Ratchet & Clank PS4 goes gold, arriving in April

Insomniac's PlayStation 4 remake of the original Ratchet & Clank has officially gone gold, according to a tweet via the developer's official Twitter account. The developer made the welcome announcement on 25 March, just days after it released a new story trailer for their Ratchet & Clank reboot. In game development, "going gold" means the main development has been completed and the game is ready to be sent for disc manufacturing and distribution.

The game will launch on 12 April, just days before the Ratchet & Clank movie from Gramercy Films which hits theatres on 29 April. Based on the game's new story trailer, it's hard to tell the two projects apart, given its movie-like cut-scenes and fantastic visuals. Insomniac has called Ratchet & Clank PS4 "the game based on the film based on the game".

"The film and game are designed as complementary pieces," James Stevenson, Insomniac's Community Lead, writes in a blog post. "They tell the same origin story of Ratchet & Clank battling Chairman Drek, with the same major beats and character arcs. The film focuses a touch more on character development and the game is a bit more focused on the action that happens between the scenes. Our goal was to take advantage of what each medium does best."

The game is narrated by the narcissistic Captain Copernicus L Qwark, so "you get Qwark's skewed self-serving version of events to set up a different way to experience the story", according to Stevenson.

He adds that the game is meant to be nostalgic for fans of the series while introducing newcomers to the beloved franchise through both the PS4 title and major motion picture release in April.

"We're hoping that when you fire up Ratchet & Clank you'll feel the rush you felt the first time you played a Ratchet & Clank game," Stevenson said. "But we're going beyond that nostalgia with a gorgeous Ratchet & Clank that holds up to modern standards and is a fitting debut for the franchise on PS4."

Ratchet & Clank PS4 will be available on 12 April and the Ratchet & Clank movie from Gramercy Films will hits theatres on 29 April. If you pre-order the game on PlayStation Store or a participating retailer by 11 April, players will have access to one of the most popular Ratchet & Clank weapons - the Bouncer.