think, which has been stated already, that they had the plans of closing down and moving to a new media for quite some time, they released the OWI art book as a rememberance of their previous console products.
Now they move onto a widely viewed media, film. Have any of you considered the idea that Fangus is their first film protagonist?
If they had indeed planned the move, then why would they start on a new title for their old format, it could easily be the concepts for their film debut.

Yes, I suppose I could handle Fangus being a film. Hopefully a major one. I would much rather play it as a game even if it is made by a different company. As long as OWI is still the creative force behind the characters/creatures.

I doubt Fangus will be the first movie, considering an Abe screenplay has been finished for quite some time. Now that we actually know Fangus was in development for Xbox, it seems doubtful that it is actually a movie they are making.

Ah, I was wondering when Oddworld.com would show some sort of note about it. I'm dissapointed they didn't provide their own version, as this is rather a big event.

Alcar...

It kind of seems like they want to keep low key on it. Although it is a big change with the company, I just seem to get that impression.

Abe Babe...

Though I agree it's frustrating not to hear anything official, they're probably overworked organising the move (and possibly laying off a number of employees). Give them some time.

Yeah. The official oddworld site rarely updates anymore, it is annoying.

I agree, they have lots of work right now... plus the person who was running the site isn't working for them anymore

a little off topic, I know... but That GameSpy article narked me off...

""Weird" Al Yankovic and UFC's "The Iceman" Chuck Lidell -- entertainers to be sure, but not exactly what I'd call creative forces."
OF COURSE Weird Al is a creative force! :fuzgrin:

...and, personally... the stuff OWI have given to us so far has been excellent. So, even if what happens next isn't as good (which I'm sure it will be) we still have four amazing games to reflect on.

This is all so confusing! *well not confusing but, um...whats that word?? hectic! yeah hectic! there we go! Yeah we must give them some time, even though i miss their site updates, their new one is kinda, not new lol

Hello again everyone,

I've just finished Strangers Wrath (which was excellent and much better than MO which I also enjoyed) and thought I'd stop by Oddworld web again, only to find out OWI are shutting down?

I remember feeling this dissapointed and unsure when they moved to XBox, but that turned out for the best.

Frankly, Stranger was great, but Abe and friends will always be my favourite. So long as we get to see them one last time in the future, whether that be a game, or a film, then I'm fine with that.

Hi Drew... are you the same Drew the Slig that made those slig-based games(I'm thinking DarkBasic or something like that) or do I have the wrong drew?

The very same.

Slig based games?

AND NOW FOR TODAY'S MAGIC WORD: "PRIVATEEE MESAGIIIING!!"

REMEMBER PEOPLE, IF YOU USE THE FEATURE BY THE NAME OF THIS MAGIC WORD, YOU'LL PREVENT BANDWITH WASTING, NEEDLESS SCROLLING, AND GENERAL DISCOMFORT TO FELLOW ODDITITES.

Oook, now that THAT's out of the way...Xavier's posts scared me like hell. I had considered the posiblity that outsourcing meant a bit less tight gameplay, and a bit blander level design all around, but MO GB level? NOOOOO! -___- I sure as hell hope he's %100 wrong =/, it also concerns me that we wont see clever stuff like, say....the LIVE engine, or...the section at the end of AE Slig Barracks where you have to throw a grenade JUST the right way or you'll personify the funniest impresionation of WORMS cutscenes type humor(For example blow yourself up by activating a grenade and not throwing it, or throw it in a way that it ends up bouncing right up your face, blowing you up anyway) or all of the nice little stuff that makes OW special. what if say...something like the miner level never happens again? we all know how far the dev-ing process took that little bugger, what if the new outsourced company decides to stop at the first step of deving, and the game gets released with the level all wrong and whitout any interactivity? =/

I AM looking fordward to seeing the might of OW's full conceptual strength, making the most complex characters, in the most compeling stories, making games with all the features they set out to do, but what about everything that falls inbetween? the developing process takes a game a long way, and if it isnt in the hands of OWI, how can we trust it'll be taken as seriously as it should?
SMB3 wouldnt be such a god damn classic whitout it's top-notch lvl design, we already have lots of games that promise a lot of features, but in the end just because because they're fine-tuning aint precise enough the features dont really matter because you just dont get to expreience them,and they dont take the game anywhere =/. (I'm thinking DMC2,TMNT,TheSuffering,LOK:Defiance and most of all Castlevania:LOI)
Anyhow, hopefully Lorne's whole world trekkin endeavor should make sure it doesnt come to this.

All I have to say is : Damn it. Lorne and co proved that you can create a movie like experience outside of just a movie, not to mention making everything movie quality (AO, AE).

Bleck. Life goes on.

There's no word on whether OWI's game designers have been layed off or not, so it's not safe to assume they won't be asking the producers to come up with the technical means to produce the creativity Lorne wants - which is what he talks about in the press release.