The new Ratchet & Clank game is a free-to-play mobile hero shooter, and fans are not impressed

PlayStation and Insomniac Games have revealed the next entry in the Ratchet & Clank series, and it is not the console sequel fans have been waiting for. Ratchet & Clank: Ranger Rumble is a free-to-play mobile hero shooter developed by Oh Bibi, a studio with no prior connection to the franchise, built specifically for iOS and Android.

The details:

• Ranger Rumble is developed by Oh Bibi in collaboration with PlayStation Studios and Insomniac Games. The game is set inside a combat simulation created by Captain Qwark to train new Galactic Ranger recruits, featuring 12 playable heroes at launch with more planned post-release.
• The game is free-to-play and designed for mobile, with fast-paced arena battles built around the franchise's signature weaponry and humour. Pre-registration is now open on the App Store and Google Play.
• Fan reaction has been largely negative, with many pointing out that Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart launched in 2021 and the series has had no mainline console follow-up in the five years since. The mobile, free-to-play framing has been widely criticised as a misread of what the audience wants from the IP.
• Insomniac Games is currently understood to be working on the next Marvel's Spider-Man title alongside its upcoming Wolverine game, which may explain why a third-party studio was brought in to develop this entry.