Insomniac confirms it won't make more Resistance games

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 26 January, 2012

Developer moves on from PlayStation exclusive shooter series.

Insomniac has confirmed it will not make any more Resistance games.

Insomniac boss Ted Price told VG247, "We won't be making any more Resistances."

Price's comments confirm the suggestion that Insomniac - now working on Overstrike for EA and smaller games for its new Insomniac Click division - was done with the PlayStation exclusive shooter series following comments from creative director Marcus Smith in August last year.

"I loved the Spyro the Dragon series when [Insomniac] did that. I didn't work there at the time, and I was bummed when they didn't work on the fourth game, but ultimately, I think it was healthy for them to move on. I think that's what we're seeing here," Smith said at the time.

"We've done Resistance 3 and we're really into it and proud of it, but we're not currently slated to do a Resistance 4. So it would be hard to say it's any kind of lynchpin within Insomniac. I think we're thriving and branching out in a lot of different directions."

He added: ""We've got a lot of different places for the universe to go, so I could certainly see the series going to another developer. I'm sure Sony would want to find a high calibre developer to do a good offering. I don't think they'd hand the franchise over to somebody who is going to screw it up."

"We recognise we have a very loyal fanbase among Sony players, and we love them," Price told Eurogamer at E3 2011 in June.

"We're definitely dedicated to them. However, we've always wanted to reach out to an even broader audience. The Xbox 360 audience has been a viable, vibrant audience for a long time. This was just a chance to do that."

Insomniac has been a PlayStation-exclusive developer for 15 years. Overstrike, due out on Xbox 360 as well as PlayStation 3, is its first multiplatform game.

Nihilistic is creating a Resistance Vita game. Sony Bend made Resistance Retribution on PSP. Which studio will Sony task with creating Resistance 4, should it decide to do so?

Resistance 3 sold 180,000 units during its first month on sale in the US, according to NPD.

That was a significant drop-off compared to Resistance 2's 385,000 first month total back in November 2008. Resistance 2 went on to sell around three million copies worldwide.

Resistance 3, which picked up a healthy 8/10 from Eurogamer on release, debuted at number four in the UK charts in September, behind Dead Island and Warhammer 40K: Space Marine. It entered the US monthly chart at number seven, behind Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Dead Island and Gears of War 3.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (56) Latest comment 4 weeks ago

  • wizlon #1 4 weeks ago

    Resistance 3 was pretty amazing (much better than 2 which was a bit gash) good to let the series go out on a high I think.

  • MattEdWithCheese #2 4 weeks ago

    @whiityp well done...

  • GamesProgrammer Verified Games Team Programmer, Eutechnyx Ltd. #3 4 weeks ago

    Seems a shame just as they really turned things around with 3, but i expect Sony might carry it on, theres already a Vita game on the horizon, possibly it will just turn into a handheld series tho.

  • Kangoo #4 4 weeks ago

    It's a real shame as I think Insomniac had got the right balance for the SP campaign in Resistance 3 and would have been good to see where they could have gone with the 4th game. Guess people wern't so forgiving after the terrible R2 hence the poor sales.

  • Kanselier #5 4 weeks ago

    Good for them. And I do not mean this in the negative way. After several years of Resistance they "deserve" something else. My suggestion: more Ratchet & Clank :3

  • streetmagix #6 4 weeks ago

    :(

  • uknortherner2000 #7 4 weeks ago

    @whiityp Seriously, what's the fucking point?

    Morons who make these stupid "first!" comments should be banned from Eurogamer IMHO.
    Edited by 1 at 26/01/12 @ 11:17

  • darkmorgado #8 4 weeks ago

    @uknortherner2000

    Agreed. At least it's a good way for other users to separate the dribbling retards from the other posters.

  • Alex_V #9 4 weeks ago

    Substandard series of games - a shame it took three games to realise this. Hope they move onto something more interesting.

  • ShiftyGeezer #10 4 weeks ago

    RFOM was good. Didn't like R2 and that killed the series for me. Plus I feel technically Insomniac were left behind in the crowded shooter market. Lots of better alternatives. Makes sense to move on to something they can do better.

  • FireMonkey #11 4 weeks ago

    If the trailer is anything to go by (usually not), then Overstrike is looking pretty good. Good luck to them going multi-platform.

  • Monkeyspoon #12 4 weeks ago

    I think insomniac will regret going multiplatform. If they do something stupid like give the 360 exclusive content then they will lose their Sony fan base and it will finish them. They are good devs but not amazing like naughty dog are.

  • flaming.carrot #13 4 weeks ago

    Shame as Resistance 3 was pretty great and was totally overlooked. Whilst it is not the most advanced shooter I found it a more entertaining and enjoyable romp than the recent Call of Duty's, Battlefield 3 and Killzone 3.
    Edited by 3 at 26/01/12 @ 11:33

  • BOBBYLUPO #14 4 weeks ago

    Hardly surprising, R2 soured a lot of people (myself included) with its pap-ness. They REALLY turned it round with part 3 though. Picked it up cheap and it's seriously good.

