Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee HD in development

Fans of the Oddworld series have been treated to sweet morsels of news in the past few months. In July, developer Just Add Water announced it was currently creating multiple projects for a variety of platforms. In September, a remake of 2005's Stranger's Wrath was announced for release on the PlayStation Network. And in December, the developer released an Oddworld compilation pack for the PC.

Now, the Oddworld is primed to be repopulated once more. Series creator Lorne Lanning told Electronic Gaming Monthly, in a preview teaser announcement, that Just Add Water is currently beginning production on a high-definition remake of the first title in the franchise: Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee.

"Abe HD is going into production. It's basically Abe's Oddysee being redone in a 3D physics engine as a 2D side-scrolling platformer," Lanning said. "So the way Just Add Water wants to approach it, we thought was very smart; they are not trying to reinvent any wheels. It’s like, 'Can we make that experience in a new engine, with new tech, in the old way?'"

The interview was light on details concerning the HD remake of Abe's Oddysee, but Lanning did offer a statement concerning a possible Xbox Live Arcade version of Stranger's Wrath.

"We have Stranger all ready to go on XBLA, but the answer keeps being no. We're still talking to them, and we're hoping to work it out," he said.

For more on titles in the series, check out GameSpot's reviews of the original Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee, Oddworld: Stranger's Wrath, Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus, and Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee.