By Sagar V. Mankar 
Hold onto your web shooters, gamers, because a recent data breach at Insomniac Games just sent a shockwave through the industry. Around 1.67 terabytes of sensitive data, including budgets, sales figures, and even future game plans, leaked online, painting a fascinating (and worrisome) picture of PlayStation’s beloved developer.
Sony quickly launched an investigation, assuring everyone that no other PlayStation divisions were affected. So, what juicy secrets did the leak reveal? Let’s dive into Insomniac’s vault, shall we?
Budgets & Profits of Past Projects
Turns out, that making superhero games are expensive!
The leaked data shows the budgets and return on investment (ROI) for several Insomniac titles, with some surprising figures:
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2: Swinging into action with a $315 million budget, this web-slinger aims for a 35% ROI by selling 10.5 million copies. Considering the game already sold 5 million in just 10 days, it looks like Spidey’s got this in the bag.
- Miles Morales: This friendly neighborhood Spidey sequel did even better, achieving a whopping 122% ROI on its $156 million budget thanks to 10.2 million swinging sales.
- Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart: Not all heroes wear capes (or fur). This interdimensional adventure unfortunately lost $8 million, with 2.2 million copies failing to cover its $81 million budget.
Budgets & Expectations from Future Projects
The leak revealed details about upcoming games, including:
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 3: This webslinger’s budget climbs to $385 million, but with a projected 14.5 million copies sold and a 75% ROI, it seems like Spidey’s reign will continue.
- Wolverine: The X-Men adventure carries a $305 million budget and aims for 10 million copies sold.
PC Ports
The leak also shed light on Sony’s PC port strategy. Turns out, bringing PlayStation exclusives to PC is a gold mine!
Here are the top-selling PlayStation games on Steam (as of February 2023):
- Horizon Zero Dawn: Aloy’s stunning post-apocalyptic adventure reigns supreme with 3.3 million copies sold on PC, a million more than previously reported!
- God of War: Kratos’ epic Norse saga sold 2.5 million copies on PC.
- Days Gone: Deacon St. John’s zombie-slaying escapades found 1.7 million fans on PC.
- Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered — 1.3 million copies
- Uncharted: Legacy of Thieves Collection — 483.2k copies
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales — 450.2k copies
- Sackboy: A Big Adventure — 62.9k copies
However, Sackboy’s PC launch faced challenges, with a lackluster performance and only 610 concurrent players at its peak, making it an outlier in the success story of PlayStation games on PC.
The Takeaway
The Insomniac leak paints a fascinating picture of a gaming powerhouse balancing blockbuster budgets with ambitious future plans. The data breach has not only exposed sensitive information but also shed light on Sony’s strategic move towards PC expansion.
According to Sony’s investor keynote in May 2023, the company is optimistic about the PC segment, aiming for a revenue of $450 million in FY23 ending March 31, 2024 — an 80% YoY increase.