Jubenhimer
Member
Insomniac Games, now a subsidiary of Sony Interactive Entertainment, is known for making games that have a unique style, great sense of world-building, and crazy weapons along with level design and gameplay designed around those elements. They delivered 2 of PlayStation's biggest icons, Spyro the Dragon, and Ratchet & Clank, and even recently, they've shown they've still got much of the same magic with the PS4 Spider-Man game. But there was one massive blunder in the studio's otherwise, solid track record with action games, the multiplatform Co-Op shooter, FUSE.
FUSE was one of Insomniac's first attempts at creating an IP that didn't fall under the jurisdiction of Sony, seeing an opportunity, they struck a deal with EA to develop a multiplatform title as part of the short-lived "Partners Program" where EA will publish a game from an independent AAA studio, but allows that studio to keep the IP. This was perfect for Insomniac as that meant they could finally make a game that they can truly call, "their own".
At E3 2011, Insomniac revealed the existence of their EA project as Overstrike, a Co-Op shooter presented in the same campy style as Ratchet & Clank, but following a group of trouble-making mercenaries blasting their way through a comic-book romp of bad guys.
The trailer received a lot of praise from critics and gamers alike, and many were excited at what the final game would look like... Behind the scenes however, there was an air of uncertainty among the development team. During the game's development, Insomniac and EA ran several focus tests comprised of gamers in the 12 to 34 year old age group which, at the time, was the demographic most sought after by major publishers. Insomniac thought the game initially, would skew a little older, but it turns out the response wasn't glowing from anybody. Here's what creative director, Brian Allgeier said about the tests.
In the end, the Overstrike that was originally promised, was cancelled, and in its place we got... Uh, this...
The game was re-booted as "FUSE" and now sported a darker, gritter, and more violent tone based on the data Insomniac gathered from its focus tests. Interest in the game after its re-vamp sharply dwindled. Not only did the game end up looking incredibly dull and lifeless now, but once it actually did release, it ended up being a rushed, mediocre, and unpolished mess, a far-cry from the tight and smooth gameplay that Insomniac is usually known for. FUSE was a bomb, both critically and commercially, and was quickly forgotten by the time we moved into the 8th generation, and Insomniac had moved on to much better projects like Sunset Overdrive for the Xbox One, and the aforementioned Spider-Man. So what went wrong? Well a few things IMO.
The focus tests that Insomniac ran, included the opinions of 12 year olds. And there's your first problem, what the fuck does a 12 year old know about maturity? THEY'RE 12! Of course they're gonna say stupid shit like that. Young adolescent males want to be seen as more mature and edgier than they really are, thus they'll gravitate towards anything that could be deemed as "innapropriate for young children". Also, why are 12 year olds even being focus tested for an M-rated game in the first place? Kind of says a lot about the industry's attitude towards ESRB ratings when you think about it.
Now focus groups aren't bad on their own. When used well, they can be a handy tool in gathering data on whether or not the product has potential with your target consumer. But that's all they really are, a tool. They're meant to be a first impression for your audience, to see if its something that could interest them, not the final arbiter of success or failure. The problem with focus groups is that the data you get isn't the most reliable. Because people are required to actually give their opinions to complete strangers they never met, working on a game they've never heard of before, people in your focus groups are more susceptible to their own insecurities, especially 12 year old boys. As Jimquisition once put it in his video, "People know what they want, but they don't tell you what they want."
Second Problem, regardless of its quality, the game was released too late in the PS3 and Xbox 360's life cycle. FUSE Came out in North America on May 28th, 2013, 4 months after the PS4's reveal, and the same month as the Xbox One's reveal. The next generation was only a few months away from launch, and not many people were excited over a last-gen exclusive AAA game. Considering the rushed, glitchy state the game launched in, you'd think Insomniac would delay the game by another year or two to polish up the gameplay, and incorporate the next gen platforms to reach a wider audience. I could forgive the shift in tonal direction for FUSE if the game was at least up to Insomniac's usual standard of quality. But we instead got a rushed game, with an ugly aesthetic released exclusively for a console generation already in its sunset phase.
