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Sapphire reports on GDC ’04
We are now hosting Sapphire’s report on Oddworld‐related matters at this year’s GDC.
1Up has also updated their own inferior scans of the cards handed out at the same event.
Sources: Sapphire
Sapphire attended GDC ’04
Having visited this year’s Game Developers’ Conference, Sapphire has been able to provide photos of cards featuring eight outlaws that appear in the upcoming game, which I am hosting along with transcripts of the text.
Hayley has also updated the design of Depths of Oddworld.
Sources: Sapphire
Official site updates, April 2004
Oddworld.com has been properly updated for the month, with a new message on the home page, a new Fan Quote of the Month, updated Dear Alf questions, a new Fan Of the Month, a profile of animator John Hood, an updated Press page (now including a PDF file of March’s Polygon feature), a new Fan Photo of the Month, an expanded skin art gallery (check out Rich Figlia!), and an up‐to‐date listing of available job positions!
Also, a happy birthday to Oddworld’s most proclaimed fan, Alfred Gamble, the inspiration behind our very own Alf.
OWI’s GDC booth
Alcar has uncovered an image of the Oddworld Inhabitants booth at GDC, and found two updated pages at Oddworld.com—the Press Page, which mentions Lorne’s talk on the games industry moving toward an Artisan model of gaming at this year’s E3 and the inclusion of four images from Stranger in Spectrum 11, to be released in October; and the Awards Page, which again references Spectrum 11.
And for our Brazilian readers, here’s an article on OWI’s search for a new publisher.
Sources: Alcar
Abe Babe to attend E3
Several further iterations of the news that Microsoft will not be publishing Stranger have appeared, each less accurate than the last. These include Games Domain, Gaming Horizon, Games Asylum, GamerFeed and XboxAddict. However, two new articles, one by gamesindustry.biz, one by Total Video Games, report that Microsoft has also ditched the title Psychonauts, and confirm that this, along with scrapping this season’s XSN 2004 series, is part of Microsoft’s scheme to rid itself of publishing so‐called ‘niche’ games after the poor ratings of games such as Grabbed By The Ghoulies and Voodoo Vince.
In more promising news, administrator of the Oddworld Forums and webmistress of the renowned Oddworld‐Web will be attending E3 this year to have a first‐hand glimpse of the biggest opportunity for Oddworld Inhabitants to flout their new game to the press and fans.
Sources: Abe Babe
Publisher search continues
More articles on OWI’s announcement that Microsoft will not be publishing the next Oddworld game are appearing: GameGossip, Euro Gamer (mirroring Gamesindustry.biz, but with a message board), Gamasutra, BDGamer and Ferrago (another highly inaccurate story on the title and serial front) all have articles on the story, though add nothing that hasn’t already been said (except possibly for Gamasutra, which is a site for members of the industry).
Oddguy has discovered that Raymond Swanland won the Gold Prize for unpublished work in the Eleventh Annual Spectrum Art Awards.
Sources: Oddguy
OWI still seek publisher
Three new articles on the news that OWI are searching for a new publisher. Slashdot’s simoniker has linked the story to the Xbox Xclusive deal and the disappointment of Munch’s Oddysee, as well as the top fan site Depths of Oddworld and the second of Penny‐Arcade’s Oddworld strips. Gamesindustry also refers to the allegedly‐lucrative deal with Microsoft, and also gives an explanation of the now‐popular term ‘money hat’, coined by Penny‐Arcade to describe the nature of the exclusivity deal.
Total Videogames have their own article, frought with the usual inaccuracies.
OWI seek publisher
Crescent Moon has found an article on 1up that delivers more information on Oddworld Inhabitants’ new publisher, or rather their search for one.
Sources: Crescent Moon
Game Over Oddworld clip
A little part of the Game Over episode featuring Oddworld creatures is available on Oddworld.com.
IGN on OWI at GDC
IGN have posted a small article about Oddworld Inhabitants’ presence at this year’s Game Developers’ Conference. We’re told a pre‐rendered demo was running at their booth, and that trading cards of the game’s bosses were handed out.
The EGM website has also posted their own transcript of last month’s Living article. Thanks to atusiya@ for pointing that out.
Sources: Atusiya
Indie Game Jam III
Designers from Oddworld Inhabitants are amongst those attending Indie Game Jam III this weekend, an event ‘designed to encourage experimentation and innovation in the video game industry.’ Official site: indiegamejam.com
Lorne also provided a short quote for The Miami Herald’s article on the outsourcing of video game production work.
Sources: oddguy
Oddworld Online back online
Miss Odd informed us on the Forums that her site, Oddworld Online, is back, if you like purple you will love it!
Sources: Miss Odd
Miscellanea
IRC issues have been sorted out, and OddChat is now working again. For further details, consult Alcar’s thread. Game Over aired earlier this week, and you can read some viewer thoughts here. Oddguy has found an interview with series creator David Sacks at GamePro, and posted 6 screenshot, while Crabby has uploaded a 17·65MB DivX encoded video.
Hayley has updated her screensaver to have double the number of images as before. Find your optimum resolution here. The Depths of Oddworld homepage also reports there is a new Stranger wallpaper.
New Stranger shots
atusiya@ has found 10 new images from Oddworld Inhabitants’ next game: Oddworld Stranger CG Intro (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), Outlaw Boss (1, 2, 3) and Native Cultures (1, 2). Put your comments on the forums.
Sources: Atusiya
No official site updates, March 2004
atusiya@ has found a Slog sculpture on Dan Perez Studios and posted about on the forums.
By the way, Alf’s Assistant, an Oddworld Inhabitant, told us on forums there will be no upload on Oddworld.com this month.
Sources: atusiya@ and Alf’s Assistant
Swanland’s Pax Draconis work
Raymond Swanland, Production Designer at Oddworld Inhabitants, made some pictures for Pax Draconis:
Pictures: Conceptual Mecha, Conclave Girl
Wallpaper1 Conclave Girl: 1280x1024, 1024x768, 800x600
Wallpaper2 Front cover art: 1600x1200, 1280x1024, 1024x768, 800x600
Polygon further transcribed
Oddguy has posted an other part of transcript from the Polygon Magazine on the forums. More is on the way!
Sources: oddguy
Further Polygon scans
Oddguy has posted 8 scans of the Polygon Magazine, on the forums:
Picture 1, Picture 2, Picture 3, Picture 4, Picture 5, Picture 6, Picture 7, Picture 8.
Sources: oddguy
Lorne at D.I.C.E. and 3D Festival
oddguy has been providing for the Forums once again, this time reporting on Lorne Lanning’s attendance at the D.I.C.E. Summit as mentioned at GameSpot and the appearance of a video game, Psi‐Ops: The Mindgate Conspiracy, which pays homage to Abe’s chanting posture, as reported by Games Domain; both can be discussed on the transcript of March’s Polygon Magazine article.
atusiya@ has also found a page on Lorne’s talk on emerging 3D models at Game Developers’ World 2004, part of the 3D Festival Conference, along with four images from Oddworld Stranger’s CG intro.
More from Polygon
Three new images from March’s issue of Polygon have been posted by paramiteabe. One shows Oddworld merchandise, another Inhabitants at work, the third Inhabitants at play.
Sources: paramiteabe