Game news Giving PlayStation Plus: Oddworld Soulstorm to PS5 Would Have Been “Devastating”, Statements
It’s been said that the misfortune of some is the happiness of others: would this be appropriate for the case of Oddworld Soulstorm, which shipped as soon as it was released on PS5 to all PlayStation Plus subscribers?
A very expensive donation
The road was long and expensive for Oddworld Inhabitants before they gave birth toOddworld Soulstorm : small studio eager to put its franchise back on stage, was soon confronted with an increase in costs that were difficult to control and a project of a certain size. So much so that he quickly sought partners to help him financially, something Sony capitalized on, which also granted itself the temporary exclusivity of the title.
Lorne Lanning, creator of the Oddworld saga
Fast, a deal was also signed between the two parties: in exchange for an undisclosed amount, Oddworld Inhabitant agreed to deliver the game as soon as it was released to all PlayStation Plus subscribers. At the time, the game was set to release in January 2021 and launch sales were estimated at 100,000 units, or rather 50,000: figures communicated directly by studio manager Lorne Lanning in a podcast† The amount given by Sony, taking into account the game’s release date and the number of PS5s sold on this particular date, should effectively offset D-Day sales. Except that…
An unfortunate delay
Except you’re not ignorant that the COVID-19 crisis has rocked the industry a bit. After the PlayStation Plus deal was signed between Sony and the development studio, the coronavirus and the incarceration – we are at the beginning of the year 2020 – forced the designers to rethink their methods, telecommuting. Oddworld Soulstorm has therefore been postponed to April 2021, a few months late, which would have changed all the stats originally foreseen in the agreement with Sony.
Because by April 2021, many, many more PlayStation 5s would have been sold around the world and the deficit would be for Oddworld Inhabitants. “devastating”, according to Lorne Landing. The game has been acquired more than four million times by PlayStation Plus subscribers, the most downloaded software on PS5 and far more than expected in January 2021. As a result, the amount Sony gave (established much earlier, as we remember) would not have allowed to offset the development costs and startup of the game.
However, the game’s director did not specify how concretely this had affected the studio financially., especially regarding the game’s releases on Xbox Series, a little later. In any case, the studio has been able to count on a strong reputation for its game, which is always good to take, some will say…
Buy Oddworld Soulstorm Day One Edition for €31.65 on PS5
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