Oddworld Inhabitants facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Oddworld Inhabitants

Type	Private
Industry	Video games, films, television
Founded	September 1994; 31 years ago (1994-09) in San Luis Obispo, California
Founder	Lorne Lanning Sherry McKenna
Headquarters	Emeryville, California , United States
Key people	Sherry McKenna (CEO) Lorne Lanning (president) Bennie Terry (executive producer)
Products	Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD Oddworld; Munch's Oddysee HD Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty! Oddworld: Soulstorm

Oddworld Inhabitants Inc. is an American video game company. It was started in 1994 by two experts in special effects and computer animation, Sherry McKenna and Lorne Lanning. The company is most famous for its Oddworld video game series. These games take place on a cool fictional planet called Oddworld and feature its unique creatures.

The Oddworld series began with Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee in 1997. Other popular games include Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee (2001), Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus (1998), and Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath (2005).

After Stranger's Wrath came out, Oddworld Inhabitants paused making games for a while. During this time, they worked on other projects, like movies. One big movie project, called Citizen Siege, was never released.

The company later returned to making video games. They teamed up with a UK developer called Just Add Water. Together, they brought the Oddworld series back to life. They made updated versions of old games and created new ones. A new version of their first game, Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty!, came out in 2014. The newest game, Oddworld: Soulstorm, was released on April 6, 2021.

Company History

Oddworld Inhabitants was founded in September 1994. It was a partnership between Lorne Lanning and Sherry McKenna. Sherry McKenna was not sure about making video games at first. She thought they looked "ugly and confusing." But Lorne Lanning managed to get money to start the company. They moved from Hollywood to San Luis Obispo to begin their new adventure.

Making Video Games (1997–2005)

Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee (1997)

The first game from Oddworld Inhabitants was Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee in 1997. It was a 2D side-scrolling platform game for PlayStation and PC. The game was a big success. It sold 3.5 million copies and won almost 30 awards.

The story is about Abe, a creature called a Mudokon. Abe and 100 other Mudokons are enslaved by evil Glukkon creatures. They work in a meat-processing plant called RuptureFarms on the planet Oddworld. The company created a special game engine called A.L.I.V.E. for this game.

Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus (1998)

After Abe's Oddysee was so popular, the publisher wanted a sequel quickly. Oddworld Inhabitants had to make a new game for PlayStation by Christmas 1998. To do this, they changed their plans. They put their next big game, Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee, on hold.

Instead, they focused on a new game called Abe's Exoddus. They used the same game engine to finish it in just nine months. This new game had better gameplay, a quicksave system, more movie-like scenes, and detailed backgrounds. Abe's Exoddus came out in 1998 for PlayStation and PC. It continued Abe's story, sending him on a quest to destroy factories that made a drink from Mudokon bones.

Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee (2001)

The studio's third game was Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee. This was their first 3D game. It was made with an improved A.L.I.V.E 2 engine. Microsoft Game Studios published it only for the Xbox console.

In this game, Abe helps a new character named Munch. Munch's species has been hunted almost to extinction. Their eggs are a fancy food called "gabbiar." Munch wants to find the last can of gabbiar eggs to save his species.

Oddworld Inhabitants decided to switch from making games for PC and PlayStation to Xbox. This was because the Xbox had better graphics. It could show many characters moving at once in a changing environment. The team found it hard to switch from 2D to 3D game development. They had to bring in new programmers to help finish the game in time.

Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath (2005)

For their fourth game, Oddworld Inhabitants created Stranger's Wrath. This game was different because it was a first-person shooter. It was still set in the Oddworld universe, but it didn't feature Abe. The game lets players switch between first-person and third-person views. You play as Stranger, who is the last of a rare species called the Steef.

Stranger's Wrath was released in January 2005. Electronic Arts published it only for the Xbox. Critics liked the game, but it didn't sell very well. Only 600,000 copies were sold.

Leaving the Game Industry (2005–2009)

After Stranger's Wrath, Lorne Lanning felt disappointed with how game publishers treated developers. Electronic Arts offered to buy Oddworld Inhabitants, but Lanning and McKenna said no.

Oddworld Inhabitants found out that they were owed a lot of money from their publishing deal. They gave Electronic Arts a choice: pay the money or give back 100% of the company and all its game ideas. Electronic Arts chose to give the company back. However, this meant Oddworld Inhabitants lost the money needed to make and sell games. They couldn't keep making games on their own.

In April 2005, Lanning announced that the studio would stop all game projects. They had always planned to expand into other media, like movies. They closed their game production studio and started looking for new ways to fund their creative ideas. They wanted to make stories for more than just video games.

An original painting made as part of an early visualization of Citizen Siege

During this time, Oddworld Inhabitants worked on several projects. These included a CG movie called Citizen Siege. There was also an online game linked to the movie, called Wage Wars. Citizen Siege was planned as a dark, action movie set in a different universe from Oddworld. It was going to be about a future where human body parts could be taken to pay off debts. The hero would try to get his body back.

The movie was planned with a big budget, but the 2008 financial crisis made it hard to get funding. All the company's projects were put on hold. Lorne Lanning also started a new company called Xmobb, which was about social networking and gaming. However, Xmobb also did not succeed.

Working with Just Add Water (2009–2015)

In 2008, Gabe Newell, who helped start Valve, asked Oddworld Inhabitants to put Abe's Oddysee and Abe's Exoddus on Steam. In 2009, they met with a UK game developer called Just Add Water.