  • FireMonkey #15 4 weeks ago

    @Monkeyspoon - " If they do something stupid like give the 360 exclusive content then they will lose their Sony fan base and it will finish them."

    I doubt it. They aren't going to loose their entire fan-base just because of some exclusive content. If they lose any customers because of it I doubt it will matter because they will gain much more new customers on the 360.

    All they need to do is make sure the game is good.
    Edited by 2 at 26/01/12 @ 11:41

  • mastablasta #16 4 weeks ago

    Next stop that terrible franchise Killzone as that's not a hit with the masses either.

  • menage #17 4 weeks ago

    AHHHHWWWW

    They finally got it right and they quit. R3 was one of the better shooters of last year, better than CoD/ BF anyway.

    Rather stop making stupid Ratchet move spinoffs. And make a real new Ratchet.
    Edited by 3 at 26/01/12 @ 11:49

  • BigDannyH #18 4 weeks ago

    It's a shame as R3 was easily my favourite shooter last year. Not having regenerating health made the battles genuinely tense at some points as I darted between cover looking for a health pack.

    However I do think it's good for developers to try something new. Personally I'd rather another studio didn't pick it up and maybe in 4-5 years Insomniac bring it back.

    I'm always far more interested in a straight-up sequel when it's been at least 3 years since the last one. The yearly updated games become stale. It's not so bad for games that prioritise MP but even they become boring quickly when they don't make enough changes to the formula.

  • coolbritannia #19 4 weeks ago

    No loss really, the Resistance games were pretty naff.

  • camo_kill #20 4 weeks ago

    Resistance 3 is a really, really good game and I implore people to buy it. In my opinion it's the best single player FPS experience on PS3.

    The series doesn't need saving or ressurected, but the third game needs the sales it deserved.

  • DUFFKING #21 4 weeks ago

    Especially considering that I thought Resistance 2 was pretty horrendous, Resistance 3 is a great game.

  • captain_mailinator #22 4 weeks ago

    Just out of interest, if you have never played the first two, can you just jump straight into the third and get a general gist of what is going on? Would it detract from the experience if you haven't played the first two?

  • kangarootoo #23 4 weeks ago

    I'll add my 2p to the growing pile. R3 was fantastic, a genuinely strong single player story driven FPS. The most "this reminds me of HL2" type game I'd played since HL2.

    Ending on a high seems fair, but it is a shame as they really seemed to hit a new stride with R3. It is a shame the sales didn't match those of the previous iteration, as it was so much better.

  • kangarootoo #24 4 weeks ago

    And I can never unstand why people get so upset at "first" posts. Yes they are pointless, but of all the things to get annoyed by?...

  • MrsPacMan #25 4 weeks ago

    Agreed!! 29th woohoo!!

  • kangarootoo #26 4 weeks ago

    @gotyourmoney

    Yeah, its almost like a meme these days. I'm not sure anyone does it without a sarcastic nod toward some unspoken long running joke. And yet some people still go MENTAL over it, like we are going to run out of internet if people waste it, or have to cut down more trees or something.

  • DrStrangelove #27 4 weeks ago

    @uknortherner2000

    Don't be so harsh with them, they want to feel like someone once in their lives too.

  • Lee_Morris #28 4 weeks ago

    Such a shame as R3 was defiantly a step in the right (and unique) direction. I played through the whole game in a day last week. Even though I think the games loses steam in the final third, the first two are pretty great.

  • beatwolf #29 4 weeks ago

    Good. Stop while things are looking good. Exemplary behaviour from this developer. Some of the other money-grobbing uncreative bastards in this business could learn from that.

  • makariel #30 4 weeks ago

    After working so long on "Resistance" on the PS3, maybe they want a fresh new IP like "Opposition" on the Xbox?

  • -cerberus- #31 4 weeks ago

    Excellent. Now make something that doesn't involve firing a gun and I just might buy it.

  • DozyKipper #32 4 weeks ago

    I can't even remember what happened at the end. Did all the Chimera get killed?

  • kinky_mong #33 4 weeks ago

    ...and not a tear was shed.

  • sugarbaron #34 4 weeks ago

    Very underrated series imo and I've enjoyed all 3 Resistance games far more than the overhyped Killzone gash.

  • BOBBYLUPO #35 4 weeks ago

    @captain_mailinator I'd say so. There's a recap at the start of 3 but the story so far is fairly threadbare: aliens wipe out man in the 50s, basically.

