Sunset Overdrive is Insomniac Games’ hidden gem. Spyro was what put them on the map, Ratchet and Clank is the series that brought them widespread recognition, and Marvel’s Spider-Man brought them more success than ever before, but Xbox exclusive Sunset Overdrive deserves way more credit and attention- because it was an incredible game, and which wasn’t really reflected in how it fared in terms of sales and mainstream success.
Fans of the game have been calling for a sequel for some time, and with Insomniac Games and the Sunset Overdrive IP both being owned by Sony, one has to wonder whether a sequel is going to come anytime soon. That questions had yet to be answered, but Marcus Smith, who was creative director on the original (and is serving in the same role as the upcoming Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart) says he would love to return to that property.
Speaking in an interview with GQ, Smith said that there’s “nothing stopping” Insomniac from doing a sequel, though the developer, he says, has “a lot of really exciting things in our future” that it seems they might want to focus on first.
“I mean, never say never is my approach,” Smith said. “Obviously, we’re part of Sony now, but we own the IP and so there’s nothing really stopping us other than we have a lot of really exciting things in our future.”
When asked if he personally would like to return to Sunset Overdrive, he said: “I would. I think there are a lot of stories that can be told in that universe and I would love to return to it. I had a lot of fun making that game.”
One would think that Spider-Man will take priority for Insomniac above all else, while Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is also on the horizon, but hopefully, the developer will decide to go back to Sunset Overdrive in the not-so-distant future as well. With the original’s game director Drew Murray also having recently rejoined Insomniac, hopefully he and Smith will be teaming up once again for a sequel soon enough.
For what it’s worth, Sony recently registered a trademark for Sunset Overdrive. Read more on that through here.