Microsoft Acquires Oddworld Publishing Rights

Microsoft has announced that it has secured the worldwide publishing and distribution rights to the Oddworld franchise as part of a deal with Infogrames. The first of the Oddworld games to be released under the agreement is Munch's Odyssey, which, as reported previously, will be released exclusively for the Xbox. In fact, the company will exclusively publish the next four installments in the Oddworld game series for its Xbox console.

"The opportunity to bring the full force of our publishing and marketing resources to bear on such a popular game series as Oddworld is a major coup," said Ed Fries, vice president of games publishing at Microsoft. "This maps perfectly to our long-standing strategy of working with the world's best game designers to create experiences that will excite the imaginations of gamers everywhere."

Since the release of the first Oddworld game, the franchise has sold over 4 million copies worldwide. Oddworld Inhabitants joins companies such as Lionhead Software and Stormfront Studios in creating exclusive content for the Xbox console.

"Our goal with Munch's Oddysey and future installments in the Oddworld quintology has always been to create an immersive experience that pushes the boundaries of reality," said Lorne Lanning, president and co-founder of Oddworld Inhabitants. "Only the Xbox gives us the graphical muscle and intense digital sound to unleash our creative juices and allow us to bring the imaginary world and rich characters of Oddworld to life."

Oddworld: Munch's Odyssey will be among the 20-plus games that will ship alongside the launch of the Xbox console in the fall of 2001.