IG: I reached out to Sony to get their reaction about this deal; they said there would be more exclusives from Insomniac on the PS3. That has to be the case, because, and you can correct me if I’m wrong here, the properties, the IP, are owned by Sony? Stuff like Ratchet & Clank or Resistance is actually Sony owned IP?
TP: That’s correct.
IG: Basically, if you want to continue working on those franchises they have to be exclusive to PS3?
TP: That’s right.
IG: Do you have plans for new IP that would actually be exclusive to PS3?
TP: No, we do not.
IG: Ok, so basically the PS3 exclusives they are referring to, and this is my speculation, are just continuations of the Resistance and Ratchet & Clank franchises. In terms of the platforms, for this new game, you guys only mentioned PS3 and 360. Is there any inclination to start developing for the Wii, now that you’re looking for multi-platform development?
TP: Not at this point.
IG: Is there a specific reasoning for this? Is it that you want the more high horsepower technology?
TP: I think it’s probably best for me to get into those reasons when we release info on the game itself, and that’s not now. We’re going to wait on that.
IG: So you can’t give any hints whatsoever to what genre the game might be in?
TP: We’re keeping that all under wraps until we can come out with a bang for the game.
IG: Any timeline on when we might hear more?
TP: I can tell you that we won’t be announcing anything further at E3 this year.
IG: Ok, so it's going to be a little bit of a wait. In terms of working on another console, you guys are very familiar with the architecture of the PS3, and have done a great job on leveraging the power of that platform. I guess working with the Xbox 360 is going to be new to your team at Insomniac? Can you talk a little bit about the challenges of creating an engine or a game that will work very well on multiple platforms versus solely on PS3?
TP: Well I think there will always be technical challenges, even if you’re working on one platform. Our goal at Insomniac is to push any platform that we work on as far as we can, but at the heart is the game - making a great game and making a great experience for the gamers. And the technology really serves that goal of ours. We will have plenty of meaty, technical challenges to make sure that our cross platform technology is fantastic, but what’s most important to us is creating an awesome game.
IG: Have you thought at all about extending more into the digital platforms? Whether it’s the iPhone and the App Store or Xbox Live Arcade or things of that nature as you go forward with your multi-platform approach?
TP: We’re always open to new possibilities. That’s something we’ve always embraced. More recently branching out from being called a “platform company” to making first person shooters is an example of how we don’t like to stick to one particular method of anything really for long. As I said, we’re open to what’s happening. What’s cool is that this industry is evolving at such an incredibly rapid pace that new opportunities spring up all the time to jump into different areas. If we see something that makes sense, then we’ll do it.
IG: In terms of these kinds of deals that we’ve been seeing, with Insomniac and this deal, or Bungie securing their own deal, remaining independent and holding onto the rights of the IP... Do you believe that’s sort of the new trend in this industry where developers more and more continue to be owners of their own IP and will work with publishers just for the marketing support and the distribution support, as opposed to publishers actually acquiring the IP or the studio itself?
TP: Well, I have to say that’s been one of our goals for many years, and that’s the goal for most developers who are getting started up. It's difficult to do unless you have a track record and can bring your experience to bear in the negotiations, experience meaning your game creating experience as part of negotiations. It's difficult to get those kinds of deals if you are a starting up a developer and have no track record. However, as I said, the industry is evolving and there are many different flavors of deals that are emerging all the time. You mentioned the smaller platforms and online distribution; those kinds of technologies are going to have an influence on the kinds of deals that are done down the road. You have new players entering the market, not necessarily developers and publishers, but other types of entities that are getting into the game space, and that opens the door for more interesting and innovative deals
IG: Speaking of new technologies, since you are going to be working on both Xbox 360 and PS3... I’m curious, what are your thoughts on PlayStation Move and Project Natal and sort of the whole motion control scene? Will your next game or some game in the future from Insomniac leverage the motion stuff?
TP: We’re always open to new ways to get our players to experience the game. We’re also very careful to make sure that whatever we use is designed as part of the game, and we certainly don’t want to have anything feel like an add-on. So, what we’re excited to do is go to E3 this year and learn from other developers and see what other people are unveiling; it should be very cool.
IG: Thanks for your time today Ted.
