Last year brought us a new console generation with the launch of the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. It’s a new and exciting time with lots of new technologies for developers to take advantage of, and we’re sure to be seeing lots of innovations and new game designs as time goes on. First party developers will be on those frontlines, and one of them is seeing the new systems as a big shift to how they do things.
Speaking to GamesRadar, Insomniac’s Marcus Smith, creative director of the upcoming Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, spoke about how Sony’s new system has led to big shift in how they are looking at development with the platformer. The game was recently confirmed to be a PS5 exclusive, not cross-gen, and Smith said that the SSD, new 3D audio, and the leap in visuals has really jettisoned the studio forward.
“Insomniac is so out of control that several of our designers are wanted across several star clusters,” Smith said. “It has been an incredibly rewarding process of learning to shed outdated ‘best practice’ that has been in place due to constraints of loading times. While so often new hardware feels like an upgrade to visuals alone, working on the PS5 has been a paradigm shift in the way we do all things, from the near-instant level loading to 3D audio design, and yes, an enormous leap in visuals. It’s exciting to think that we’re still so early in the lifecycle and everyone is just scratching the surface of what can be done. So excited to know it’s only going to get crazier!”
Rift Apart was an early showcase title for how the new SSD can change design with its impressive use of portals jumping between various worlds. The game will be out sometime in 2021, and you can see some gameplay footage through here.