Oddworld creator Lorne Lanning has been speaking to Eurogamer about his studio's forthcoming titles, and has stated that the forthcoming remake of the original game — Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty — will be one of the most expensive download-only releases on the Wii U eShop.
Lanning has said that he expects to charge around $30 (approximately £18 / 21 Euros) for the game, which he says cost around $5 million to develop — $2 million of his own cash and around $3 million spent previously on assets which have been touched up.
That might sound like a lot, but Lanning is adamant that it represents value for money:
This game will play better, look better, and you'll have more fun with for more hours of play than games you're paying $60 for. That's a promise. And I can say that with absolute confidence. If this had a publisher, the price would be higher and they'd be calling in triple A.
Lanning also revealed that New 'n' Tasty needs to sell 250,000 units to fund the studio's next project, a remake of Abe's Exoddus. If the game shifts 500,000 units, then an all-new instalment in the franchise — The Brutal Ballad of Fangus Klot — will be put into production. The game is currently on hold, as Lanning feels that it's not worth pursuing without the proper budget in place:
I don't think it's anything less than a $5 million title. So to Kickstart it I think would be a little deceptive and a risk. But if we sell half a million copies [of New 'n' Tasty], that's not going to be a problem.
If I'm doing a new Oddworld game, I'm not going to do it for $2 million. I might do it for five or six. People keep asking me, 'Why don't you Kickstart Oddworld? You could get at least $1 or $2 million.' And I'm like 'What would I do with a couple million on Kickstarter? On a new Oddworld title?' Not much. I could redo Exoddus for a couple million. I could do that. But a new title, which means new characters doing new things and controls that are great - that's where the real time and expenses come from.
If you already have the game and you're just doing a conversion, it's easier. From scratch, I don't think we could do an Oddworld title for a couple million dollars.
Hitting his target shouldn't be an issue — the digital release of Stranger's Wrath HD (another title in the series which is due to hit the Wii U eShop in the near future) sold more copies than the original retail version on the Xbox.
Is New 'n' Tasty a game you're looking forward to personally? Do you think the price being suggested is too high for a download-only game — and a remake at that? Would you like to see more Oddworld games come to the Wii U? Share your feelings with a comment.
[source eurogamer.net]
Comments 70
<i>Hitting his target shouldn't be an issue — the digital release of Stranger's Wrath HD (another title in the series which is due to hit the Wii U eShop in the near future) sold more copies than the original retail version on the Xbox.</i>
Uh, Stranger's didn't retail for $30...
(Frankly, I think he's nuts w/ that price point, but we'll see.)
Pay what you want for the Humble Oddworld Bundle!
Cant' you see it?
I will gladly pay that much for it. Played Abe and Munch's Odyssey on PS and Xbox (I think) and they are by no means small games. Hehe nostalgia!
Yes I'm looking forward to the game, if I think it's priced to high then I'll wait for a sale in the future. Don't get me wrong I'm all for paying good money for games you want and digital distribution should be bringing those costs down. I'll still only pay what I consider to be a good or right price for software based on my means and of course the need to have factor lol
If he's right about content and features that isn't bad value, but at that price.....Id be a fool not to wait for reviews first. I've got my eye on this after ignoring rayman for years, I'm trying to be more open to new, old franchises!!
Sounds fair to me.
I'm just not sure if I like that character.. I never played those games. I think I was to busy replaying Earthworm Jim over and over again during that time.
Still have Abe's Oddysey and Exodus for PC on some old discs. I'll gladly pay $30 for this!
Sounds good. $30 is fine when you're getting value.
$5 million to do a remake? Were the same devs who blew 6 years and millions of dollars on Bioshock Infinite all shift over to this game? So glad the gamers must pay for developers not being able to spend money wisely. Game now off my watch list... $30 good grief.
A lot cheaper than the Wind Waker remake...
I loved munch's odyssey on Xbox, I don't think £18 is that bad to be honest.
As long as it ticks all the right boxes then I will gladly pay for a download.
if it isnt just cheap hd add some new textures then yes it will be worth it.
Ehhh would probably if it were $25AUD, but $32 is making me hesitant, particularly as I own the original twice over
While the screenshots on the official site sure look very detailed that could also be a detriment to the gameplay. Having one screen at a time in the original was good to have a better overview, this could maybe be lost here.
And even if this gets perfect scores all over the board any more than 20€ doesn't feel right to me for remake without a box.
