Resistance dev Insomniac is 'just getting started' with Fuse

Developer Insomniac is "just getting started" with the Fuse universe, and says it already planning new "experiences" for the franchise.

Fuse launched for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 this week, and the Resistance and Ratchet & Clank has pledged its commitment to the new IP. "We’ve already begun expanding what we’ve begun with Fuse," wrote Insomniac CEO Ted Price on his blog.

The new experiences being developed are not related to DLC for the game, Price adds. "Right now as I write this we’re taking the core concepts behind Fuse and prototyping new stuff…stuff that leverages this bizarre alien substance which is at the heart of the game. No, I’m not talking about DLC. I’m talking about new Fuse experiences altogether."

Price said he is "damn proud" of the game, but is aware that the studio attracted its fair share of controversy from its decision to switch from cartoony Overstrike to a grittier Fuse mid-way through development.

"I’m well aware that we’ve taken some heat over our switch from Overstrike to Fuse. We read the YouTube comments. We watch the forums. And we listen," said Price.

"After our re-reveal of the game in summer 2012 we continued to make adjustments to the game, adding more color; making sure the humor came through in emergent dialogue. No, we didn’t make aesthetic changes because of a 12 year-old’s focus test comments. We did what we thought was right for the Fuse universe. In particular we focused on creating co-op weapons and gameplay that we think work better than any other co-op shooter out there and allowed that to drive the game."

Price said the studio has been "unusually (and sometimes unintentionally) open" about the switch between Overstrike and Fuse, and that Insomniac has been "giving everyone a window into the changes we’ve made along the way."

"This has been both good and bad for us," added Price. "While I know there are some who will never be convinced that moving to Fuse was the right decision, I know there are many who appreciate what we’ve done. I know there are many who will try Fuse and will love it."

GameSpot awarded Fuse a 7.0 in its review of the game, calling Insomniac's first multi-platform title in the developer's near 20-year history a "slick third-person shooter that is just fine to play solo, but a lot of fun with friends."