Lorne Lanning in the Playmakers podcast

[Xavier]

I'll​ had no time (or wifi stable enough) to listen to it but I figured I would share those with you guys.

http://brightblack.co/playmakers

http://brightblack.co/playmakersfeed...isode-2-gordon

http://brightblack.co/playmakersfeed...zbj5m84vx4itm2

[Vlam]

http://brightblack.co/playmakersfeed...zbj5m84vx4itm2

I transcribed the part about Soulstorm (35:21):

We got Soulstorm. It's not a remake but it's inspired by Abe's Exoddus. The short of it is this: I wanted to re-tell that story because basically time, money, and business shaped it into something that was not the original envision of how Abe's Quintology was going to unfold. Which is why at the time I had this story about Soulstorm Brew and addiction. Basically Abe's Oddysee was the story about how the slaves wake up and free themselves of their oppressors. And Abe's Exoddus was really going to be part 2 of that which was and then the slaves wake up to the fact that their own habits and addictions bring their own oppression. And so they had to free themselves from themselves. But in reality what happened was Exoddus just wind being a game we had to get done in 9 months and as a result script due next week it has to be executable in 9 months. And it wind up being a story. The team did a great job. But it wind up being a story that was not what I planned on having as the second piece in the Quintology and so it's sort of through my intent of the big epic story, the five piece story that I wanted to tell.

[Michael]

Interesting that Lorne refers to Exoddus here as the second part of the quintology. I thought it was always referred to as a 'bonus game', with Munch as part 2?

I suppose we could infer that Soulstorm is indeed part 2 now? We've seen elements of Munch in the images so far with the Vykkers, and people have speculated the story might contain elements of MO for a while.

Do you reckon it'll be a hybrid Exoddus/MO?

[Nate]

That comment immediately follows mention of Abe's Oddysee; I'm interpretting that as him saying that it's part 2 of Abe's story, not part 2 of the quintology.

[Vlam]

Interesting that Lorne refers to Exoddus here as the second part of the quintology. I thought it was always referred to as a 'bonus game', with Munch as part 2?

Indeed.

I suppose we could infer that Soulstorm is indeed part 2 now? We've seen elements of Munch in the images so far with the Vykkers, and people have speculated the story might contain elements of MO for a while.

Lanning must be referring to the "new Quintology" (for a lack of a better term) because otherwise, as you rightly pointed out, the use of the word "Quintology" doesn't make a lot of sense.

Do you reckon it'll be a hybrid Exoddus/MO?

I honestly don't think so.

[Michael]

Fair enough I suppose the original structure of the series is up in the air now. It could be completely different for all we know, yet still retain the broader strokes of the overarching storyline.

[Xavier]

Just had a listen to the whole thing​ and Lorne pretty much confirms Soulstorm could be the new "part 2" of the quintology.

Also keep in mind this was recorded in 2016. Before Trump and before the Nintendo Switch.

[OWI_Alex]

Just had a listen to the whole thing​ and Lorne pretty much confirms Soulstorm could be the new "part 2" of the quintology.

Also keep in mind this was recorded in 2016. Before Trump and before the Nintendo Switch.

I wouldn't get hung up on semantics and terminology. Soulstorm is absolutely the 2nd phase of Abe's story, following on from New 'n' Tasty, just as Exoddus was the 2nd phase of Abe's story after Oddysee.

And whilst LL surely has plans for the continuing story of Abe, I'm excited enough to gauge the reactions to this part of the tale.

[Xavier]

Can't help to feel excited when Lorne mentions the quintology again.

We've been waiting for some new part of that story for over 15 years.

[OWI_Alex]

Can't help to feel excited when Lorne mentions the quintology again.

We've been waiting for some new part of that story for over 15 years.

Haven't we all.

[Vlam]

I wouldn't get hung up on semantics and terminology. Soulstorm is absolutely the 2nd phase of Abe's story, following on from New 'n' Tasty, just as Exoddus was the 2nd phase of Abe's story after Oddysee.

Abe's Exoddus was a bonus game (unlike Soulstorm). This isn't "semantics", the Quintology has always been the pillar of the franchise. An interviewer should ask Lanning to define the word "Quintology" because fans like Michael are rightly confused.

[Phoetux]

I think we got the answer already Vlam.

[OWI_Alex]

Abe's Exoddus was a bonus game (unlike Soulstorm). This isn't "semantics", the Quintology has always been the pillar of the franchise. An interviewer should ask Lanning to define the word "Quintology" because fans like Michael are rightly confused.

Of course it is.

Regardless of the word, Soulstorm is the second part of Abe's story, as I said. It doesn't matter whether anything else was a "bonus" or not.

[Vlam]

Of course it is.

Regardless of the word, Soulstorm is the second part of Abe's story, as I said. It doesn't matter whether anything else was a "bonus" or not.

Like I said before: the Quintology, basically, doesn't matter anymore. The novelty is that Lanning has been using the word randomly since the announcement of Soulstorm.

[OWI_Alex]

Doesn't matter to whom?

[Xavier]

Well I can understand it can look this way for some members here that the quintology doesn't matter to some of OWI's spokespersons. I remember Pete dodging a question and talking about "a" quintology at the EGX presentation and now you're not making it any clearer.

Now, according to oddworld.com:

Lorne’s original vision was to create a series of five videogames, the Oddworld Quintology, with each game introducing a new hero who would join the existing band of revolutionaries on their journey to put an end to the exploitation of cultures, people and the natural world by profiteering capitalists. It would culminate with five heroes in the consumer metropolis, but it would start with a hapless laborer in a third-world meat factory: Abe was a layperson in every way.

So the second part of the quintology would need to introduce Munch.

Also I remember Lorne saying there could be multiple "bonus" games for each hero. Soulstorm seems to fit this description.

So unless Munch is actually in Soulstorm I guess we can call Soulstorm an Abe bonus game to the rebooted quintology

And if Munch is actually in Soulstorm there's no way you would confirm it at this point.

[OWI_Alex]

Well I can understand it can look this way for some members here that the quintology doesn't matter to some of OWI's spokespersons. I remember Pete dodging a question and talking about "a" quintology at the EGX presentation and now you're not making it any clearer.

Pete wouldn't dodge a question he wasn't currently able to answer. The Quintology is obviously important to us here at OWI, which is why we're so focused on making sure Soulstorm really gets us in a position we want to be story-wise.

If I can't make it any clearer, it's because we're not yet talking specifics. However, the inference that the Quintology doesn't matter any more is nonsense.

So the second part of the quintology would need to introduce Munch.

No it wouldn't. That's the 'original vision' and it's far to say 20 years later that that vision might have changed a little.

So unless Munch is actually in Soulstorm I guess we can call Soulstorm an Abe bonus game to the rebooted quintology

I can't begin to tell you how wrong you are, there, and I think you know that - as we've said repeatedly, Soulstorm is a new Oddworld game, a direct sequel to New 'n' Tasty. It's absolutely not a "bonus" game in any sense of the word. This isn't Exoddus.

I get that fans are sticking to the Quintology phrasing, but you need to see Soulstorm (along with New 'n' Tasty, in a fashion) as something else.

I'll let LL talk specifics in due course.

[Xavier]

I guess we just need to wait for some interviewer to finally ask Lorne to clarify what the master plan is now.

[OWI_Alex]

I guess we just need to wait for some interviewer to finally ask Lorne to clarify what the master plan is now.

Or until we're ready to talk about it.