I think selling this DL only is a bad idea, DL is still too new for many nintendo users who would be buying this. Even if it was up to $10 more for whatever reason, a boxed version would really help sales. Maybe Kickstart a boxed version?
As for me, not knowing anything about the series means I'm just treating it as a new series, one I can't wait to learn more about.
I sure hope there's be new content at THAT price. Remaking graphics don't excuse everything.
£18 Sounds very reasonable! Ocarina of Time and Windwaker gets remade and people pay £40/£50 pounds for them. The original might not be quite as good as those two games but it is a fantastically creative game andthey are selling it for less than half the price of those!
The only reason this isn't being released as a physical title is due to the lack of a publisher. Being a download exclusive title doesn't mean it is a smaller less valuable project!
Having said that a week 1 discount would be great. If Stranger is the same price I am instabuying it!
seems reasonable for an oddworld game, i will still wait for the game to go on sale, just last month i bought all 4 Oddworld games for the ps3, this one i just might pick it up for the Wii U if there will be unique gamepad features, if it's going to be just off-tv play then i'm picking it up for ps3.
I'd pay it for this game, I'd pay that for Strangers Wrath HD on Wii U I just love the series and want to support their choice of supporting Nintendo
Well that's odd.
This game clearly goes beyond most download only titles with seriously nice graphics and textures. So the higher price tag makes sense and is ok with me.
Price doesn't matter as long as the game is good and long enough to be a retail game. I'm already sure it will be of retail quality.
I am a huge fan of the oddworld series and I am sure this wont dissapoint, I will be buying this day 1 hands down. I look forward to the new changes from the original.
seems ok but I'm sure he'd sell twice as much for half the ptice
I don't have a problem with that; I'm pretty sure I paid the same price for the original game on the Playstation. I don't think just because a game is available for download only it magically should have a cheaper price. XCOM Enemy Unknown is £13 on iOS (my gifted copy was purchased on sale for only £6) and that's a bargain. Good on him for setting the price he thinks is fair. I'll be happy to drop £18 on a revamped version of a game I enjoyed twenty years ago!
@XCWarrior Judging from the screenshots it's a true remake as it used prerendered backgrounds and sprite animation in the original and from the screenshots it looks like it's now rendered in modern 3D graphics. but all the art animation script etc are there but still a lot of work needs to be done to make such a game and make it true to the original.
This is not a simple retexure job or just amping up the resolution from the original.
Fair price. I'll be buying.wiiu is starved for games..
First Abe game left a good impression on me, in it's time it was quite fun to play and not to mention funny as hell in some bits~
I would buy it ~
I was looking forward to it but I'm not anymore. Don't get me wrong I'll still purchase this... just maybe wait until the price lowers...
£18 is a fair price for a good game. When is it out?
Thing is. Abes oddysee IS a AAA title,so to me its worth the punt,just because its digital dosnt mean its a simple indie game.
Look at it like this,if they remade metal gear solid 1 for wiiu,using the engine and graphics of mgs 4. Would you expect to pay £10/$15 for it? Ofcouse not. Heck youd expect to pay full price! So oddworld new and tasty is,as the say,reasuringly expensive. Count me in.
Ps. WHEN ARE WE GETTING STRANGERS WRATH?! Cmon Lorne spill the beans!
I played this one to death in PS1, so I don't think I will get this one. I am more interested in Strangers because it is new to me.
Well, good thing I've never been interested in the series, I guess.
after reading this checked it out on youtube. Yes, the graphics are amazing. But the game seems to be just a platform. Am I missing something? 30 bucks for a wiiuware platform game? kind of steep. the guy said the game cost 5 million to make. that isn't a good justification for me.
I'd really like to have this one boxed. Oh well, still definitely gonna get it.
Considering how the original was a 12-hour game just to play through, and this is a TRUE HD remake (not some 720p remastering), this sounds fair. Pricier than I'd like, but fair. Plus, I expect at least a few collectables or extras to be thrown in, so you'll probably end up paying $2 for an hour the first time playing through. Considering how Super Mario Bros, a port from 1985, takes me two hours to beat (I don't use Warp pipes) and costs $5, that sounds about right.
I never played any game in this series but I always wanted to. I believe I never owned a console that they were available on. $30 is about double the average price for a large DL game but it seems worth it for a game that easily could have found space on a shelf for another $20.
Shoot, i'd pay $40 for this title. $30 is just FINE with me
If compared to say Dr Luigi or the NES remix stuff I think its price is competitive.
