History Trivia / SunsetOverdrive

** With ''VideoGame/Splatoon1'', Nintendo's attempt at making a wacky, colorful shooter with a TotallyRadical tone, which was revealed at ''Sunset Overdrive'''s second E3 showing. Since they were also opposing console exclusives, this was also an extension of the UsefulNotes/XboxOne vs. UsefulNotes/WiiU console battle, too. Of course, the similarities end there: on top of having different gameplay styles, ''Sunset Overdrive'' prioritized its single-player campaign over multiplayer, while ''Splatoon'' did opposite. For a bit of HilariousInHindsight though, ''VideoGame/Splatoon2'' would go on to introduce grind rails as a mechanic for its single player campaigns (plus one of its Salmon Run and Shifty Station stages).

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhk4HwR5LUM An early version of the game]] was more combat heavy, included weapon challenges, and had the traversal aspects as a separate meter.

** Sunset Overdrive was marketed and advertised as a lighthearted and irreverent game with a focus on humor and over-the-top action. However, as you mentioned, the game did include darker elements, such as the opening tutorial mission and the unsettling respawn animation, which may have created a disjointed experience for some players.

** The release of Sunset Overdrive in 2014 put it in direct competition with other highly acclaimed titles, such as ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' and ''VideoGame/VideoGame/InFamousSecondSon'' which were exclusive to the UsefulNotes/[=PlayStation 4=]. These games garnered a lot of attention and praise, potentially drawing away some of the player base that Sunset Overdrive was targeting.

** The release of Sunset Overdrive in 2014 put it in direct competition with other highly acclaimed titles, such as ''VideoGame/TheLastOfUs'' and ''InfamousSecondSon'', which were exclusive to the PlayStation 4. These games garnered a lot of attention and praise, potentially drawing away some of the player base that Sunset Overdrive was targeting.
** While Sunset Overdrive was well-received critically for its gameplay, humor, and creativity, the decision to lock a significant multiplayer component behind a paid subscription barrier could have negatively impacted the game's player base and overall sales.

Gamers may have been hesitant to purchase or engage with Sunset Overdrive if they were required to pay for an Xbox Live Gold subscription in order to access a key multiplayer mode like Chaos Squad. This additional cost could have been seen as a barrier to entry for some players, particularly those who were primarily interested in the multiplayer aspects of the game.

Furthermore, if players were already paying for an Xbox Live Gold subscription to access online multiplayer features in other games, the additional cost of playing Sunset Overdrive's multiplayer mode may have been perceived as an unnecessary expense. This pricing structure may have deterred potential players and limited the game's reach and appeal among the gaming community.

*** The [=OverCharge=] pre-release party's buildings was originally more lit-up.

*** Fizzco Spokesman's layered t-shirt originally had more orange color on sweater underneath.
*** A Bushido girl scout trooper who gets attacked by mutants was going to have Sound Ideas, SCREAM - FEMALE, MEDIUM, HUMAN, HORROR 01 stock sound effect when a male raver mutates in front of Player. The female scream stock sound effect was later dropped in the final version because developers at Insomniac found it too jarring and didn't fit with the tone of this cinematic.

** The prototype box art featured a female humanoid Fizzco robot in a suit that was ultimately cut from the final version of the game. According to the game's art director, the design for the robot was scrapped because the developers wanted to keep the game's characters grounded in reality and not deviate too much into the fantastical or stylized. This decision to remove a robot character is likely what changed the prototype box art to the final version of the game's box art, which featured a human male protagonist.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtgTo5ScwxU&ab_channel=IGN The initial E3 2013 announcement trailer]] was going to have more-stylized character art, some scrapped or changed weapons (the "Dirty Harry" weapon was originally a shotgun instead of a revolver), earlier versions of Fizzco (the logo was originally resembles either current Pepsi logo or Creator/SabanBrands logo), their mascot Fizzie, and their energy drink [=OverCharge=] ([=OverCharge=]'s can was originally yellow and the font was much different and colored black with white outlines) and some city elements were changed (like the early car models).

