Where is Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault's Vita Version?

Way back in August, 2012 at Gamescom in Germany, Sony announced that Ratchet and Clank: Full Frontal Assault would be coming to the PlayStation Vita as well as the PlayStation 3. They also announced it would support Cross-Buy, giving buyers of the PlayStation 3 version both titles for the price of one.

We're half way through May of 2013 and we still don't have the Vita version of the game.



As the Nov. 27 release date approached, many gamers were abuzz with excitement about the title, and understandably so. It seemed like an absolute steal. Essentially two copies of a Ratchet and Clank MOBA title that was made in house by Insomniac seemed like a dream come true.

On Nov. 19, Vita gamers got some troubling news. In a post on the PlayStation Blog, SCEA Producer, Greg Phillips shed the news that the game was being delayed to Jan. 2013. He dropped the news by saying, "Our friends at Tin Giant have been working hard to bring Insomniac’s PS3 game to PS Vita and to ensure that your experience is packed with all the action and polish you’d expect from a Ratchet & Clank game. In order to provide the best gameplay experience possible, the PS Vita version of Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault will be coming out in January 2013. The PS3 version will still be available for purchase at participating retailers and on PSN starting on November 27, 2012."

To compensate disappointed fans for receiving news about the delay at such short notice, Sony provided everyone who purchased the game with a "Mini-Boss Skin Pack". Things seemed okay at this point, delays in this industry are normal and porting a full PS3 game to the Vita so early in its lifetime seems like it could be tough to complete.

January came and went with no word from Sony. Even though they weren't the ones doing the port, Insomniac games stepped up to the plate to provide any answer they could. They didn't seem happy about it either.

In a status update on their official Facebook, Insomniac said:

 "Hey everyone,

We know you've been asking about and waiting for Full Frontal Assault for Vita.

Insomniac cannot make any comment about the game. We have repeatedly asked Sony and Tin Giant for an update to share with our fans. They have not provided any update we are allowed to share.

We are sorry for any disappointment, but there is nothing we've authorized to release publicly. Trust us in that we share your frustration, and have been passing your comments on to Sony, we also advise you contact Sony directly to share your disappointment and frustration.

As soon as they give us an update we can share with you, we will.

Thanks,
IG"

Many gamers were extremely upset about this news. Not only had Sony failed to release the game within their launch window for a second time, they had failed to communicate with their customers within that same timeframe. Horrid memories of the PSN Outage started to flood into people's minds. Why wasn't Sony owning up to their mistake?

It would take a full week for Sony to come clean on the missed launch window.

Greg Phillips took to the PlayStation Blog again to talk about the delay. He apologized for the second delay saying, "Our friends at Tin Giant have been working night and day to bring Insomniac’s PS3 game to the PS Vita system and to provide our fans with a great game. While the original delay has helped us make the game better, we still need more time to bring the game up to the standards expected by our fans."

Additionally, people who bought the game would receive a free download of Ratchet: Deadlocked in HD on the same day as the Vita version's release. The new release window was pushed to "Spring 2013".

Things were getting pretty ridiculous at this point, but somehow they've gotten worse. We're well into May now and we haven't heard anything about this game since the beginning of February. Summer starts on June 21, just a little over a month away, and we still haven't heard anything. Tin Giant doesn't have a Twitter account, their website is hard to find on search engines, and it's also barely functional.

At this point, I knew that Insomniac weren't the ones to ask about this game, but the official PlayStation Twitter account refused to reply, and I like many other people who purchased the game, I was desperate. They tweeted about the PlayStation 3 version being on sale in the US, so I asked them about the Vita version (shown below).

Also - if you haven't downloaded FFA yet, it's 13.99, or 9.79 for PS+. Gets you a free copy of Deadlocked HD when it comes out
— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) April 30, 2013

@insomniacgames Is the Vita version still happening?
— Jimmy Champane (@jimmychampane) April 30, 2013

@jimmychampane yes, still waiting on it
— Insomniac Games (@insomniacgames) April 30, 2013

So, not only has Sony potentially completely dropped the ball for a third time, but it's to a point that a company not even remotely close to the development of the Vita port is the only one who will provide answers about it.

I don't know what's going on with this game, but Sony needs to talk to its customers about what's wrong, or at the very least, when it's finally going to be released.