The Performance RT Mode included in Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart was a last-minute addition to the game thanks to the collaborative effort of Insomniac’s tech, art, and testing teams. According to the studio’s Director of Core Technology, Mike Fitzgerald, the tech team was pushing the limits of the PS5 up until the last few months before launch.
Fitzgerald stated in an interview with Axios that Insomniac Games had initially planned to ship Rift Apart with only two modes: a 30 fps low-resolution mode with ray tracing enabled and a 60 fps high-resolution mode without. However, Insomniac studios surprised fans when it announced a third option: a performance ray tracing mode that enabled both high fidelity graphics at 60 fps as well as ray tracing as part of a day one patch.
“As you get towards the end, you find out how much performance you can push out of it,” said Fitzgerald, revealing that the mode was a relatively late discovery in the game’s production process, thanks to Insomniac’s unique approach to game development. As far as development goes, the core tech team was working with the game’s other teams such as art and testing in order to “figure out how to get the most out of the PS5,” going so far as to work on the game a month after it launches.
There’s no point, say, in the middle of production where we say, ‘OK, engine’s locked, good luck, game team, finish your thing and we’re going to move on to the next thing…’ We have the whole core technology team focused on the quality of ‘Ratchet & Clank’ until a month after it ships.
Furthermore, Fitzgerald also admits that the studio’s previous title Spider-Man: Miles Morales had put some pressure on the studio to work on further performance upgrades, particularly those that took advantage of the PS5. “We knew, okay, well, people are going to expect this out of the next game. We do too, but it’s built for [the PS5], so how are we going to find that extra?”
For more about the PS5-exclusive Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, including its graphics options and gameplay, you can also check out our official review, which had high praise for Insomniac’s latest.
[Source: Axios]
