Why is Insomniac Games' 'Sunset Overdrive' exclusive to Xbox One?

Insomniac Games, who’s made their claim to fame with many Sony exclusives such as Ratchet and Clank and Resistance, is creating Sunset Overdrive, which is exclusive to the Xbox One. So why’s the company all of a sudden buddy-buddy with Microsoft when they’ve thrived under the other?

The developer’s CEO, Ted Price, explained to Game Revolution that while they have had many games for PlayStation hardware, they want to put out their games on the most logical place.

The studio his has a great relationship with Sony and has every intention of remaining independent. "We’re still an independent developer," Price added. "Why do I mention that? First, a lot of people assume that we’re part of some larger organization; that’s never been the case. Second, one of the benefits of operating as an independent studio and creating and owning one’s IP is that you can develop for the platforms that make the most sense for the game."

Basically, Price is pointing to SO’’s multiplayer mode. It’s no secret that the Xbox 360 is better than the PS3 in terms of a multiplayer community. Plus, there’s more resources that Insomniac can use, which Price iterates that “Microsoft’s muscle on the platform and Xbox Live fronts has been invaluable in helping us create a unique multiplayer experience.” If any game is going to be based around multiplayer, or it’s at least the key focus, then it will probably be better on Microsoft’s hardware.

Insomniac will try to improve on its open world formula with SO after not receiving much praise for Fuse. It wasn’t a failure, but it was regarded as an Overstrike clone and very dull and generic.

Photo H/T: Insomniac Games

New, Traditional 'Ratchet and Clank' Announced for PlayStation 3

It turns out that picture Sony and Insomniac Games were teasing is for the announcement of the newest edition of the Ratchet & Clank series.

Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus will be the epilogue of the "Future" series, and it's coming out for the PlayStation 3 this fall at the same $29.99 price point the latest game was released at. Colin Moriarty dives more into why Insomniac Games went back to a traditional form in his full preview of the game at IGN.

Long-time Insomniac employee and the visionary behind the Ratchet & Clank series, Brian Allgeier, noted that “the time was right to come back to the core series” with Into the Nexus after he'd spent time on Fuse. All 4 One and Full Frontal Assault were enjoyed by some and criticized by others, but it can’t be disputed that neither was a traditional, true-to-form Ratchet & Clank game. Allgeier said that doing a “family” and “competitive” game, respectively, allowed his team to finally “do something different,” but Into the Nexus allows them to go back in an old-school direction.

While the title doesn't have the "Future" imprint (as of now), it will be the fourth and last installment of the series.

The story will be more on the spookier side, according to the preview. But expect the same amount of wacky characters, combat with insane weapons and gadgets, and story that can be enjoyed by both children and adults.

Some tidbits from the review that I found interesting was that there was an alternate title to keep up with the innuendo in all the other titles, and there is a possibility of not having a Vita version of the game due to R&C: Full Frontal Assault's technical issues.

[A]s for the complete lack of innuendo in Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus’ name? One of Insomniac’s working titles for the game was Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nether Regions. But the developer eventually settled on Into the Nexus as its final title (it will be called just Ratchet & Clank: Nexus in Europe).

And as for a Vita iteration? It’s entirely possible, but it’s still up in the air. The Vita version of Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault met a whole lot of trouble during development and came to the market much later than it was supposed to. As such, Insomniac is cautious this time around. “Everyone would love for it to come to Vita,” Insomniac’s James Stevenson told me, “but it has to be up to the series’ standards” before the company makes any definitive statement.

[Source: IGN]
[Image credit: Flickr/pop culture geek]