While it was expected for Insomniac Games to bring back old worlds and introduce new ones in Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, it's always nice to have an official confirmation. For good measure, the developer noted that it has a neat twist in store for Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart's returning planets.
On its official Twitter account, Insomniac confirmed that players would not only get to visit new planets, but also "alternate dimension versions of old favorites." The tweet then shows a gif of a moment taken from the Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart announcement trailer, where Ratchet finds himself on the planet Sargasso.
Sargasso made its first appearance in Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction, which means Insomniac is pulling worlds from the entire Ratchet and Clank franchise, not just Ratchet and Clank 2016. This revelation might explain what Creative Director Marcus Smith meant in the Rift Apart PS5 Insights video when he said the game would be the culmination of Insomniac's near twenty years working on the Ratchet and Clank series.
Exactly what planets will be returning remains unseen, but Insomniac has a lot to pull from if it's utilizing the entire Ratchet and Clank series. One gripe fans had with Ratchet and Clank 2016 was Insomniac cutting five worlds from it that had appeared in the original title, which resulted in the game feeling a little choppy and shorter than necessary. Bringing worlds from across the series into Rift Apart might be Insomniac's way of rectifying this.
Since Ratchet and Clank will indeed be jumping into entire alternate dimensions, and not just planet-hopping their own universe, the female lombax that appears in the Rift Apart trailer might really be an alternate reality version of Ratchet. Of course, the Dr. Nefarious-controlled world that Clank meets her in could also be from his universe.
Alternate dimensions may also confirm that Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart has a Jak and Daxter easter egg. In Rift Apart's announcement trailer, the duo flies around what appears to be Haven City. If this is the case, Ratchet and Clank may visit other PlayStation icons' universes as well, if only for brief moments.
There's still no word on whether or not Rift Apart will be a PlayStation 5 launch title. It would make sense if Insomniac decided to schedule it for next year, though. With a 2021 release, Rift Apart won't end up competing with its sister project in the upcoming Spider-Man: Miles Morales.
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart will release exclusively for the PlayStation 5 on an unannounced date.