New Oddworld game, CG film

By Games Industry.biz Published 30 October, 2006

Called Citizen Siege.

Lorne Lanning and his studio Oddworld Inhabitants is set to make an ambitious return to interactive entertainment with Citizen Siege, a new original property developed from conception as a CG animated movie and videogame.

The movie will be produced by John H. Williams, responsible for the Shrek series, and directed by Lanning himself, while the game is currently being seen by a number of big-name publishers.

"Citizen Siege was conceived as a game and film from the very beginning," revealed Lanning, speaking exclusively to our sister site GamesIndustry.biz.

"Some publishers have seen the game and the response has been fabulous," said Lanning. "But we want to see more of what the potential synergy between the two properties is before we take specific directions on how the game's going to be done."

Lanning believes that recent developments in computer graphics and the response from the gaming community have opened the door to titles that can push the boundaries of movies and gaming.

"The quality of computer graphics has gone way up while the cost has become a lot cheaper, and audiences tastes are changing, largely influenced by the games industry," said Lanning.

"We've watched the movies in the Warhammer games and we're thinking 'where's that motion picture?' It's not out there yet because CG animated films are all in 'plush toy' reality - unless a company blows tons of money like Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within did."

Lanning hopes the project will help merge the two mediums further, as both the game and film of Citizen Siege develop alongside one another.

"Oddworld has had the chance to create original property that was designed as a film and as a game experience simultaneously. So the two influence one another as they grow. This is an idea that's being talked about by media companies, but for the most part isn't really happening yet."

"We saw that we were uniquely positioned to capture that. But it was a big risk and we had to willing to take that risk and afford ourselves the time to really go for it," he added.

In April 2005, Lanning confirmed a move away from videogames after the release of Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath for Xbox, as his company moved offices and refocused its intentions on the TV and film industries.

The full interview with Lorne Lanning, where he discusses Citizen Siege in greater detail, as well as his thoughts on movie directors entering the games market, will be published on GamesIndustry.biz later this week.

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Comments (29) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Zero Beat #1 5 years ago

    Sheeeeet YESSSSSSSS!

    Stranger's Wrath was the mutts nuts and at times (I'm picturing the cave where you first get into the rowboat here) the most beautiful game I've played.

    Hope it gets the funding and devteam it needs to be a top class game.

  • loeffe #2 5 years ago

    There is a God! woohooo!

  • haowan #3 5 years ago

    Exellent news. Look forward to it!

  • TwistidChimp #4 5 years ago

    Great news :) On both fronts. Oddworld is one of those things that could clearly make an amazing film or even series of films. And a new odd world game is always welcome.

  • mechamonkey #5 5 years ago

    Fantastic, I adore Oddworld.

    Looking forwards to PSP psOne emulation so I can replay the Abe games :)

  • Kostabi #6 5 years ago

    ""We've watched the movies in the Warhammer games and we're thinking 'where's that motion picture?'"

    Oddworld get it. Quick, someone give them the 40K license and a wheelbarrow full of money.

  • SeanLB #7 5 years ago

    I adore Lorne Lanning, and I hope everything goes well for him and OI in the new realms they are exploring. Hopefully the Citizen Siege franchise will do well in both formats, and lead to them being to play their top trump in the Oddworld franchise itself. The openess and scope of the original vision for Oddworld (the quintology) I hope will be realised in either the film, tv or gaming formats as there is so much more to come from the franchise, as has been shown in the titles already (Abe, Munch, Stranger).

    I can't wait to read the interview and see what Lorne and the team have sprung up this time. From what I remember from a past interview, the impression I got from a future title Lorne was talking about was something along the lines of American McGees last game (which the name of escapes me), so I greatly wish that the game side does not turn out even a shadow of that. This is me assuming that Citizen Siege is the same game, and that my memory isn't deserting me and thus I'm mumbling rubbish.

  • rinoaMW #8 5 years ago

    Um are ppl not reading the article? its says that the studio is developing a "new original property" not creating a new game and film from the oddworld franchise. I was initally excited by the prospect of a new oddworld game and CG movie as well, but i guess we'll just have to wait and see on this one. I guess if you call your franchise and your studio the same thing then its bound to be confusing :)

    ...or am i the one that's confused?

