Insomniac to go cross platform?

[Shifty Geezer]

Here's some speculation for ya'!

Eurogamer interview

robo_1 asks: This November, Insomniac will have delivered three major PS3 games, in the time it's taken other studios to get their first out of the door. How do you keep such a high workflow, whilst ensuring quality?

Ted Price: First, we're currently just developing for PS3.

GI-biz article

Insomniac to open North Carolina studio
Insomniac Games, currently based in Burbank, California, is planning to open a new studio in North Carolina.
...
The company plans to hire 25 to 30 new employees for the new studio - Insomniac's first expansion in 14 years.
...
"One of the reasons we're close-lipped is because we don't want to mislead anybody," noted Price. "We don't try to make big promises or big statements without being able to back them up and we want to be absolutely sure our team is up, operational and going before we announce what project we're working on."

Will they remain Sony only, or may the be viewing alternative markets?

 

[Cornsnake]

My first guess was PSN games. Ted Price has talked about a interest in making DLC before. So far we only have extra map packs for Resistance and soon Quest for Booty for R&C. It could be that he has some big plans to use this new studio focus on delivering games as DLC.

 

[slider]

Interesting. Similar to an interview with Price back in Feb. For example here - the first hit on my Google search. He spoke about the interest in seeing the numbers cross platform devs were hitting.

I think Insomniac are an impressive studio/dev house - so the wider the audience the better!

But I hope for Sony's sake they aren't having an MS like wobble (wobble as in Bungie).

 

[patsu]

If starting a new studio, I'd go portable or Wii.

 

[Rangers]

A lot to read into it..

Heh, maybe if they come over to 360 they'll actually push the hardware unlike the rest of MS devs..

 

[Gradthrawn]

and soon Quest for Booty for R&C.

When a user mentioned that in the Eurogamer Q&A I thought it was a joke, as it sounded like a porno. I didn't know it was a real game!


As to the original topic, I'd say that's a bit of a stretch. Frankly, it sounds like statements he (and others at Insomniac) have made before, in the sense that they are a 3rd party, and are not tied to the PS3. I wouldn't be surprised to see multiplatform games at some point, and the new office adds credence (and capability) to that. But I don't think that's what his statement was inferring, and the new office is simply to address long term needs regardless of platform.

 

[Cornsnake]

Remember that Working at Insomniac video they made. They said it had hidden clues about their games. They had a bunch refrigerator magnets in the shape of letters that could spell Q4BDLC. Which makes Quest for Booty DownLoadable Content.

 

[AmFreak]

Will they remain Sony only, or may the be viewing alternative markets?

Nothing new, so i dont think so.
From another interview:

"So why retain the hardline PlayStation development focus?

TP: It's not like we've been hardline, necessarily - we've always explored and entertained other opportunities - but when it comes down to it, the choice between going multiplatform and single-platform has been easy as we've grown.

We can focus on creating top-tier, bleeding-edge technology for PlayStation platforms, and as we've kind of moved ahead, we've developed a real expertise on PlayStation.

Furthermore, I think we can go back to the argument you see happening all the time in the industry: Do you get better exposure for your games by being exclusive to a console, or by being across multiple consoles?

Sometimes the answer is that you get more exposure by being multiple consoles, sometimes the answer is the opposite. We've been very fortunate in that Sony has promoted the hell out of our titles and as a result they've sold very well.

Again, we're independent, so that means we have the opportunity to choose a different direction if we decide to do that."

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18881

 

[Shifty Geezer]

The new studio wouldn't necessarily go against that. The existing studio can be 100% PS3 for example using a PS3 engine, and the new studio could be 100% Wii or DS for example. As long as the games aren't cross platform, and the studios are focussed, it won't compromise their position, I'm sure.

That said, I do appreciate Ted Price is always coy and open-ended, always accepting the possibility. 'At the moment' can just be a reiteration of the corporate line that they aren't innately platform exclusive. I do think that at the moment, if they are ever going to branch out, this could be it.

 

[slider]

Indeed. Speaking from a layman's perspective I'd guess a new studio isn't a small endeavour.

Gosh, I speak to posh sometimes.

 

[Cornsnake]

If they are going multi platfrom, won't they need to create a new IP. They can't port Resistance or R&C as those are owned by Sony. 30 employees seems a little small for an Xbox 360 and/or PS3 game. Certainly compared to the around 140 employees that are working on Resistance 2.

 

[DJ12]

I think you are reading too much into it.

More than likely he is referring to the fact that Insomniac currently aren't making any games on the PSP.

 

[D3B]

I don't read it like that at all.

The full quote-

robo_1 asks: This November, Insomniac will have delivered three major PS3 games, in the time it's taken other studios to get their first out of the door. How do you keep such a high workflow, whilst ensuring quality?


Ted Price: First, we're currently just developing for PS3. With one engine and one toolset it allows us to maintain a high level of efficiency with production. Second, we have overlapping teams. Meaning we always have at least one team in pre-production on a product while another team is in production. This means that we can roll from production to production easily. Third, our team is highly motivated to produce big AAA games. It's our passion.

 

[tirminyl]

I don't think so either. I wouldn't necessarily move to another unknown platform while I am refining my experience on another. I wouldn't make that move until the next hardware generation. I would either continue with PS3 triple A titles, or expand to PSN, and possibly PSP software titles.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

What would be wrong with targeting Wii now? Creating AA titles, something it's much in need of, that uses the Wiimote in clever ways, has to be a ticket to a successful studio.

 

[Dominik D]

But I hope for Sony's sake they aren't having an MS like wobble (wobble as in Bungie).

Bungie was owned by MS. Insomniac is an independent studio. Not that it changes picture for Sony, but it does for Insomniac.

 

[Blade47167]

I seriously doubt it. Insomniac has no reason to go multi-platform. Sony treats them great, they are very good with the PS3, and able to turn healthy profits.

 

[PARANOiA]

I seriously doubt it. Insomniac has no reason to go multi-platform. Sony treats them great, they are very good with the PS3, and able to turn healthy profits.

I don't know what their balance sheet looks like, but the rest of this is post can't be overstated. Insomniac and Sony have a strong relationship that has huge benefits for both parties. If anything, Insomniac is to Sony today what Rare was to Nintendo in the N64 days.

Edit: not that I'd hugely mind seeing them push the 360 or the Wii - it would be great news more me to have a bigger library available - just I don't see it as being realistic.

 

[catisfit]

I think a selective quote and the fact that they're opening an East coast studio is too little to go on to make a sweeping statement like that.

Not to say it won't happen, but I don't see any suggestion of it in the new studio announcement:

As you may have seen this morning, Insomniac is launching a new studio in the Raleigh-Durham area in North Carolina. It will focus on developing both current and new intellectual property, and will open its doors in January 2009. The North Carolina group, which will also be known as Insomniac Games, will receive administrative and engine, tools and technology support from the team here in southern California.

 

[Barbarian]

Heh, maybe if they come over to 360 they'll actually push the hardware unlike the rest of MS devs..

You had to go there didn't you!
Hmm, let me see. PS3 devs get to spend 24/7 in the office "pushing" the hardware, while "lazy" 360 devs get to enjoy their weekends on the beach. What a tough choice to make ...