Stranger scrapped for PS2?

Oddworld's EA-published Stranger could be an Xbox-exclusive after all, according to whispers from net behemoth IGN, whose 'source close to EA' claims the PS2 conversion has been canned.

Apparently the PS2 version - being coded by an entirely separate team - was so far behind in terms of progress that EA was unhappy with the prospect of having to ship it five months after the Xbox debut. Odd, considering EA has had no problem in the past releasing conversions of several of its games later on other formats.

Although EA has yet to officially confirm this news, when asked directly about the PS2 version back in July, Oddworld Inhabitants' chief Lorne Lanning was incredibly cautious regarding the subject, refusing to even reveal which team was behind the conversion project or how close to the Xbox original it would be.

The news, if confirmed, will come as yet another blow to the legion of PlayStation-owning Oddworld fans, who were also denied the chance to play the previously PS2-exclusive Munch's Oddysee following Microsoft's poaching of the game as an Xbox-exclusive launch title. However, that relationship went a little sour, and Lanning was recently very frank in a Gamespot interview about the perils of listening to focus groups during Munch's Oddysee's development.