Looking at Insomniac Games’ latest statement about Sunset Overdrive’s Xbox One exclusivity, it is becoming increasingly clear that they are not being consistent with their explanations for it.
Let’s pull it back to their initial messaging, right around the time they just released Fuse. As some fans may have forgotten, in spite of their close association with Sony, Insomniac has remained independent. They explained then that they did approach Microsoft, but did not really want to go for an exclusive arrangement, at least until they learned more about the company’s plans for Xbox One. They claimed then that Xbox One, along with Xbox Live, will allow for smoother communication with the community for the post-production development of this game, including updating weapons, characters, storyline, and even adding in memes. You can tell this early on Insomniac had weird ideas for the game.
Jumping to just last May, and via tweets to fans, Insomniac is a lot more upfront about their choice. They tell a fan that they wanted to keep ownership of the game IP, aside from what they say is Microsoft’s commitment to helping them make the game.
Jump to here and now, and Insomniac seems to have changed their tune again. This time, having introduced Chaos Squad, they tout that Xbox Live was crucial to building the infrastructure to make this mode possible. Ultimately, they reveal that they felt confident in what Microsoft was offering them with the Xbox One.
Well, as you may well be aware, Insomniac may feel confident about the offer, but they may not be as confident seeing how Playstation 4 and Xbox One have performed in the market. It’s become clear that multiplatform games are making most of their money on the Playstation 4. More importantly, we have seen previous Xbox One exclusives Ryse: Son of Rome and Dead Rising 3 make their way over to Steam.
Could Sunset Overdrive eventually make its way to Steam? Frankly, given how Microsoft’s much touted Azure servers have worked out for Titanfall, I would not be surprised if it was technically possible.
Still, the possibility remains that Sunset Overdrive will sell well on Xbox One, and that it could be the game to turn the tide. There is a lot more riding on this new IP than when it was announced. We just can’t trust Insomniac at their word right now. Let’s see how this plays out.
Sunset Overdrive is still exclusive to Xbox One, and releasing October 28.
