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New Insomniac interview about Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart

Paulxo87

Member
I'll end up getting this esp since it'll be a ps5 showcase but man I don't really want to pay 70 bucks for it. I enjoy the series but it's always just a one and done
 
It sold 1/3rd of Odyssey on a console with a significantly younger demographic than the PlayStation 5. It's also only the 25th best selling Mario game of all time.

Let's not act like 2D platformers aren't well past their peak. You're allowed to enjoy them, but the market has moved on.

It sold over 8 million copies on Switch. That's more than most AAA games.

Ok, Mario Odyssey sold 18 million, but it also has a significantly higher budget. Not to mention, New Mario U is just a port of a Wii U game.
 

truth411

Member
So effectively RatchetnClank will be Released Q2/3 2021.

Returnal: March 19 2021
Deathloop: May 21 2021 (timed exclusive)

RatchetnClank: June/July?
 

Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
Hahaha, you wanna talk about what the market wants? Let's see the November 2020 NPDs

1. The 18th mainline COD game in 17 years
2. The 12th mainline AC game in 13 years
3. Glorified Spider-Man DLC from... the studio you're talking about
4. The I-can't-even-count(th) annual Madden game
5. The I-can't-even-count(th) annual NBA game
6. Musuo game with Zelda skin, and a sequel, but at least somewhat interesting
7. Ubisoft open world game
8. The 5th mainline Animal Crossing game in 19 years that's been out since March
9. The I-can't-even-count(th) annual FIFA game
10. A remake of an 11 year old game

Followed, as I'm sure you can guess, by the 8th MK game in 28 years which has been out for 6 years, a repackage of Nintendo platformers going back to the 90s and early 2000s... hell, it's surprising that GTA V didn't make the list again.

So, remind me again, what you think it is that "the market" wants?

And your definition of "innovation" includes a flash game which is just mafia/werewolf? Protip: it's popular because streamers said so. Among Us is not innovative in any way.

The way we have to view games (and the market) is with levers, not switches. Things ebb and flow, they don't automatically become passe overnight.

That's how innovation works. The big budget stalwarts find a formula, and milk that formula till it's dry. That leaves small developers the opportunity to make different types of games like Among Us, Fall Guys, Phasmophobia, Fortnite, PUBG etc...

The reason why we're (finally!) seeing traditional Call of Duty drop off a cliff is because those smaller, innovative games are outmaneuvering them in the market.

The market is busting at the seems for these new experiences as every breakout darling is raw. The design isn't all there yet, the production values are weak, many are buggy. They're breaking out because a percentage of people are tired of same old same old.

Btw, streamers are just gamers. They have a much smaller influence on the market than you're making out. Take a look at Hyper Scape and Sea of Thieves are doing today after floooding the streamer market.

Rift Apart is a bunt from Sony. It'll sell 2-3 million units and not much more. Sony should be putting Insomniac on whatever they think the next big thing is going to be. Ratchet ain't it.
 

HYDE

Banned
Ratchet & Clank
Going Commando
Up Your Arsenal
Future: Tools of Destruction
Future: Quest for Booty
Future: A Crack in Time
Into the Nexus
Collection (123 COLLECTION)
Ratchet & Clank (PS4) REMAKE
There’s only been 7 mainline games, bring on number 8. Tell this troll’s bad opinion to die instead!!
 
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Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
There’s only been 7 mainline games, bring on number 8. Tell this troll’s bad opinion to die instead!!

o1o5zFe.jpg
 
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Unknown?

Member

KungFucius

King Snowflake
I'm in! Always enjoyed the series and gotta feed the PS5. Also gotta feed the RTX 3090. Fucking hungry platforms. I hope BoTW2 comes out in a drought.
 

Tschumi

Member
If you haven't already, you should definitely play Crack in Time. Definitely my favourite in the series and I'd be hard pressed to find a flaw in the game.
That's the PS3 one right? I tried to get into it on my PS3 but, i think i didn't like the level design or camera or something.. don't quite remember.. I'll give it another try some time i guess, but yeah none of those problems with PS4 r&c
 
That's the PS3 one right? I tried to get into it on my PS3 but, i think i didn't like the level design or camera or something.. don't quite remember.. I'll give it another try some time i guess, but yeah none of those problems with PS4 r&c
It's the third of the PS3 ones. Tools of Destruction, Quest for Booty, and Crack in Time are the PS3 story arc and Into the Nexus is basically the epilogue. I'd say Tools suffers a bit from early-PS3 syndrome where they were trying everything out like the SIXAXIS (thankfully you can disable that in the settings).
 

HYDE

Banned
Trash tier...not made by the original R&C team (NC studio instead),or by other developers. And the Collection & the PS4 game are rehashes. I mean Deadlocked was, but it’s a different take kind of like Jak X Combat Racing was to J&D series.
 
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Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
Trash tier...not made by the original R&C team (NC studio instead),or by other developers. And the Collection & the PS4 game are rehashes. I mean Deadlocked was, but it’s a different take kind of like Jak X Combat Racing was to J&D series.

So then can Madden fanboys, CoD fanboys, Assassin's Creed fanboys etc...just say "My franchise of choice isn't stale because you have to eliminate X games due to (insert whatever reason here)?

They all count!

everyone.gif
 
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AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
The way we have to view games (and the market) is with levers, not switches. Things ebb and flow, they don't automatically become passe overnight.

That's how innovation works. The big budget stalwarts find a formula, and milk that formula till it's dry. That leaves small developers the opportunity to make different types of games like Among Us, Fall Guys, Phasmophobia, Fortnite, PUBG etc...

The reason why we're (finally!) seeing traditional Call of Duty drop off a cliff is because those smaller, innovative games are outmaneuvering them in the market.

