Sunset Overdrive's box art was a major challenge, Insomniac says

Insomniac Games finally let us have a good look at Xbox One exclusive Sunset Overdrive this week, and you may have noticed that it doesn’t have just another “standard” video game cover.

As Insomniac Games Community Lead James Stevenson explained in a post to the developer’s official blog, coming up with the cover wasn’t easy. “First, Sunset Overdrive isn’t a character-forward game,” he said. “The character in Sunset Overdrive is YOU. You’ll customize your character and play as yourself. So the cover couldn’t really solely focus on just a game-style rendered character and weapon.”

Instead, Insomniac decided to show off the variety the game offers with a dense, detailed illustration. It commissioned British graphic design studio ilovedust for the job, which previously worked with Nike, Red Bull, and Wired.

The final product is packed with details from the game, and reflects its colorful palette. In addition to the hero character with the Roman Candle Gun, you can spot other heroes, multiple types of the game’s mutant OD enemies, Fizzie, the mascot for the game’s OverCharge Delirium XT energy drink, and much more. It’s almost the opposite of another great cover for an Insomniac game, Resistance 3’s minimalist design from artist Olly Moss.

For more on Sunset Overdrive, check out GameSpot editor Maxwell McGee’s hands-on preview.