Destructoid ran a front page story (
link) about a "hint" in the Ratchet and Clank : Quest for Booty PSN title about a possible 2009 release for a new Ratchet and Clank game.
So, will we see a new Ratchet and Clank game in 2009? Of course. Of course we will. I'm not even sure why people were surprised, actually.
I like Insomniac not just because of their great games, but also their ability to crank out quality games with Madden-like consistency. They've released a game every fall since 2002.
2002 -- Ratchet & Clank
2003 -- R&C : Going Commando
2004 -- R&C : Up Your Arsenal
2005 -- Ratchet : Deadlocked
2006 -- Resistance : Fall of Man
2007 -- R&C Future : Tools of Destruction
2008 -- Resistance 2 (planned)
2009 -- (guess)
To release games so quickly it seems quite probable that Insomniac is working on multiple games at a time. In fact, we know that this is true lately, as Resistance 2 will come out in the fall, and Quest For Booty (downloadable game for PSN) came out this summer.
The downloadable thing might even become another fixture. 2008 will have a short PSN R&C game and Resistance 2. Why couldn't 2009 see a full R&C game and a short PSN Resistance game?
I'm happy that Insomniac has a little more variety to work with now. The later Ratchet/R&C releases on the PS2 weren't as good as the first two. I feel like Insomniac had gotten so sick of Ratchet and Clank that they felt the need to "experiment" with things that didn't need experimentation.
Best of all I'm finally getting a PS3 in 2009 so I'll be able to play the bleeding new R&C game when it comes out.