Oddworld creator looks at how Abe has remained loved for 20 years

A portion of a Vice interview with Lorne Lanning...

Vice: Abe was never an obvious hero, beside more stereotypical avatars that crush all before them. And yet here we are, almost 20 years after the first game, and he's an incredibly loved character. Tell me a little about how he came to be, and why you think he's endured.

LL: I'm of the belief that if you can make characters more emotional, and empathetic, then you're going to have a greater connection to them, and you'd feel for them in ways that I never felt for the guy with the big gun and the big biceps. Who gives a shit that he can kick ass better? Those kind of characters—I'm gonna be the ace pilot and save the day—they're a little done. I'm more into people who work in the pizza place, who are also going to save the world. He's going to do it in a really interesting way.

Microsoft did some focus testing and basically told us, "Abe and Munch came back as two characters most likely to be in the corner at the party, with lamp shades on their heads." They certainly were never the embodiment of cool. But the reason I did that is because I felt that's where we were all at, what we were all in. We were in that position of being small, and helpless against a world of a lot of forces, and a lot of assholes, running things and fucking it up for the rest of us. And, gee, I feel like I'm getting validated now: you've got to be a dipshit to not recognize that's what's going on in the world today, that the assholes are winning.

Abe really resonates with the inner chump within us all who feels vulnerable, who feels like we might not make it, and that all of this stuff in the real world is overwhelming. And I know he's connected with people, because I've seen a lot of Abe tattoos. I met one dude, a big dude, like 300 pounds, and he had Abe on one ass cheek, and (Abe's sort of sidekick) Elum on the other. Like, how did they wind up there? The things those characters have seen, in that location.

I'd never encourage anyone to get a tattoo, but I was really surprised when I started seeing them. I always wanted characters that people would feel strongly about; but also that the characters mean something else to them, personally. I felt like people were small victims in the world, and as a result I wanted to make characters that were closer to them—not the best looking guy, not the strongest. But then, they could still overcome obstacles. Out of that, I felt we could build more empathy into the play pattern, even if we were being sarcastic, and dark at times. All of that helped build this connection between Abe and the player.