Just Add Water helped Oddworld Inhabitants bring Stranger's Wrath to Steam in 2010. They also released Oddboxx, a collection of four Oddworld games for PC.

Later, they released updated high-definition (HD) versions of the games. Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath HD came out for PlayStation 3 in 2011. It was later released for PC, PS Vita, and mobile devices. Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee HD came out for PS3 in 2012 and PS Vita in 2014.

The first new game from this partnership was Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty!. This was a new version of Abe's Oddysee. It was released for PlayStation 4 in 2014. It later came out for PC, Xbox One, PS3, Wii U, and PS Vita. The new game used the Unity engine and had 2.5D graphics. In December 2015, Just Add Water stopped working on new projects for Oddworld Inhabitants.

Oddworld: Soulstorm Development (2016-2021)

In March 2016, Oddworld Inhabitants announced they had their own game development teams in the UK and California. They also partnered with Frima Studio in Canada. They all worked on a new game called Oddworld: Soulstorm.

This game was originally planned as a remake of Abe's Exoddus. However, it became a new story that built on the original. Lorne Lanning made the story darker and more detailed, adding new features like crafting.

Soulstorm was expected to be released in 2017, but it was delayed several times. It finally came out for PlayStation 5, PS4, and PC in April 2021. An "Enhanced Edition" of the game, with new content, was released in November 2021 for Xbox Series and Xbox One consoles.

Games Developed

Unreleased Games

The Brutal Ballad of Fangus Klot

Original artwork for Fangus Klot by Oddworld Inhabitants.

The Brutal Ballad of Fangus Klot was planned as a standalone game, not part of the main Oddworld series. It was first announced in April 2005. The story is about Fangus, a shepherd who becomes a hero when invaders attack his home. The game was supposed to come out in 2006 for Xbox but was canceled.

Oddworld Inhabitants has said that Fangus Klot might be made in the future. There is even a playable version of the game for Xbox. Lorne Lanning mentioned in 2014 that if New 'n' Tasty! sold enough copies, they would fund Fangus.

Oddworld: Hand of Odd

Hand of Odd was planned as an online, open world, real-time strategy game. It was thought of during the making of Munch's Oddysee. Players could play as either the Mudokons or the Glukkons.

However, the game was put on hold because of changes in the game market. Even so, the work done on Hand of Odd helped develop more details about the Oddworld universe for future games.

SligStorm

Oddworld Inhabitants had an idea for a game called SligStorm. In this game, players would control an albino Slig. This Slig is almost killed by other Sligs for being different. The company confirmed in 2011 that SligStorm might be worked on after other planned games.

Oddworld: Squeek's Oddysee

This was meant to be the third game in the original five-game series, after Abe's Oddysee and Munch's Oddysee. The main idea was about a character named Squeek. Squeek had to live in a robot suit because parts of his body were taken away. This game has been mentioned since 1997. Oddworld Inhabitants confirmed in 2011 that Squeek's Oddysee would be considered after several other games.

Oddworld: Munch's Exoddus

Munch's Exoddus was planned as a bonus game based on Munch's Oddysee. It was similar to how Abe's Exoddus was a bonus game for Abe's Oddysee. The idea for Munch's Exoddus later changed and became Stranger's Wrath. It would have featured Munch trying to hatch Gabbit eggs.

Oddworld: Slave Circus

Lorne Lanning mentioned plans for a game called Oddworld: Slave Circus. It is thought that this game was a new version of Wage Wars, but set in the Oddworld universe.

Stranger's Wrath 2

A sequel to Stranger's Wrath was first mentioned in 2013. Oddworld Inhabitants asked fans to vote on which game they wanted next. Stranger 2 was one of the choices. This game eventually became The Brutal Ballad of Fangus Klot.

Stranger Arena

Stranger Arena was planned as a competitive multiplayer game in the Oddworld universe. It would use the gameplay from Stranger's Wrath. Players would control multiple "Strangers" and battle each other. It would also let players switch between third-person and first-person views. The game was also going to include building defenses.

Merchandise

In 1999, Lorne Lanning hinted at plans for a game that would use action figures from the Oddworld universe. This game was called Oddwars. Lanning still has the ideas for this game and might release it in the future.

In 2007, Michael Bross, who composed music for Stranger's Wrath, released a soundtrack of music from the game.

Oddworld Inhabitants also released an art book in 2008. It was called The Art of Oddworld Inhabitants: The First Ten Years 1994 – 2004. This book showed design ideas, paintings, and screenshots from games like Abe's Oddysee, Abe's Exoddus, and Munch's Oddysee.

To promote Stranger's Wrath HD in 2011, a special costume for the game LittleBigPlanet 2 was made available. A few weeks later, a Stranger's Wrath theme for PlayStation was released. A LittleBigPlanet 2 costume of Munch also came out.

In 2011, a clothing company called Insert Coin started selling T-shirts with Stranger's Wrath images. Another artist also released designs for an Abe's Exoddus-themed T-shirt.

In 2016, Oddworld Inhabitants teamed up with Limited Run Games. They released a special physical disc version of New 'n' Tasty! for the PlayStation Vita and PS4. They later partnered again to release Stranger's Wrath HD on disc for the Vita in 2016. In 2018, they released Munch's Oddysee HD on disc for the PS Vita.

See also

In Spanish: Oddworld Inhabitants para niños