In another tidbit from IGN's interview with Phil Spencer, the Xbox Head commented on why cult-classic Sunset Overdrive never received a sequel prior to developer Insomniac Games being acquired by Sony. His answer revolved around the difficulty of launching in the early days of Xbox One:
"I think there are some really good games that shipped on Xbox One that, at the time, didn't find their right place in kind of gaming lore, because they got caught up in a lot of the noise around the platform...and some of the questions that people had. And, you know, I don't love that. I think a lot about that as we go forward. I think Sunset Overdrive is a great game and people should go play it."
In a follow-up, Spencer brought Ryse: Son of Rome into the conversation. Ryse was a launch title for Xbox One back in November 2013, renowned for its graphical quality, and Spencer showed his appreciation for the game, later noting how important backwards compatibility can prove for games that find their audience over time:
"I thought Ryse as a launch game for Xbox One was a beautiful game...as a launch game to show off the graphical fidelity of the console, I thought the Crytek team did an incredible job, and some of those games did get caught up in some of the noise around our platform..."
"And it's cool to see as time's gone by, and I think a lot of platforms do this, where people will go back and they'll identify things that maybe at the time felt noisy, but then after all that noise dies down they're remembered for being really great games, and that's why our back compat program is so important to us, because there are games where they actually find their audience later, for many different reasons."
Do you wish there was a Sunset Overdrive 2? Tell us what you thought of the original game in the comments.
[source uk.ign.com]
Comments 13
One of my favorite games of this gen. It's sad we may never see a sequel to it.
Not so much Sunset Overdrive 2, as much as I enjoyed it, but a Ryse 2 would have been great. I really, really enjoyed Ryse
I loved Ryse! Microsoft just needs to buy Crytek & make this happen. So much potential there.
I really loved both, but Ryse in particular would have benefited from a good sequel.
So much love for Ryse! It's my favourite of the two as well. But I enjoyed Sunset.
I had some fun with Sunset Overdrive. Wasn’t my favorite game of all time but a fun game nonetheless.
@Alanmurilo22 Well if we do see a sequel to Sunset it will be on a Sony console, unless Xbox makes some sort of deal. I mean starting next yet MLB: The Show will be coming to Xbox
@Tasuki Didn't the MLB force Sony's hands over that though?
@Link41x Yeah. But that does prove that even though it's a Sony developer there is a slim chance that it could come to Xbox.
@Tasuki I would think if Sony were to port a game anywhere it would be Steam, but who really knows in these crazy times we live in.
It's a shame we never got a sequel to Sunset Overdrive. I'm a big fan of Insomniac and that game, along with Forza Horizon 2, was the main reason I got the system in 2014 rather than waiting until Rise of the Tomb Raider the following year. It had a feeling of Crackdown mixed with Ratchet & Clank and the over-the-top humor Insomniac is known for thrown into the mix, and it was highly enjoyable because of all that.
Sadly, it didn't sell and like Spencer said, a lot of that had to do with the 'noise' around the console and that was largely MS' fault. I also don't think it helped that many of Insomniac's games found success on PlayStation and fans on that console weren't willing to move just for one game. I'd like to think Sony would do something with the IP but we can't even get a new Resistance so my hopes aren't high.
I also liked Ryse and it will run like a dream on Series X. I noticed the difference on Xbox One X although the game wasn't enhanced. Combat is fun and the visuals are awesome, a sequel with a bit more variety would be great. I own Sunset Overdrive too but haven't played it yet. It looks fun though.
@Link41x
That's the speculation but it's never been confirmed that MLB forced Sony's hand. MLB The Show has existed since 2006 and Sony has been publishing exclusive MLB games since the PS1 days. All the sudden the MLB cares now? I have a hard time believing that.
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