FUSE was misstep for Insomniac, a harsh failure the company seems keen to make sure never happens again. With the new PlayStation ownership, I think Insomniac understands why they're better off at Sony than striking out on their own. Most of their best games were PlayStation exclusives, and Sony has always been a strong supporter of Insomniacs strengths. Insomniac learned the hard way the importance of believing in your own creative vision. Because if you let your creative work be dictated solely by the whims of Pre-teen boys, you get games like FUSE.
FUSE was one of Insomniac's first attempts at creating an IP that didn't fall under the jurisdiction of Sony, seeing an opportunity, they struck a deal with EA to develop a multiplatform title as part of the short-lived "Partners Program" where EA will publish a game from an independent AAA studio, but allows that studio to keep the IP. This was perfect for Insomniac as that meant they could finally make a game that they can truly call, "their own".
At E3 2011, Insomniac revealed the existence of their EA project as Overstrike, a Co-Op shooter presented in the same campy style as Ratchet & Clank, but following a group of trouble-making mercenaries blasting their way through a comic-book romp of bad guys.
The trailer received a lot of praise from critics and gamers alike, and many were excited at what the final game would look like... Behind the scenes however, there was an air of uncertainty among the development team. During the game's development, Insomniac and EA ran several focus tests comprised of gamers in the 12 to 34 year old age group which, at the time, was the demographic most sought after by major publishers. Insomniac thought the game initially, would skew a little older, but it turns out the response wasn't glowing from anybody. Here's what creative director, Brian Allgeier said about the tests.
In the end, the Overstrike that was originally promised, was cancelled, and in its place we got... Uh, this...
The game was re-booted as "FUSE" and now sported a darker, gritter, and more violent tone based on the data Insomniac gathered from its focus tests. Interest in the game after its re-vamp sharply dwindled. Not only did the game end up looking incredibly dull and lifeless now, but once it actually did release, it ended up being a rushed, mediocre, and unpolished mess, a far-cry from the tight and smooth gameplay that Insomniac is usually known for. FUSE was a bomb, both critically and commercially, and was quickly forgotten by the time we moved into the 8th generation, and Insomniac had moved on to much better projects like Sunset Overdrive for the Xbox One, and the aforementioned Spider-Man. So what went wrong? Well a few things IMO.
The focus tests that Insomniac ran, included the opinions of 12 year olds. And there's your first problem, what the fuck does a 12 year old know about maturity? THEY'RE 12! Of course they're gonna say stupid shit like that. Young adolescent males want to be seen as more mature and edgier than they really are, thus they'll gravitate towards anything that could be deemed as "innapropriate for young children". Also, why are 12 year olds even being focus tested for an M-rated game in the first place? Kind of says a lot about the industry's attitude towards ESRB ratings when you think about it.
Now focus groups aren't bad on their own. When used well, they can be a handy tool in gathering data on whether or not the product has potential with your target consumer. But that's all they really are, a tool. They're meant to be a first impression for your audience, to see if its something that could interest them, not the final arbiter of success or failure. The problem with focus groups is that the data you get isn't the most reliable. Because people are required to actually give their opinions to complete strangers they never met, working on a game they've never heard of before, people in your focus groups are more susceptible to their own insecurities, especially 12 year old boys. As Jimquisition once put it in his video, "People know what they want, but they don't tell you what they want."
Second Problem, regardless of its quality, the game was released too late in the PS3 and Xbox 360's life cycle. FUSE Came out in North America on May 28th, 2013, 4 months after the PS4's reveal, and the same month as the Xbox One's reveal. The next generation was only a few months away from launch, and not many people were excited over a last-gen exclusive AAA game. Considering the rushed, glitchy state the game launched in, you'd think Insomniac would delay the game by another year or two to polish up the gameplay, and incorporate the next gen platforms to reach a wider audience. I could forgive the shift in tonal direction for FUSE if the game was at least up to Insomniac's usual standard of quality. But we instead got a rushed game, with an ugly aesthetic released exclusively for a console generation already in its sunset phase.
FUSE was misstep for Insomniac, a harsh failure the company seems keen to make sure never happens again. With the new PlayStation ownership, I think Insomniac understands why they're better off at Sony than striking out on their own. Most of their best games were PlayStation exclusives, and Sony has always been a strong supporter of Insomniacs strengths. Insomniac learned the hard way the importance of believing in your own creative vision. Because if you let your creative work be dictated solely by the whims of Pre-teen boys, you get games like FUSE.
Last edited:
