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Sony Regrets Losing Insomniac But Soldiers Forth

It's true that Insomniac is no longer part of the PlayStation family, but Sony says it "ain't the end of the world."

In speaking with OPM UK , Sony Computer Entertainment Europe President and CEO Jim Ryan spoke about losing the Resistance developer as an exclusive PlayStation team. Remember, Insomniac did nothing but support the PlayStation brand since 1996, and we all remember the great Ratchet & Clank series as well as the Resistance franchise this generation.

But Insomniac recently struck out on its own and announced their first multiplatform project, Overstrike , which will come to both the PS3 and Xbox 360. And while Ryan admits Sony would still want Insomniac under their umbrella, he still said Sony is doing just fine without them. They're still friends but given the "strength of Sony's internal studios at the moment," Ryan says losing Insomniac "ain't the end of the world by any means." Well, that's understandable.

But we still say, the more exclusive projects, the better. It gives teams a chance to focus on one platform and in general, we get that extra level of polish, refinement, and in some cases, innovation. By the way, where the heck is more info on Overstrike ? What happened to that game after it was announced…? What's going on?

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Condemnedsoul23
Condemnedsoul23
12 years ago

🙁

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
12 years ago

I also regret that Sony didn't buy them.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
12 years ago

It wasn't for the lack of Trying. Insomniac preferred to remain independent.

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
12 years ago

I didn't realize that.

OK, then I'll just change my wording to reflect that fact….

"I also regret that Sony couldn't buy them".


Last edited by BikerSaint on 12/3/2011 12:34:34 PM

Excelsior1
Excelsior1
12 years ago

I am sure they do but it's obvious why this happened. The Resistance series never was really a big seller.

NoSmokingBandit
NoSmokingBandit
12 years ago

They should have stuck with just Ratchet and Clank or something like it. Its a phenomenal series and its a great break from the constant bleak, gray games everyone else likes to make. I feel like Insomniac started to lose their charm when they followed everyone else instead of making fun, quirky games like they had before.


Last edited by NoSmokingBandit on 12/2/2011 9:49:27 PM

Lairfan
Lairfan
12 years ago

As I recall, Resistance: Fall of Man was the first multimillion-selling game on the PS3. How's that not selling well?

But if you're talking about the sequels, I understand.

Laguna
Laguna
12 years ago

Resistance 3 in particular did not sell well as of late. Resistance 2 sold less than 1. Resistance 3 sold less than 2 and 1.

I think they ruined lots of momentum for Resistance with Resistance 2. That game was a disaster.

Jawknee
Jawknee
12 years ago

Ratchet and Clank is the only series they make that I like. Never cared for Resistance. I tried to but I couldn't get into it. Even their new multiplat game doesn't look that great to be quite honest.

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
12 years ago

NoSmokingBandit,

Ha, after seeing who's your sig, I though you would have said…..
"instead of making fun, Quark-y games like they had before" LOL

playaplus
playaplus
12 years ago

spyro was never the same w/o them sigh… Anyways, I tried a ratchet demo…I think it was A crack in time. Enjoyed it, not enough to toss money at the game thou. Resistance…well…1st one was the best…2nd one…eh…3rd…it was ok…i at best….single player that is…well and co op too…basically the same thing lol. MP was fun for a while. Havent played it in a few weeks but I just shuffle my play time between games. im still at 1st renmant i think lol

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

Not interested in Overstrike at all, and its got nothing to do with the multiplat status. It's sad that Resistance 3 bombed but this new one will probably bomb too by the looks of it. Insomniac is in big trouble these days and they are going to need something more original to get back on top.

Looking Glass
Looking Glass
12 years ago

Well, I don't know about Resistance 3 "bombing". I think it's still a bit too soon to make that call. Let's wait until well after the Holiday season and see what happens.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
12 years ago

no, it bombed.

Lairfan
Lairfan
12 years ago

Looks to me like no matter what they try anymore their games aren't gonna sell well. I doubt making a more original game is gonna help them at all tbh.


