Support NeoGAF

[Amir0x]

Oddworld Inhabitants Downsizes For Bay Area Move

Oddworld Inhabitants, creator of the Abe and Munch's Oddyssee games, as well as the recent Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath, has confirmed that it is closing its San Luis Obispo, CA headquarters, and is downsizing the company to move it to the Bay Area. In a statement from Lorne Lanning, the co-founder of the company, to consumer site GameSpy, Lanning called the move "a choice, not a necessity."

The company will continue under the same name at a new Berkeley office (likely the same as the Emeryville location advertised at GDC 2005, since the geographical areas intersect), but with a different business model. The new Oddworld Inhabitants will apparently consist of a smaller group focusing on developing ideas and concepts designed to be outsourced to other teams, rather than maintaining a large staff to develop its own properties. This business model seems very similar to Alex Seropian's new developer Wideload Games, which will debut its first title, Stubbs the Zombie, in late 2005.

Commenting on the move to GameSpy, Lanning said: "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."

Source
Source2

Didn't see a thread, and pj requested it since he brought it to my attention. Discuss.

 

[Ryudo]

Sad if true. They deserved so much after their effort with Strangers wrath, one of the best games this generation.

 

[Amir0x]

I agree, I really like Stranger's Wrath. Didn't care for Munch, but Stranger's Wrath and the PSX Oddworld games were really awesome.

 

[Porridge]

I really respect that company and Lorne's a fascinating guy. Those Playstation Oddworlds were cool stuff.

 

[Boogie9IGN]

Sericowned?

Poor hate on pj

Uhm, to stay on topic, this is bad.

 

[pj]

I'M THE NUB?

Who convinced amirox to do all the work posting a thread to get a discussion going? Yeah, ME.

 

[Amir0x]

I'M THE NUB?

Who convinced amirox to do all the work posting a thread to get a discussion going? Yeah, ME.

maybe next time you'll advance from nubness to ownager so you can make your own threads

 

[ToyMachine228]

I remember back before this generation, when Oddworld Inhabitants first moved to the Microsoft camp, and said that the PS2 wasn't powerful enough to run Munch's Oddyssey...The way some people flipped out about that.

I really think Oddworld Inhabitants has a lot of talent...They're just one of those strange developer's though, that takes quite a while to put a product out.