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtgTo5ScwxU&ab_channel=IGN The initial E3 2013 announcement trailer]] was going to have more-stylized character art, some scrapped or changed weapons (the "Dirty Harry" weapon was originally a shotgun instead of a revolver), earlier versions of Fizzco (the logo was originally resembles either current Pepsi logo or Creator/SabanBrands logo), their mascot Fizzie, and their energy drink [=OverCharge=] ([=OverCharge=]'s can was originally yellow and the font were much different and colored black with white outlines) and some city elements were changed (like the early car models).

** One of the games on the [[http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=abmhdd&s=8#.VlMS0HarTIU Insomniac Games poster]], is “Catchet + Frank: 4-Play.” ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankAll4One'' — the game this is in reference to — was initially planned to be titled “Ratchet & Clank: 4-Play” before ExecutiveMeddling forced Insomniac to change it.
** The "Fizzie: The Inside Story" sidequest is essentially one big TakeThat against the practice of focus testing, with it revealing that Fizzco has a focus group of robots programmed to dictate what is best for consumers as the company believes humans can't decide for themselves. This was directly inspired by Insomniac's experience developing ''VideoGame/{{Fuse}}'', a game that was infamously overhauled after its publisher [[Creator/ElectronicArts EA]] put it through focus testing.

* AcclaimedFlop: Despite receiving fairly strong reviews and sales -- especially considering [[Platform/XboxOne the console]] it was on wasn't a huge success in its own right -- a ContentLeak from Insomniac's servers in December 2023 revealed that the game was only ''barely'' what could be considered a success, with the estimated profit for the game apparently being just '''''$567''''' across both the Xbox One and PC releases.
* DevelopmentGag: One of the games on the [[http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=abmhdd&s=8#.VlMS0HarTIU Insomniac Games poster]], is “Catchet + Frank: 4-Play.” ''VideoGame/RatchetAndClankAll4One'' — the game this is in reference to — was initially planned to be titled “Ratchet & Clank: 4-Play” before ExecutiveMeddling forced Insomniac to change it.

*** Once upgraded, the RYNO 8 weapon has a chance to Overcharge barrel and Fizzie.

* ScrewedByTheLawyers: The aforementioned ContentLeak also revealed that while Sony Interactive owns the IP itself[[note]]Insomniac's publishing deal with Microsoft allowed the studio to own the property, and thus Sony Interactive then acquired it when they bought out the studio in 2019[[/note]], Microsoft still owns the publishing rights to not just the game's original release but also to any ports, up to two sequels, and any additional DLC for any of the above, with the contract seemingly having no expiration date / clause. This means that neither Sony nor Insomniac can do ''anything'' substantial with the property without first working out a deal with Microsoft, but due to the game already not being a success it's highly unlikely that they would find such an endeavor worth pursuing leaving the title in limbo for the forseeable future. The one silver lining, however, is that this exclusivity agreement doesn’t prevent Insomniac from putting ''Sunset Overdrive'' easter eggs in other titles, as ''Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart'' demonstrated.

** [[RuleOfThree Once again]], the Insomniac data leak revealed that the studio had actually planned a sequel at one point, but cancelled it due to the game's poor sales as well as them prioritizing the ''[[VideoGame/SpiderManPS4 Spider-Man]]'' game that [=PlayStation=] had just hired them on for.

** [[RuleOfThree Once again]], the Insomniac data leak revealed that the studio had actually planned a sequel at one point, but cancelled it due to the game's poor sales as well as prioritizing the ''[[VideoGame/SpiderManPS4 Spider-Man]]'' game that [=PlayStation=] had just hired them on for..

* ScrewedByTheLawyers: The aforementioned ContentLeak also revealed that while Sony Interactive owns the IP itself[[note]]Insomniac's publishing deal with Microsoft allowed the studio to own the property, and thus Sony Interactive then acquired it when they bought them out in 2019[[/note]], Microsoft still owns the game's publishing rights to not just the game's original release but also to any ports, up to two sequels, and any additional DLC for any of the above, with the contract seemingly having no expiration date or clause. This means that neither Sony nor Insomniac can do ''anything'' substantial with the property without first working out a deal with Microsoft, but due to the game already not being a success it's highly unlikely that they would find such an endeavor worth pursuing leaving the title in limbo for the forseeable future. The one silver lining, however, is that this exclusivity agreement doesn’t prevent Insomniac from putting in ''Sunset Overdrive'' easter eggs in other titles, as ''Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart'' demonstrated.