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- A new Insomniac leak confirms Marvel takes large chunks of revenue for its licensed games.
- With PlayStation focusing on various Marvel properties, many believe Insomniac should focus on more original IPs.
- However, sales data from Ratchet & Clank shows that the developer’s original franchises have historically fallen behind the licensed games.
Update:
Following this article, updated figures for Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart showed up. The game was not sold at a loss like many initially claimed.
Still, the main point remains intact. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart made around $64 million in profit from this title, but the profits from Spider-Man and its sequel were much higher.
Original Story:
PlayStation has been on point with its first-party titles. In addition to being critical hits, the likes of God of War and The Last of Us are major commercial successes.
However, not every first-party IP is a massive hit. According to a new leak, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart was a failure for PlayStation. This is the biggest reason Insomniac relies on Marvel games.
Why it matters: Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart only sold 2.2 million units, failing to recoup development costs. This is a stark contrast from the studio’s Spider-Man games.
After reading the leaked documents David Jaffe goes into why insomniac has been relegated to being a Marvel studio. pic.twitter.com/23RqTZmrQN
— JayRock (@JAAY_ROCK_) December 19, 2023
God of War creator David Jaffe explained Insomniac’s approach. The studio was recently hit with a massive leak, leading to a roadmap appearing online, which confirmed projects like a Venom game, Spider-Man 3, and a new X-Men title.
Following the leak, fans claimed that Insomniac has practically become ‘the Marvel developer’ for Sony. The leak also contained the expensive licensing costs from Marvel, prompting fans to wonder why Sony doesn’t create original IPs.
David Jaffe explained that working with established IPs like Spider-Man is a completely different ball game. He pointed to Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, which, despite being every bit as good as Spider-Man, couldn’t even sell half of what Spider-Man 2 has already sold.
The difference is so vast, in fact, that Spider-Man 2 sold 2.5 million copies at launch, beating Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart in a single day. Therefore, there is not much reason for Insomniac to pursue original IPs.
The studio spent $81 million on Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart. On the other hand, Spider-Man Remastered had half the budget but sold nearly twice as many copies.
Following the leaks, Insomniac’s role within PlayStation appears locked in. While other developers might get a chance to work with licensed IPs here and there, the bulk of Marvel games are expected to be handled by this studio.
Despite the prevalence of these Marvel games, the God of War creator expressed dissatisfaction with this approach. Like us, he is disappointed that this busy schedule leaves little room for new IPs since the roadmap states that no original franchise is coming from the developer before 2030.
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[News Reporter]
Bawal is an MBBS student by day and a gaming journalist by night. He has been gaming since childhood, growing fond of the creativity and innovation of the industry. His career as a gaming journalist started one year ago, and his journey has allowed him to write reviews, previews, and features for various sites. Bawal has also been cited in reputed websites such as Screenrant, PCGamesN, WCCFTech, GamesRadar, and more.
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