370°

Insomniac Games Cannot Develop Sunset Overdrive 2 Because Of Microsoft

Microsoft owns exclusivity rights for the next two sequels of the IP.

porkChop130d ago

That's a weird situation. Insomniac/Sony own the IP, but MS own the publishing rights to the next 2 sequels, any DLC, and any remasters. I don't see Sony allowing Insomniac to develop 2 Xbox exclusives, even if MS were to fund them. The franchise is as good as dead.

Cacabunga130d ago

This claim that MS makes no sense and contradicts with idea whyIG wanted to stay independent..
in all honesty this game is not great at all, it’s average and very repetitive. Was done and released at the same period as Fuse which was also a bad game.. IG is nothing without PlayStation

Zeref130d ago Show
crazyCoconuts130d ago

81 Metacritic - not bad not great
Not my style of game personally, I didn't like it enough to finish it back then. I'm 100% fine without a sequel on this one

itsmebryan130d ago

@Caca

Sunset overdrive was really fun and t son ani I enjoyed the story. We recently started playing it again on XSX. Have you played it?
Also now Sony is forcing insomniac to layoff people and only make Marvel games for the next 10+ years it's no way a sequel will ever get made. I bet Insomniac is regretting going to Sony now. What a waste.

Rocketisleague130d ago

Insomniac is nothing without rocksteady you mean. Now they're stuck making the same game over and over with a new skin as it brings in money. And realistically spiderman was just a reskin of arkham series already.

SyntheticForm129d ago

Sunset Overdrive had a great sense of humor and was quite fun to play.

Insomniac losing SSO isn't the tragedy, it's losing their autonomy.

Christopher129d ago

Independence is but an illusion when you get in bed with any major publisher.

Christopher129d ago

***Also now Sony is forcing insomniac to layoff people and only make Marvel games for the next 10+ years it's no way a sequel will ever get made. I bet Insomniac is regretting going to Sony now. What a waste. ***

I love this jump to conclusion people are making from seeing "lower budget" for main games.

They're reducing budget on one game, but also now working on 3 games at once. That obviously translates to laying off people because you need less people to work on more games at once.

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 129d ago
DarXyde130d ago

It doesn't rule out spiritual successors.

zaanan130d ago

Jet Set Overdrive, let’s GOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! ;)

130d ago
CobraKai129d ago

@Hilda
Why not both? Im loving Insomniac’s Marvel games but i ACTUALLY DO want original games from them as well. I don’t want such talented developers to be caged like Wolverine, only to make games like Wolverine. They need to be let loose.

129d ago
DarXyde129d ago

Hileda,

Insomniac has two studios. If it is true that Sony wants them to do smaller budget projects, that is the perfect opportunity to make original IPs, don't you think?

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 129d ago
RaidenBlack130d ago

Are there any xbox studio(s) that are capable of developing the sequel(s)?
Maybe Obsidian's writing team collaborating with Coalition's gameplay team .... but that's highly unlikely.

Zeref130d ago

Tango Gameworks is who you're looking for. HiFi Rush has a similar but less Mature vibe to Sunset Overdrive.

There's also some on the Activision side that could fit like Beenox who did some of the earlier spiderman games or Toys For Bob who are doing Spyro and Crash.

Chevalier129d ago

Why not Tango? HiFi Rush seems to be very much designed in the vein of Sunset Overdrive. They could write and develop them

Profchaos129d ago

vicarious visions would be my first choice given how well they handled both crash and thps 1+2

badz149129d ago (Edited 129d ago )

@RaidenBlack

MS only own the publishing rights, the IP is owned by Insomniac, thus Sony. MS can't have anybody else making it, because it's not their IP and Insomniac can't proceed with the sequels because MS has to fund the games as part of the publishing agreement but why would MS fund a Sony's 1st party studio to make a game? The IP is now in a deadlock situation, thus...unless a miracle like Sony suddenly feeling generous to let Insomniac takes MS's money to make 2 sequels that MS would not want to appear on PS5 because they are not a 3rd party publisher (yet), not going to happen!

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 129d ago
Zeref130d ago

Good move to secure the sequels by Xbox.
Probably for this exact situation, where potentially Xbox fans would get left out of a sequel of a game they adored.

Ideally Sony and Microsoft would put gamers first and work together to bring the sequel to both platforms. But we all know that's never gonna happen.

DarXyde128d ago

"adored"?

There are many games on every platforms I wish were adored.

Sunset Overdrive was not adored. Great game, but hardly anyone gave it a chance. In this case, Microsoft went out of their way to advertise this game at major events and it was still ignored.

Game might be well liked by those of us who've played it, but in reality, it is like Gravity Rush. Great game, grossly overlooked, and no amount of sequels is likely to fix that.

My guess: it just didn't resonate with the Xbox audience at large. Whether people want to admit it or not, some games do better on some platforms. Microsoft knows this. Why else would Atlus JRPGs launch on XGP? They're trying to make it a thing and increase uptake on the platform. There aren't enough SSO type games on Xbox for people to care much about it.

As for a sequel where both parties come together... Well, Goldeneye was a whole thing, but it happened. I wouldn't say it can never happen.

Rynxie130d ago

Okay, then make sunset overdrive 4. There you go.

EvertonFC130d ago

Couldn't they get around it by doing a prequal

porkChop129d ago

Sunset Overdrive starts at the beginning of the outbreak. A prequel would literally not be Sunset Overdrive. It also wouldn't work that way. MS owns the rights to the next 2 games in the franchise, a prequel would be included in that.

TheCaptainKuchiki129d ago

What would even be the point? It's not like SO was a system seller anyway

BeHunted129d ago

Maybe not, but more games increases Xbox Game Pass catalogue.

Lightning77129d ago

Unfortunately you are right. Ms will Never employ a Sony employee to make the game. No way that's happening they have 2 very different buissness plans plus slitting shares and profits it'll be get messy.

Rip Sunset Overdrive 2014-2023

+ Show (5) more repliesLast reply 128d ago
-Foxtrot130d ago

Hold on a minute, I thought the whole point Insomniac went to other people over Sony during that time was because they wanted to be independent enough to own the IP of the game they made.

Now MS owns publishing rights to the next two sequels?

Dosent that defeat the point of why they did it? Well, what they told us anyway at the time.

Vits130d ago

It was a bet. Insomniac owns the IP, but in exchange for the +40M in funding, they gave up the publishing rights for this game and two sequels. If it was successful, then after those two sequels, they would be free to do whatever they wanted. If it was not successful, they could follow a Bungie-like approach and simply negotiate to regain those rights back from Microsoft.

But they were acquired by Sony, and now, unless the latter makes a proposal that Microsoft can't refuse, it's very unlikely that they will sell those rights. The franchise is as good as dead.

Eonjay130d ago

Either Sony buys them out of the contract or we only ever see Sunset Overdrive remaster.

crazyCoconuts130d ago

Reviews and sales were just ok. I doubt anyone is going out of their way to resuscitate this

Outside_ofthe_Box129d ago

So they never had true control of the IP due to giving MS publishing rights. I remember them saying to ask MS if gamers wanted a sequel. Definitely defeated the whole point of denying Sony and being exclusive to Xbox.

-Foxtrot128d ago (Edited 128d ago )

Yeah that’s what I was trying to say, it’s silly.

Why not just make a multiplatform game or say to MS they could be exclusive for 5 years or something

Hell even say “if it’s a huge success keep the IP and we’ll continue making sequels for you, if it fails then it reverts to us after so long”

__SteakDeck__130d ago

Can’t Mr. “When we all play, we all win” Nice Guy Phil Spencer sell the publishing rights to Insomniac? Lol Glad people can finally stop asking about a sequel to this game. Insomniac can just make a better new IP, that borrows some mechanics from Overdrive. But we’ll probably have to wait until at least 2031 for that. Lol

Rockstar130d ago

That's true!
Good guy Phil is "for the players" and "a gamer" so this is going to happen!

GamerRN129d ago

Well, isn't Sony ALSO a good company just trying to be about the games? Can't they allow Microsoft to make a sequel? Don't they want to make sure that no company is stopping the other from making games?

Outside_ofthe_Box129d ago

Have you been living under rock? According to the most neutralist of gamers, Sony and Microsoft have reversed roles this gen. Sony is anti consumer and Microsoft are the good guys. Good Guy Phil better make it happen!

badz149129d ago

You're wrong on that. The ball is actually in MS's court. They have the publishing rights but not the IP, so if they actually gives a damn about the IP, they should buy the IP from Sony and let their own studios make a sequel.

Any crumbs of interest from Sony regarding the IP has vanished when they knew about the publishing agreement and the IP was never associated with the PS brand to begin with. Can't blame them letting the IP they can't monetize on rotting on the shelve. So it goes straight to MS now when it comes to salvaging the IP.

This is just 1 IP Phil, and shouldn't be THAT expensive considering how it went down. The fact that they are not even trying to get the IP showed they too don't care. Let's just say RIP to SSOD. It's as good as dead now.

Einhander1972130d ago

Who cares, Insomniac has their games laid out well into the next generation.

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20°

Xbox Games Showcase Followed by [REDACTED] Direct Airs June 9

- Xbox Wire - Mark your calendars! The Xbox Games Showcase followed by [REDACTED] Direct airs June 9. More info inside.

Read Full Story >>
news.xbox.com
120°

Square & Bandai Namco Being Honest About Quality Is A Step In The Right Direction

Saad from eXputer: "After suffering from massive financial hits, Square Enix & Bandai Namco appear to be turning over a new leaf but I'm still unconvinced."

Nerdmaster14h ago(Edited 14h ago)

I was talking about games with some Japanese guys here in Japan, and it seems like around here Bandai Namco has a fame of making low-quality games, with the occasional gem.

About Square Enix, I believe they lack the capacity to improve. They should learn with Capcom (although even Capcom still makes some bad mistakes), but I don't think they ever will. They keep chasing whatever is new at the time (blockchain, AI...) to say "we innovate", without considering the public perception and if these things actually improve the games or not. Them releasing too many small games with no advertising also shows a lack of trust in its own products. Even with their biggest games, like turning FF into an action game with XVI and the very divisive plot changes regarding whispers and timelines in VII Remake, shows them trying to attract a new generation of gamers without understanding what made the series so big in the first place.

shinoff218314h ago

I want a true ff7 remake. With thatcsaid I'm way happier with 7 remake then I was with ff16. I'd still prefer turn based but square keep chasing these Lil kids

Snookies1210h ago

Man, it is perfectly fine to prefer turn based. Turn based is amazing. But there's zero reason to call anyone who likes action games "lil kids". Liking one gameplay system over another does not make you more mature in any way.

VersusDMC13h ago

People love the new FF's overall...the problem is the abundance of 7's they release that lose money or make very little like diofield, star ocean divine force, Valkyrie asylum, harvestella, foam stars, etc. Advertising wouldn't have saved those games. Apparently Forespoken had a big Advertising budget but we saw how that went.

shinoff218313h ago(Edited 13h ago)

Star ocean divine force actually sold well from what I've read not ff type numbers but well enough. Was a dope game to.

FinalFantasyFanatic12h ago

Bandai Namco is going to Bandai Namco, I do believe that Square Enix can't change without changing the entire management, they've had these issues for more than a decade and haven't learnt, I have very little faith they can course correct. I'll still buy their better remasters/remakes like Star Ocean 2 though (not FF7R).

Asterphoenix10h ago

Namco is just milking the same Sword Art Online with lack of budget as well as anime IPs that don't go to decent developers like Jujutsu Kaisen and My Hero Academia. Namco deserves their losses and no future Dot Hack or Xenosaga remaster :(.

Square allocated lot of their budget on Forspoken was a mistake. Square always had management issues. Star Ocean 2 was a great remake and I found their recent entries of FF(16 and Rebirth) better than 13 and 15.
I think they were better than 360/PS3 generation where Square went really downhill.

CrimsonWing6913h ago

I don’t know why NOW they decide on this, but I guess later is better than never.

290°

Steam’s Refund Policy Change Won’t Affect You Unless You’re A Lowlife

Steam is changing its refund policy, but you probably won’t be affected

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thegamer.com
thorstein3d ago

Should have happened a long time ago. People wanting refunds after 50 hours in game.

fsfsxii2d ago

Pc gamers will take this as an excuse to pirate things

KyRo2d ago

I'm not sure why you're getting disgrees. Whilst not all PC gamers are petty, an awful lot of them are lol

Crows902d ago

Entirely untrue. Not any more petty than console gamers. The only large difference is console gamers don't have much of a choice.

Michiel19892d ago

Not sure why you're getting agrees. an awful lot of console gamers are overemotional twinks ready to go to war over a plastic box, I'll take being a pc gamer then.

Speaking about overgeneralizing much.

Nooderus2d ago

"X" type of gamer conversations are cringe

qalpha2d ago

Daily reminder that 'TheGamer' is a corporate-generated, anti-gamer, anti-consumer, clickbait web site. They are mostly A.I. generated articles that villainize gamers. They provide nothing positive and actively try to provoke and divide the community through extreme view points and politics. Do not give them any clicks.

Inverno2d ago

Only scumbags? As if people don't play their games on console put in the most amount of hours and return it to GameStop and trade it in for another game. But also how many people are actually do this? And what games have been allowed to be refunded?

DustMan2d ago

You can refund any game you've purchased as long as it hasn't been longer than two weeks, and you've played less than 2 hours. I wish they would change it to 3 hours because some RPG's have so much exposition that you may only get an hour total of complete gameplay. That's my only knock on it. I've refunded plenty of stuff I was just curious to try. I typically stay away from Early Access titles which are the only ones affected by this policy change.

Inverno2d ago

Apparently early access doesn't count, only complete games with a play early preorder bonus.

Gaming4Life19812d ago

I definitely know if I want a refund in 2 hours.

SegaSaturn6692d ago

I never liked refunding anything. Even if a film is bad, i dont want my money back. Sometimes things just aren't for me, and it's not the creator's fault necessarily.

Gaming4Life19812d ago

I feel you and i have never walked out on a bad movie cause I payed my money. I also don't refund games cause I'm a gamer and I know what to buy lol. I think having a digital refund is great.

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