(I have tried to play it once but the controls are god awful on the PC port of them I have).
I really hope (for their sake) this isn't exclusive to WiiU. If it is multiplatform it has a good chance of selling enough to become profitable. If it is exclusive, there is practically no chance. Unfortunately Nintendo players will not be flocking to play this in droves, even if it scores above 9/10 from most reviewers.
Im done with it. We complain so much about the death of mid tier games but if we want projects of wider scope than just 2D indie games were going to start to pay in the $20-$30 price range.
How much was that Fist Of The North Star game when it came out on the e-shop, $59? $30 isn't bad for a good game.
@Assassinated its not exclusive. We've known it wasn't for a year now.
@element187 Okay, good. I didn't remember much about it before, and the article didn't mention anything, so I wasn't sure.
@shingi_70 Do you mean you're "down" with it? "Done" makes it sound like you no longer care about it, but the rest of your comment implies otherwise.
@Assassinated
Meant down.
I think this game will get pushed to waiting for PS+ by a lot of people regardless.
I would pay the 60 for it boxed, and even 70 or 80 if i got the poster caddy had. So yeah im getting it.
I've been adamant about supporting Oddworld for many years. I don't like spending much on download titles (since it lacks ownership), but I'll gladly drop $30 for Lanning.
I never got the chance to try any of the oddworld series, and since $30 isn't unreasonable for a download only title so I will probably give it a try.
I'll wait for a review before I even CONSIDER spending $30 on a download-only game!
Better $30 spent on this game, than the $30 I wasted on Minecraft.
The original Oddworld for PS was a high quality piece of art and gameplay. New N Tasty isn't just an Up-res. Anyone who played the original one should be able to see that clear as day. This $30 price tag is completely reasonable if only comparing it to some of the full price $60 garbage that people pay for. This is a very unique game. Highly recommend it, assuming it plays as well as the original.
I'll consider it when it is on steam.
Yes, not only will I buy this but I'll also buy Stranger's Wrath HD as well.
@Falco i didnt think the original came out on xbox? You might be thinking of munchs odysee which wasnt as good as the others.
It's not too bad. Provided I get a wii u, I might still buy it, but was hoping for $15-20. I remember back in the Xbox days when I saw an ad for munch's oddessy, but never got to play it. The series looks really cool, and even though it looks weird, I think the weird look goes well for the series.
I remember the series fondly and I would call it more puzzle/platform than anything. Still $30 just seems high for a digital release. I mean you could get ICO/Shadow remake for less than that. Sorry but to compare a remake of this game to either Zelda WW or Ico is a joke. It was good and if it hits a sale I will likely support it but I would rather spend on new orignal midware like Child of Light.
@QuickSilver88
Agree 100%!!
BUT WHEN'S IT OUT?? I CAN'T WAIT!!
It's a lot, but I'd buy it anyways.
One of those hidden gems. A series that got Game of the Month/Year awards. I hope it's a wellmade remake, and if that's the case I'm gonna buy it for 20€. I love 2D platform adventures. If you're into stuff like The Cave, Toki Tori 2+, Knytt Underground or UnEpic, this should be another neat addition, if not the best.
@khululy I get what you are saying, but I don't pay $30 for a remake. And no, I did not buy Wind Maker HD, or Kingdom Hearts HD (did win it) or any other remake, unless I didn't own the original, even then I'm sure I got it on discount.
I want companies to make new games, old games are for virtual console, they don't need a full overhaul. Waste of time/money in my mind.
definitely getting New N Tasty. I bought Strangers Wrath on the original Xbox and PS3 so I'm not sure if I'm going to get that one a third time.
I'll be buying it. The original Abe was my favourite ps1 game. I'd love nothing more than to play it again with the much needed updated graphics. I used to watch the cutscenes over and over and wished that some company like Dreamworks or Pixar would make a whole movie based on the Oddworld presented in those games. Abe was just such a good character.
I never liked the Abe games, but I truly hope that this game takes off and sells a lot. I know tons of people who would kill for a new Abe game. Also, we can use all the 3rd party exclusive help we can get.
Unfortunately third party games don't sell well on Wii U.
I still have it on the PS1 and it looks fantastic already. Not sure why it needed this treatment. All the money likely went into cutscenes and background animations anyway.
Hmmm, I think I'll wait for a price-cut, just as I probably will do with Guacamelee!
oh 30 bucks? is that all? seriously to me this game is priceless
Day 1....When will we get it?
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