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Forums - Sony Discussion - Sony Trademarks Sunset Overdrive

Otter on 04 May 2021
Random_Matt said:

MS owns the IP actually. Believe they can make a sequel, but that is it.

The chances of Sony filing a trademark for their competitors IP is zero. 



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Random_Matt on 04 May 2021
DonFerrari said:
Random_Matt said:

MS owns the IP actually. Believe they can make a sequel, but that is it.

Nope they don't, not even when they developed.

The reason it launched on Xbox instead of PS was exactly because Sony wanted to own the IP to pay for the development, MS wanted only the exclusivity. Even when the purchase of Insomniac was revealed it was said that the SO IP was from Insomniac.

If Sony trademarked another company property it would be a big issue.

Fair enough.



G2ThaUNiT on 04 May 2021

This game is CRIMINALLY underrated! It was such a blast to play, and I'm hoping it gets a remaster for PS5 to get a second chance at life, and sells well enough for Sony to see it as a viable franchise.



Leynos on 04 May 2021

I'll give it a go on PS4



Bite my shiny metal cockpit!

Fei-Hung on 04 May 2021

Was curious about this game. Insomniac usually nail gameplay so I shall wait and see if this sees the light of day.



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Runa216 on 04 May 2021

I do hope it gets a rerelease or a remaster on PS4/5. I got it on Xbox one as one of the few games I ever got on that system but never played it. It was one of those situations where I never turned the system on so I never thought to play it until long after it was no longer relevant and I'd accumulated a backlog on Ps4. Now, with it coming to the Playstation - the consoles I regularly use almost daily and am already active on - then perhaps I'll give it another shot! It did look fun, and I do love Insomniac, so that would be nice!



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Otter on 05 May 2021
shikamaru317 said:

I'm not sure if I can dare let myself get hopeful over this. On the one hand, this could be signaling an intent to make a sequel. On the other hand, it could just be them renewing the trademark to prevent somebody from stealing it.

Potential Evidence for a Sequel

  • Insomniac did an interview saying they still wanted to make Sunset Overdrive 2 just 2 or 3 months before Sony announced they had acquired Insomniac
  • Sunset Overdrive co-creative director Drew Murray left his position as the Lead Designer at The Initiative on their Perfect Dark reboot to return to Insomniac back in February.
  • Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart is about to release, so the timing lines up well with that team moving on to work on Sunset Overdrive 2 next, as the Sunset Overdrive 1 team and the Ratchet & Clank team are mainly the same team, Sunset Overdrive co-Creative Director Marcus Smith is creative director on Rift Apart for instance

Potential Evidence that it's Simply Sony Protecting their Trademark

  • When Sony acquired Insomniac in August 2019, Shawn Layden said that Sunset Overdrive was not a priority for Sony,and that they would be focusing their attention fully on Spider-Man and Ratchet & Clank in the future (though it's worth noting that Shawn Layden is no longer head of Sony Worldwide Studios, he left just 1 month after Insomniac was acquired and was replaced by Hernan Hulst)

I suspect they would do a port and see how it does before greenlighting a sequel, but that port must be on its way. I just can't see why they wouldn't, even if it meant outsourcing it. It'll be an easy 2million seller on the PS4/5 userbase and for what is essentially pennies.



Manlytears on 05 May 2021

if they want to keep working on Sunset Overdrive they should just forget about the first game and make a "Reboot". Make something new, better than ever.



DonFerrari on 05 May 2021
shikamaru317 said:
Otter said:

I suspect they would do a port and see how it does before greenlighting a sequel, but that port must be on its way. I just can't see why they wouldn't, even if it meant outsourcing it. It'll be an easy 2million seller on the PS4/5 userbase and for what is essentially pennies.

I’m not sure that they can do a port or remaster of the first game. My understanding is that Microsoft got exclusive publishing rights to the first game in the series, even though Insomniac maintained ownership of the IP, so Sony would presumably need to work out some kind of mutually beneficial deal with Microsoft to get the first game on PS4/PS5. What such a deal would be, I have no idea. Maybe allowing a remaster of the first game to release on both Xbox Series and PS5?

That was possibly limited to that gen, plus if making it SO Remake or whatever it could be a loophole. But yes since we don't have knowledge of the contract even though the IP belongs to Sony now it may be a case of they not being able to port the original even as remaster or remake to PS5.



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Oneeee-Chan!!! on 09 May 2021
Manlytears said:

if they want to keep working on Sunset Overdrive they should just forget about the first game and make a "Reboot". Make something new, better than ever.

Sony may be thinking of selling Sunset Overdrive in  Epicstore.