Last edited by Lairfan on 12/4/2011 4:02:28 PM

CheddarClyde
CheddarClyde
12 years ago

Yeah, it's disappointing (especially after seeing Overstrike and how fun and unique it looks) but understandable. After playing thru Tools of Destruction, I've always though of Insominac as the Pixar of the gaming world. I just hope going multiplat pays off for them financially as they are a great studio that takes genuine care in the making of games.

PasteNuggs
PasteNuggs
12 years ago

I thought Insomniac said they still want to continue there partnership with Sony along with making multiplat games? I'm probably one of the biggest Resistance fans around and I'm sad that the series is probably done with. I don't know why the games didn't sell better but they should have.

TheHighlander
TheHighlander
12 years ago

They did say that, sort of, and nothing said in this instance contradicts that. However, Insmoniac didn't ant to become part of the Sony family, and remained independent. I for one think that is their loss. If you look at Evolution studios the guys behind MotorStorm. Sony kept the faith with them despite the poor results that MotorStorm 3 received. Insomniac would have benefited greatly from that kind of shelter. I'm not saying they are in trouble, but the truth is that if they do not have critical success with a game, they are something of a one trick pony with one project at a time. So a project that is not a success really amounts to a failure for them.

sirbob6
sirbob6
12 years ago

I think we will get a couple more Resistances on the Vita, thankfully.

Yukian
Yukian
12 years ago

I was trying to remember the name of that multiplat game a while back 'cause, IDK why, the music of the trailer was on my head. Good thing this news came up! 😀

___________
___________
12 years ago

shame they did not want to go first party, i think they would of been a WHOLE lot better off!
i honestly cant see overstrike doing too well on the 360.

eLLeJuss
eLLeJuss
12 years ago

I am pretty sure insomniac is gonna start failing now… Overstrike?? lololol. I dont mean to be harsh but do they really think going multiplatform is gonna give them more fanbase? IMO their move just made there games a little bit less appealing compared to if they stayed with sony.

Beamboom
Beamboom
12 years ago

I think it is cool of them wanting to stay independent. Kudos to them for that. If I were a dev at their place I'd be real proud of my bosses/boards decision.

xnonsuchx
xnonsuchx
12 years ago

And it's not like they can make a multi-platform R&C since Sony owns all(?) of Insomniac's game rights up until now.

tridon
tridon
12 years ago

Imagine… Activision calls up Insomniac, says, "We here you're playing in the multi-platform sandbox these days. We were wondering if you'd be interested… in developing a new Spyro the Dragon game. What say you?"

😉

xnonsuchx
xnonsuchx
12 years ago

Toys for Bob is making a new SPYRO game (cross-platform).

Robochic
Robochic
12 years ago

It sucks but Sony has ND and many others, Insominac just needs to figure they crap out like World said. I never played the 3rd installment of R3 i want too but waiting for a good sale i loved the first one but second one i was super annoyed with but they are stil fun to play but not worth the 69.99 price tag.

Laguna
Laguna
12 years ago

Also its worth noting that Insomniac has alot on their plate. This could be bad.

Look at Naughty Dog. They have two year cycles and created the newest and most successful addition of the PlayStation family.

Insomniac had 1 year cycles and they initially started strong with the fantastic Resistance 1 and Ratchet tools, their followups changed too much to be like COD (Resistance 2, oh it was ugly as hell too) or they changed too little and got lost in the shuffle (Ratchet and Clank Crack).

They even got usurped by Guerilla Games with Killzone! In a few years Insomniac went from top of the line for sony to bottom of the barrel!

Ratchet and Clank All 4 one people say is rushed and buggy, Resistance 3 seems great but too little too late.

You need momentum, and Naughty Dog kept it. Guerilla Games fumbled it and Insomniac blew it.

saintaqua
saintaqua
12 years ago

Does this mean the Ratchet games will be pumped out and ruined like the Crash and Spyro series were? Or has that happened already?

Sadly though, I think this will hurt Insomniac more than help them.

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