Sunset Overdrive was Insomniac Games’ Xbox and PC exclusive back in 2014. The game launched right after the Xbox One and featured open-world gameplay with a mix of free-running parkour and the studio’s iconic over-the-top weapon design. I actually loved the game and would totally play it again if the studio were to remaster it. However, due to its Xbox exclusivity and launch timing, Sunset Overdrive didn’t sell as well as many thought.
The game ended up making a profit of just $567. Almost breaking even. According to leaked documents in the ongoing Insomniac Games hack, Sunset Overdrive surpassed $49 million in sales but the game cost $42 million to make.
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Add in other costs including marketing, shipping and other logistic budgets, Sunset Overdrive barely made Insomniac Games money. The game made enough to purchase a PS5 today.
While the game was enjoyable, there were a lot of factors which led to its poor sales. First off, it was an Xbox One exclusive which at the time, didn’t mean much. The Xbox One launched with a lot of drama behind it after Microsoft revealed the console with always-on DRM and mandatory Kinect features.
The PC port, on the other hand, had a lot to be desired too. It suffered from some major performance issues at the time and also lacked modern PC features such as ultrawide monitor support. The PC port also shipped without co-op – a feature the console version included.
If anything, Sunset Overdrive went under the radar and is still today a game which is slept on. Its inclusion on Xbox Game Pass also means there’s unlikely any sales being made for it at all. Unless Insomniac Games ports it over to PlayStation, that profit will remain as low as ever.
