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Originally Posted by Wesley Yin-Poole
Right now, as it stands, Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty! won't come out on Xbox 360 or Xbox One.
Why? Because Microsoft has stuck with its policy of forcing developers to partner with a publisher in order to bring games to their platform.
New 'n' Tasty! will launch on PlayStation 3, PS Vita, PlayStation 4, Wii U, PC, Mac and Linux.
In an interview with Eurogamer at E3, Oddworld Inhabitants boss Lorne Lanning - who helped launch the first Xbox back in 2001 with exclusive Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee - criticised Microsoft's policy making.
"There are those who are looking at next quarter's profits, and maybe one of these big guys looks like that's all they're doing right now," he said.
"If they're looking at the world that way, you've got the obvious, enormous titles. They're going to be the big revenue generators. If the company's purely about profit, profit and profit, they're looking at those, and then they're looking at the little guys saying, 'oh, they only make this much.' They're not interested.
"There's one party that's making it very clear they're not interested."
Lanning said he has tried to talk with Microsoft about getting New 'n' Tasty! on Xbox without success. The company spent 15 months trying to get Stranger's Wrath HD onto Xbox Live Arcade before they were turned down, and it sounds like they're having more trouble with the new game.
"For Xbox One they've granted us a license for New 'n' Tasty! but they still say you need a publisher. We don't have a publisher so we're not officially on the platform, even though we're compatible, even though we'll be ready to do it. Period.
"Why do we need a publisher when we self-finance our games, we build our own IP, we manage our own IP and we've turned nearly two million units online as indie publishers sold - not free downloads? Why? What's wrong with us?
"It's a different level of perspective. Is it ridiculous? I guess it depends on what seat you're sitting in. But I think right now Wall Street is seeing something else that's ridiculous and we're seeing it reflected in public companies' stock values.
"Who's in touch with their audience? And who seems out of touch with their audience? All we know is we've tried to get our games on their platform and we can't do it - and I even helped them release the box."
Microsoft's policy is in contrast to Sony's, which enables self-publishing across the PlayStation Network.
"I believe, because there are so many seasoned, long-term game builders involved with the new PlayStation, they recognise the real innovations are going to come out of this space where people have the freedom and the insanity to try crazy new stuff," Lanning continued. "I mean, look at Octodad!"
Lanning said he will consider partnering with a publisher to help get on Xbox, but "it has to make sense" in terms of revenue share.
Right now, though, this seems unlikely.
"I've had people tell me, 'dude, just go up there, you're losing millions of dollars.' You know what? Oddworld wasn't built on selling out."
If the company can't strike a deal with a publisher, it'll have to rely on Microsoft changing its policies.
Microsoft's games boss Phil Spencer told Eurogamer this week that Xbox was open to the idea of self-publishing in the future. "Our ears are open on self-publishing and other changes and advancements in our publishing ecosystem," he said, "but I don't want to stand up and commit to things that aren't plan of record now. That would be wrong."
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Oddworld: (Abe's Oddysee) New ‘n’ Tasty
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