  • Hindle #36 4 weeks ago

    I'll always have a special place for the first Resistance as it's the only FPS in the history of the genre that has a level set in Grimsby, you don't ned some war torn middle eastern country when you have Grimsby.
    Edited by 2 at 26/01/12 @ 13:38

  • Darren #37 4 weeks ago

    I mostly enjoyed the first Resistance, found the second initially good but quickly got bored of it and I never bothered with the third at all as I didn't think much to either of the demos. I can't say that I'll miss the series at all as it was a fairly generic first-person shooter IMO with very little originality or interesting ideas of its own.

  • Mister-Wario #38 4 weeks ago

    Thank God for that. I mean, Resistance is a solid shooter, but little more than that: it's enjoyable, and well put together, but it rarely pushes the envelope with its world like Spyro or Ratchet and Clank did.

    Overstrike looks good, but it definitely seems to be taking a lot of cues from the likes of TF2 and L4D. Which is fine, but I hope Insomniac don't abandon their earlier genres. I'd love at least one more Ratchet game. And a new Spyro game, but obviously that's not going to happen.

  • Daeltaja #39 4 weeks ago

    Good, we already have 3 of them.

    Something new and fresh, please!

  • Obli #40 4 weeks ago

    More new IP! Insomniac are very talented. They came up trumps with the then new IP Resistance. Time for something fresh!

  • kaufmann #41 4 weeks ago

    rezis'taas

  • gooner77 #42 4 weeks ago

    R3 had a very good single player but the online was laggy and crap. would like to see more ratchet and clank though

  • wattsn26 #43 4 weeks ago

    All I ask of Insomniac is that they demo the game on PS3, far too many developers these days demo their games on the 360.

    Resistance 1, 2 and especially 3 were all great. I don't understand any of the hate R2 got, it was the 2nd game I got for the PS3 and I loved it

  • Cloud9 #44 4 weeks ago

    Cool, Insomniac are a talented bunch will be interesting to see what they do next. Resistence 1 was great and 2 was ok (2 really needed co-op for me) and haven't got round to playing 3.

    Good to see a series not get milked too much as well...

  • cheeky-sod #45 4 weeks ago

    Dont blame them. They wernt very good. And to think people compared them to gears of war series and to say resistance was better, the fuck!?!?!

  • evnewell #46 4 weeks ago

    Good luck, Insomniac. I bought resistance 1 & 2 - I bought ratchet and clank TOD and crack in time. Your reputation had carried over from your PS2 days, but undeservedly so. I've been very disappointed with everything you've released this generation, and I will never purchase any of your games in the future.

    Overrated, mediocre developer.

  • Fantomex #47 4 weeks ago

    Fewer FPS games? Great news. I'd like Insomniac to try something new. I think we've seen enough of Ratchet & Clank now.

  • silversun #48 4 weeks ago

    I know we still have long time games like resident evil tomb raider, final fantasy and GTA and hopefully they stay around a long time but some of the newer large games like gears of war , mass effect and maybe even assasins creed feel like they are coming to a natural end (at least there first versions of them - they will probley still make theses games, who knows.)
    So this news about resistance should maybe be seen in same light.
    The teams that make these games can go on to make something new but just as great and hopefully get more support from fans.

  • cloudskipa #49 4 weeks ago

    You cannot blame them when PS3 owners do not put their money where their mouth is when spouting off how great these exclusives are as this sold terribly. Losing their "fanbase" doesn't mean too much it seems.

  • michael.eddie.t #50 4 weeks ago

    I don't know why they would want to make games for the 360. All the 360 gamers did was talk shit about Resistance, calling it inferior to Halo. Plus, they don't respect games like Ratchet and Clank, as you can see with Microsoft's handling of Rare.

    I don't know why you would support a system who's users don't respect your work. Just saying.

    BTW, I own a 360, but understand it is not built for the genius games of Insomniac.

  • Mister-Wario #51 4 weeks ago

    @evnewell Oh, come on. A Crack in Time was pretty good. Interesting weapons, time travel puzzles...it wasn't my favourite Ratchet and Clank game but I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy it. It wasn't DREADFUL.

  • Scimarad #52 4 weeks ago

    I'm a Resistance fan but I think it's time they left it. It's just a shame that the ending to R3 was such a total cop-out and just didn't ring true.

  • albo #53 4 weeks ago

    "However, we've always wanted to reach out to an even broader audience"

    sigh

  • cloudskipa #54 4 weeks ago

    @spacedelete This gen has been host to some of the best platformers yet seen. Especially on the Wii and if compared to Mario Galaxy 1/2 Crack in Time is pretty average and extremely repetitive, that was my biggest gripe with it anyway.. Banjo Kazooie N&B and Kameo are good games on 360.

  • riseer #55 4 weeks ago

    Sony has alot of great first party devs for the job.I do think it's time to take a break from Resistance for now.
    Edited by 1 at 28/01/12 @ 04:07

  • Architect_z #56 4 weeks ago

    Loved Resistance and Resistance 2. I will get round to Resistance 3 at some stage.
    Atleast you guys didnt make Resistance: Modern Threat and copy COD or something. ^_^