  • SeanLB #9 5 years ago

    No you are not confused, it is an original property. Thats what I was trying to say, Citizen Siege could be akin to Chicken Run for Nick Park, and have success that enables Lanning to create a movie/tv show/another game in the Oddworld franchise akin to Wallace and Gromit.
    Edited by 1 at 30/10/06 @ 10:46

  • pjmaybe #10 5 years ago

    Oh well, there goes my hopes for a proper PSP Abe game...

    Peej

  • cyacomini #11 5 years ago

    Oddworld is a fantastic IP - I hope they don't exploit it too much tho'.

    I personally found the Munch's title on the XBOX the best in the series. Although Strangers Wrath was pretty sweet, it just didnt hit the spot for me.

  • spongebob #12 5 years ago

    Hopefully the new Oddworld will be multi-platform.

  • JonFE #13 5 years ago

    Excellent. I loved the Oddworld games and I'll look forward any new releases from them.

    Did they announce possible formats?

  • Baz_Dude #14 5 years ago

    Strangers Wrath rocked!

  • rinoaMW #15 5 years ago

    @SeanLB

    Woops - you must have posted while I was still writing my response to the other ppl in here. I didn't think that i misread the article anyway :)

    There are still people in here that think that there is a new Oddworld game (by that I mean from the Oddworld Franchise NOT the studio) on the horizon, judging from some of the responses post ours.

    Oh well, don't be too disappointed guys...

  • Willum #16 5 years ago

    When I read the title "New Oddworld game" I nearly had a heart attack, but alas...

  • Derblington #17 5 years ago

    /sex wees

  • Zero Beat #18 5 years ago

    As long as it has similar qualities to the Oddworld stuff, I don't mind if it's not actually set in the Oddworld universe.

  • bit_mite #19 5 years ago

    Hmm.

    That Oddworld Inhabitants are making any game can only be good news - I personally thought Stranger's Wrath was one of the best and most underrated titles in the dying days of the old 'box. BUT I won't get too excited until there's some details on this new IP (as far as I can tell it's not using the Oddworld franchise - unsurprising, perhaps, given the commercial failure of Stranger) and I have yet to be convinced by the whole game/movie concept...

  • zozart #20 5 years ago

    Almost certain to be the best news all week!

  • mustardkid #21 5 years ago

    TAKE COVER

    if lannings at large again there'll be toys flying from prams before teatime

  • yaroze #22 5 years ago

    Lanning > Jackson

  • Zero Beat #23 5 years ago

    You're saying Lanning's a bigger tit than Janet Jackson's?

  • dudefella #24 5 years ago

    Huh? I was under the impression Lorne/Oddworld Inhabitants quit games/disbanded. Guess not. Good. Oddworld was a great, oddball (no pun intended) universe.

  • Lukus #25 5 years ago

    Brilliant! Best news for ages. Everything I hoped for has happened; An Oddworld CG feature film and a new game. Perfect.

  • Nikanoru #26 5 years ago

    I just want a new 2D Abe game, fuck 3D....ah who am I kidding. :(

  • KillahSouljah #27 5 years ago

    Citizen Siege for PLAYSTATION 3! back where it belongs, where the real Oddworld fans are.

  • I_Have_The_Power #28 5 years ago

    "Huh? I was under the impression Lorne/Oddworld Inhabitants quit games/disbanded. Guess not. Good. Oddworld was a great, oddball (no pun intended) universe."

    No, read it again. Its not a game from the Oddworld universe, its a totally new game IP.

    ----------------------------------------------------

    "Brilliant! Best news for ages. Everything I hoped for has happened; An Oddworld CG feature film and a new game. Perfect. "

    No, read it again. Its not a game from the Oddworld universe, its a totally new game IP.

    ---------------------------------------------
    "Citizen Siege for PLAYSTATION 3! back where it belongs, where the real Oddworld fans are. "


    No, read it again. Its not a game from the Oddworld universe, its a totally new game IP.

    etc etc etc :p
    Edited by 1 at 30/10/06 @ 21:23

  • erp #29 5 years ago

    boo, this article entirely fails to mention that the worldwide announcement of this was infact in lorne lanning's keynote at the nottingham game festival. :(
    and i was there! and it was great! lanning was a really interesting speaker, even if he did come across as slightly confused occasionally (games have so much potential! we're sick of making games! we're going to make a film! then we're going to make a game! etc.)
    oh, and although there was by no means anything concrete announced, he did also say that an oddworld (IP) film was also under active consideration, and perhaps even pre-production, internally.