A seemingly inconsequential job listing sparked fan speculation that the next PlayStation game Sony intends to port to PC isRatchet and Clank: Rift Apart. This development arrives mere weeks ahead of the highly anticipatedPC release ofThe Last of Us Part 1, which is scheduled to launch in late March.
Released in mid-2021 for the PlayStation 5,Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apartstarted development before the PS5 was even announced and was already in the works while Sony was negotiating its 2019 acquisition of Insomniac Games. All previous installments in theRatchet and Clankfranchise were second-party PlayStation exclusives, developed by a then-independent Insomniac, but with Sony reserving the ownership of the IP itself. Ironically, after the studio became a first-party developer, the chances of a mainlineRatchet and Clankgame beyond the PlayStation ecosystem actually improved due to its new parent’s subsequent decision to start bringing some of its exclusives to Windows, starting with thePC port ofHorizon Zero Dawnin 2020.
RELATED:How PlayStation Devs Convinced Sony to Port Games to PC
The reason whyRift Apartis now rumored to be joining that growing list of multi-platform games comes down to a recent job listing from Nixxes Software, a Dutchcompany Sony acquired specifically for facilitating PlayStation PC ports. The posting for a UI and UX designer discovered by Reddit user Veloxz doesn’t mention the latest mainlineRatchet and Clankinstallment by name, but it does call for a candidate with experience in using middleware software from Coherent Labs. WhileRift Apartis not the only game made by a current PlayStation Studios subsidiary that uses Coherent-made UI tech—there’s alsoNex Machinafrom Finnish studio Housemarque—it is the only title fitting that criteria without a PC port. So, assuming Nixxes hasn’t strayed away from its recently stated goal of bringing first-party PlayStation exclusives to Windows, this listing seems to imply that a PC port ofRatchet and Clank: Rift Apartmight be on the horizon.
A hypothetical port ofRatchet and Clank: Rift Apartwould be a safe way for Sony to maintain interest in the franchise with minimal investments. The previous game sold over 1.1 million copies in its first five weeks on the market, so while the series is certainly not lacking in fandom, it’s also unlikely to receive a full-fledged sequel anytime soon.
Namely, even though Insomniac had a 400-strong workforce as of 2021, that headcount doesn’t seem particularly large for a studio that’s currently working on two AAA projects in the form ofMarvel’sSpider-Man 2and thepossibly M-ratedMarvel’s Wolverine. Given that state of affairs, it seems implausible that the Burbank, California-based company currently has a third game in active development, meaning a PC port ofRift Apartis likely the only thingRatchet and Clankfans can realistically hope for in the foreseeable future.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apartis available now on the PlayStation 5.
MORE:Wolverine on PS5 is More Exciting Because of Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart
