Following the recent devastating leak from a ransomware attack, Insomniac Games’ future has been laid out for the internet to see. Everything from in-development games to the firm’s internal, aspirational roadmap, and employee information was released by malicious operators who attempted to secure millions of dollars for the data.
In a financial document, the development costs, sales, and shares for every game Insomniac has worked on for years were revealed in full. It was noted by eagle-eyed gamers that Sunset Overdrive, the 2014 game co-developed by Insomniac Games, has netted the company just $567 in profit since it was released.
The Cost of Development
Sunset Overdrive was a bizarre, quirky, and adventurous Xbox and PC exclusive game that was released to a relatively positive reception. It didn’t take the market by storm, but it was enjoyed by gamers the world over, boasting eye-popping visuals, entertaining combat, exhilarating traversal mechanics, and a story that was equal parts inventive and tongue-in-cheek.
However, thanks to the financial document that was leaked following the recent ransomware attack, we’ve learned that it wasn’t a huge payday for Insomniac Games.
Following the development of Sunset Overdrive, which cost $42,682,135, the game sold 1,898,433 units for a total of $49,737,133. That’s not a huge difference, and after costs had been divided (considering it was also co-developed between IG and Blind Squirrel Games), Insomniac made a total of $567 from Sunset Overdrive’s entire lifecycle.
It’s a testament to the fact that a game has to typically sell exorbitant amounts for the development studio to make back what it often invests in creating it. Perhaps that’s why IG pivoted to being a Marvel studio – that’s where the money is.
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