The market is busting at the seems for these new experiences as every breakout darling is raw. The design isn't all there yet, the production values are weak, many are buggy. They're breaking out because a percentage of people are tired of same old same old.

Btw, streamers are just gamers. They have a much smaller influence on the market than you're making out. Take a look at Hyper Scape and Sea of Thieves are doing today after floooding the streamer market.

Rift Apart is a bunt from Sony. It'll sell 2-3 million units and not much more. Sony should be putting Insomniac on whatever they think the next big thing is going to be. Ratchet ain't it.

But the experiences you're listing aren't even all innovative. I already said, Among Us is just mafia but with all the different roles replaced with minigames to make it idiot-proof for the Twitch audience. Fortnite was a completely different game that saw the success of PUBG and just straight turned itself into that overnight to chase the success. Both just refined something existing. Call of Duty isn't going anywhere. In fact, all they had to do was copy PUBG, again, and refine something existing, and now Warzone is a runaway success.

I didn't say streamers had market influence, I said they make things popular, and the do. The only reason you're even mentioning Among Us several times is because of streamers, that game came out 2 years ago and was dead in the water until streamers found it.

But the important part is that you don't seem to know that Ratchet & Clank 2016 was one of the best/fastest selling games in the entire franchise. It's a series that's as strong as ever and it's an absolute no-brainer for Sony to capitalise on, especially when Insomniac can also work on Spider-Man at the same time and chase the money that a franchise with that weight brings in simply by being Spider-Man. Insomniac did innovation right with the first Spyro game, the first Ratchet game, and that's it. Everything else is just them building upon something and making it better. Tons of sequels, Resistance was just a shooter series, Spider-Man is just a really good Spider-Man game. Their success is based on their heavy refinement and polish of existing things, like a lot of other great studios. Sony knows exactly how to use them, and they are.

It's probably not going to sell tremendously at the start because it's a straight PS5 exclusive and hardly anyone can even get one - Miles Morales already sold poorly compared to the first because people are waiting to get PS5s - but it'll be a great steady stream of income as more and more people get their hands on the systems.
 
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Men_in_Boxes

Snake Oil Salesman
But the experiences you're listing aren't even all innovative. I already said, Among Us is just mafia but with all the different roles replaced with minigames to make it idiot-proof for the Twitch audience. Fortnite was a completely different game that saw the success of PUBG and just straight turned itself into that overnight to chase the success. Both just refined something existing. Call of Duty isn't going anywhere. In fact, all they had to do was copy PUBG, again, and refine something existing, and now Warzone is a runaway success.

I didn't say streamers had market influence, I said they make things popular, and the do. The only reason you're even mentioning Among Us several times is because of streamers, that game came out 2 years ago and was dead in the water until streamers found it.

But the important part is that you don't seem to know that Ratchet & Clank 2016 was one of the best/fastest selling games in the entire franchise. It's a series that's as strong as ever and it's an absolute no-brainer for Sony to capitalise on, especially when Insomniac can also work on Spider-Man at the same time and chase the money that a franchise with that weight brings in simply by being Spider-Man. Insomniac did innovation right with the first Spyro game, the first Ratchet game, and that's it. Everything else is just them building upon something and making it better. Tons of sequels, Resistance was just a shooter series, Spider-Man is just a really good Spider-Man game. Their success is based on their heavy refinement and polish of existing things, like a lot of other great studios. Sony knows exactly how to use them, and they are.

It's probably not going to sell tremendously at the start because it's a straight PS5 exclusive and hardly anyone can even get one - Miles Morales already sold poorly compared to the first because people are waiting to get PS5s - but it'll be a great steady stream of income as more and more people get their hands on the systems.

When I say innovative, I mean it the way music historians call Nirvana innovative. Kurt Cobain is credited as introducing grunge to the masses. In reality, Green River, The Melvin's, and Mudhoney were grunge years before Nirvana ever released their debut.

In that sense Among Us, Fall Guys, Fortnite, and PUBG were innovative.

I'll get behind the idea that streamers make things popular for a day or two. Sea of Thieves and Hyper Scape were popular on release, but games really live or die based on their mechanics. Among Us had significantly longer legs than those two titles because gamers value it's hook so much more.

Ratchet and Clank 2016 was a success. I've never claimed otherwise. In fact, I think I said "It'll sell between 2-3 million and not much more".

Overall, it just feels like a bunt. Like Sony is sacrificing an out to get a runner on second.

I'd rather Insomniac swing for the fences. Development cycles take too long for a 19th Ratchet and Clank game.

Lol Ratchet and Clank 2016 on PS4 was the fastest selling game in the franchise


Click on that link, then wonder why Sony's PR was so vague on the games success. Why would PR be vague on something when they could be specific? There's a reason they don't want to be specific.

Rift Apart will do fine. It's just... unambitious.
 
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AV

We ain't outta here in ten minutes, we won't need no rocket to fly through space
I'd rather Insomniac swing for the fences. Development cycles take too long for a 19th Ratchet and Clank game.

Insomniac are being used to do what they do well. You have Naughty Dog push forward interactive storytelling. You have Bluepoint remake some classics after cutting their teeth on a bunch of remasters. Killzone clearly wasn't enough any more for Guerilla given the reception of Shadowfall, so what do you have them do? Switch gears, and come up with Horizon. Success. Insomniac don't need to, they're already on to a winner, and Sony know precisely what they're doing.

Not to mention, Insomniac already have unique side-projects, including a bunch of VR stuff, but you'll notice that none have been mentioned in this thread that I can see - because as interesting as they might be, none are setting the world on fire. I guarantee you if one of those smaller games they were making turned out to be a big success, Sony would throw money at them to try more new shit, but ain't nobody out here singing the praises of Song of the Deep, and I'm one of the ten people that bought it.
 
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