Most players know the pain of waiting an undetermined amount of time for a sequel. Odds are you're feeling it for something right now. Sunset Overdrive, maybe? Or Bully? Maybe The Simpsons: Hit & Run? As games become bigger, better, and more intricate, those waits are understandably becoming longer. Look no further than GTA for the perfect example of that. Rockstar has gone from releasing three GTA games during one console generation to stretching one game across three eras of console.
One way studios have been remedying that is by releasing shorter spinoff games to plug those gaps. GTA tells entirely new stories with a new cast of characters with each passing game so doesn't really have that option. However, Ratchet & Clank most definitely does. As the buzz generated by Rift Apart one month on from its launch starts to die down and more and more people complete the sequel, fans of it will be asking what's next from the lovable lombax and his warbot buddy.
Rift Apart has opened up the perfect opportunity for a spin-off game via the introduction of two very important characters. Those characters are, of course, Rivet and Kit - essentially alternate versions of Ratchet and Clank from an different dimension. The pair are actually introduced during the game, but their story isn't told in very much detail due to everything else going on around them; this is especially true of Kit, who dips in and out of the narrative. Be warned, if you are yet to finish Rift Apart, turn away now as some fairly major spoilers lie ahead
Despite being a clear Game of the Year contender, Rift Apart's story is something of a whirlwind. You jump between Ratchet and Rivet, constantly and a lot happens over the course of what is a relatively short game. Kit being responsible for Rivet's lost arm, a major definitive point in the arc of both characters' lifetime, is only a very small part of that story. That alone feels like the basis for a prequel featuring the two, or the prologue for a game that follows directly on from the end of Rift Apart.
Spin-off games filling gaps between tentpole releases have been big business for the last few years. Final Fantasy 7 Remake released its Episode Intermission DLC in the same week as Rift Apart. It isn't a brand new game, just an expansion on the base one that adds two new chapters, but it will play a major part in 7 Remake's sequel. Since the wait for said sequel is probably going to be a long one, something to fill the gap desperately needed to stave off fans since society as a whole continues to get more and more impatient.
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The best example of all for the creators of Rift Apart to take inspiration from comes from its own studio, and 2020's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. Marvel's Spider-Man was one of the biggest and most popular games of the PS4 generation and its fans remain hungry for Spider-Man 2, but that hunger was eased a little last year via the release of Miles Morales. Miles was introduced in the first game, and was shown to have powers right at the end, and this provided the jumping off point for his own sequel, which shows him learning the ropes when Peter goes out of town. When the full sequel hits, Peter and Miles will undoubtedly be sharing the spotlight.
If we have to wait, then we have to wait, but five years feels like a long time to hold out for more Ratchet, Clank, Rivet, and Kit. A Rivet and Kit spinoff could have a story that takes less than ten hours to play through, cost less than a full game, and satisfy the hunger for more Ratchet & Clank that will be here before you know it - one way or another, we need more Rivet in our lives.