Design Doc - inFAMOUS 3
Honestly, I never thought that I would see the day. In recent times, rumblings have come out of PlayStation that they might be returning to dormant IP, in something of an IP preservation campaign. That titling would obviously that the focus is on making older games playable in the modern day through programmes such as PlayStation Plus Classics, as well as larger-scale plans like remasters and remakes. Then, merely days later, highly regarded journalists such as Jordan Middler at VGC begin to claim that my dearly beloved inFAMOUS might be on the way back, in the form of what might be remasters or remakes of the original two PS3 titles. Hearts of a million or more PlayStation fans are fluttering at the mere prospect, and the news has served as the catalyst for some imaginative thinking surrounding ways that inFAMOUS can come back bigger and better than ever, beyond some simple re-releases. Of course, some narrative complications will need to be overcome. This is where “Design Doc” comes in: These are my ideas for how to make inFAMOUS 3 a winner.
The Pitch:
While the critical and commercial reception towards Insomniac Games’ Spider-Man titles has been enormous, that success hasn’t dulled the noise emanating from the PlayStation faithful that they want to see a return to the inFAMOUS franchise. Fans want inFAMOUS in any way they can get it, and assuming the rumoured remakes of 1 & 2 are, in fact, legitimate, there’s a very visible road towards an inFAMOUS 3 that I can envision. Walk with me. Firstly, the remakes. inFAMOUS 1 & 2 launch in 2028-2029, within six months, as a goodwill gesture, Sony also makes the PSN-exclusive inFAMOUS: Festival Of Blood available as DLC for the game. Then another 12 months pass, and we learn that the PS4 duo, inFAMOUS: Second Son and it’s spin-off, inFAMOUS: First Light are getting remasters, similar to what we’ve seen of The Last Of Us Part 1 or Horizon: Zero Dawn Remastered. Now, all the prior titles are available for players to immerse themselves in, and the foundations have been set to propel the franchise forward.
The most difficult part is the narrative thrust. Previously, Sucker Punch had looked at the trophy data of inFAMOUS to determine the canon ending, setting up the PS3 sequel. In the case of Second Son, both pathways leave a world filled with super-powered conduits, so whoever picks up the inFAMOUS mantle will have no difficulty if they find us a new protagonist. Similarly, both endings of Second Son leave the door open to pursue the story of Delsin Rowe further. But what about Cole MacGrath? Second Son is built upon the ‘Good’ ending of inFAMOUS 2, and in that ending, we see Zeke carrying his dead best friend Cole out on a ship to see. We see an ominous lightning flash when they’re well out in the distance and the credits roll.
My proposal is that Cole survives; cue inFAMOUS 3. Liberties will of course need to be taken, because his body is sitting at the bottom of a large body of water, and he’s as dead as they come; but this is a superhero story, and somehow his body had entered a conduit-powered stasis, as though his body was waiting for something to re-energise it. That occurs, and years later he bursts from his ocean grave, somehow alive and intact. In a world where, despite his best intentions at the end of inFAMOUS 2, conduits still exist, and now, to his shock, humans and conduits are co-existing (thanks to Delsin’s efforts). Of course, Cole’s mysterious revival is underpinned by some suspicious goings on, and that journey of discovery reunites him with Zeke, sees him crossing paths with Delsin, Fetch, and more on a quest that presents players with the biggest threat seen in the franchise yet, and more moral conundrums, but with a very grounded, very modern PlayStation mode of storytelling. From there, you’ve got the undoubted stoic cool-factor of Cole, the flexibility of Delsin, and more to play with, both narratively and in the world of gameplay.
What Need Does It Serve?:
While the sales figures don’t seem to be suggesting it, and we’ve got Marvel’s Wolverine on the horizon, the world does seem to be suffering from a large dose of Marvel fatigue right now. The MCU, post-Endgame, hasn’t resonated with the masses as it once did, and the general sentiment across all forms of visual media right now is that we could do with a bit of a licensed superhero break. Cue original IP. When you pair this Marvel fatigue, repeated failures in the world of DC video games (Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman as recent examples), and a hunger from inFAMOUS fans to see their favourite IP return, and suddenly, you have a perfect storm of circumstances that paves the way for the beloved franchise’s return.
Beyond this, criticism has been following Sony from its most hardcore of fans in recent years, that the single-player output has dropped right off, not in quality, but in quantity. Prolonged development pipelines, diversions into live service, and studio closures are leaving fans out in the cold as they wait 5+ years for their next Sucker Punch or Naughty Dog game. Soliciting the aid of an enthusiastic independent or third-party studio, similar to how Sanzaru Games once worked on another Sucker Punch IP in Sly Cooper, could be the best way to let the big studios keep doing what they’re doing and boost exclusive output on PS5 and PS6.
Let us also not lose sight of what the inFAMOUS games provide in terms of gameplay. While Cole was quite limited across each of the three games in which he was the star, his skill set did still broaden between inFAMOUS 1 and 2. Meanwhile, Delsin has incredible potential with the ability to absorb an infinite number of powers. Imagine a pairing of Delsin and Cole and the range of possibilities available in terms of gameplay and world design, as opposed to the constraints imposed by very rigid and inflexible Marvel or DC superhero designs for Spider-Man, Wolverine, or Batman.
Sealing The Deal:
The key to this pitch succeeding is finding the right interested team, and the continued freedom of Sucker Punch to keep pushing on in whatever direction they wish, be it a sequel to Ghost Of Yotei or a new IP. Of course, that doesn’t mean that Sucker Punch needs to wash their hands of the project. The studio would have an interest in ensuring that their beloved IP is in good hands, and Sony would want to ensure that the endeavour is primed to succeed, so a small portion of the Sucker Punch leadership and staff may oversee the project in a consultancy capacity. All of this work results in fans getting more of the franchise they love, the broader market gets a superhero game that isn’t more Marvel, and Sony gets another exclusive game on the market. There are no losers here.
So that’s what I’m pitching you, the audience, as a potential inFAMOUS 3 title. What do you like? What needs refining, and would you snap this up if it were available to you? We want to hear your thoughts, so be sure to hit us up via social media!
