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Sunset Overdrive Dev Explains Why It Chose 900p Over 1080p

"900p works perfect for us," says creative director of upcoming Xbox One exclusive.

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Back in September, developer Insomniac Games confirmed that upcoming Xbox One exclusive Sunset Overdrive would run at 900p/30fps. Now, the studio has revealed that it had the game running at 1080p during development, but chose 900p in part because the lower resolution allowed the developer to create more on-screen mayhem.

The end result, according to creative director Marcus Smith, is a game so stuffed with action that Transformers director Michael Bay would be proud.

"Why would you want less action on screen? That's insanity," Smith said when asked in an IGN video why the studio chose 900p over 1080p. "900p works perfect for us. We spent a lot of time comparing and contrasting. We had it running at 1080p, we'd play it; we had it running at 900p, we'd play it and they didn't look considerably different. But the things that you could draw on screen were a lot more, and we wanted to draw a lot more on screen. More action, more better. Michael Bay would be very proud."

Also in the interview, Smith reveals that while Sunset Overdrive will not support free roam co-op at launch, this could be added to the game through a post-release expansion. If that doesn't happen, it could show up in a sequel. "Never say never," Smith said.

Sunset Overdrive launches in the US on October 28 as an Xbox One exclusive. The game, which is published by Microsoft, will be accompanied by a $400 Xbox One bundle that includes a white system (and matching white controller) and a copy of the game. This is notable because it will represent the first time Microsoft will publicly offer the Xbox One in a color other than black.

For more on Sunset Overdrive, check out GameSpot's previous coverage. You can also test-fire some of the game's over-the-top weapons through a special interactive website called Walter's Workshop.

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