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Next Q&ERA! Submit questions to Insomniac Games (Ratchet & Clank, Sunset Overdrive, Resistance)

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Q&ERA

Q&ERA

Official Questions and Answers
Verified
Nov 20, 2017
137
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Q&ERA offers an opportunity for our community to learn more about the gaming industry from those that are part of it. This involves batches of questions, submitted by users and then selected by staff, which will then be given to industry members to answer. Our intent is to bridge the divide between the gaming community and the gaming industry. We want to encourage engagement between those who talk about games and those who make them. (Note: Questions will be curated as interviewees won't have time to answer every single one. Also, there may be certain topics that interviewees are not able or allowed to comment on.)

Introducing our guests: James Stevenson, Community Director from Insomniac Games!

Mr. Stevenson joined Insomniac Games in 2006, and he's been working at the company for over 11 years now.

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About the Company:

In 1994, Insomniac Games was founded by Ted Price in Burbank, California. The company is responsible for critically acclaimed titles such as Ratchet & Clank, Sunset Overdrive, Resistance, Spyro the Dragon, and Song of the Deep. Insomniac is currently working on "Spider-Man" exclusively for PlayStation 4. As an independent company, Insomniac has released titles for all four PlayStation home consoles, as well as Xbox 360 and Xbox One. In 2015, IGN named Insomniac the 20th best video game developer of all time. In 2017, Fortune listed Insomniac as one of the best workplaces among small/medium organizations.

List of Games:

Disruptor - 1996 (PlayStation 1)
Spyro the Dragon - 1998 (PlayStation 1)
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage! - 1999 (PlayStation 1)
Spyro: Year of the Dragon - 2000 (PlayStation 1)

Ratchet & Clank - 2002 (PlayStation 2)
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando - 2003 (PlayStation 2)
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal - 2004 (PlayStation 2)
Ratchet: Deadlocked - 2005 (PlayStation 2)

Resistance: Fall of Man - 2006 (PlayStation 3)
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction - 2007 (PlayStation 3)
Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty - 2008 (PlayStation 3)
Resistance 2 - 2008 (PlayStation 3)
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack in Time - 2009 (PlayStation 3)
Resistance 3 - 2009 (PlayStation 3)
Ratchet & Clank: All 4 One - 2011 (PlayStation 3)
Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault - 2012 (PlayStation 3, PS Vita)

Outernauts (iOS) - 2012
Fuse - 2013 (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3)
Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus - 2013 (PlayStation 3)
Sunset Overdrive - 2014 (Xbox One)
Slow Down, Bull - 2015 (PC)
Fruit Fusion - 2015 (iOS, Android)
Bad Dinos - 2015 (iOS, Android)
Digit & Dash - 2015 (iOS)

Ratchet & Clank - 2016 (PlayStation 4)
Song of the Deep - 2016 (PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One)
Edge of Nowhere - 2016 (Oculus Rift)
The Unspoken - 2016 (Oculus Rift)
Feral Rites - 2016 (Oculus Rift)
Spider-Man - 2018 (PlayStation 4)


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How to submit questions:

To submit your questions to Insomniac Games, please send me a private message titled, "Q&A - Insomniac Games".

In your private message, you may ask up to two questions. To send a pm - click on a user's profile page and then "start a conversation."

This is not a live format! You must submit your questions properly for them to be considered!

Deadline to submit questions:

March 11nd, 2018 at 5:00 AM GMT (Greenwich Mean Time)

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Deleted member 33

Account closed at user request
Banned
Oct 24, 2017
1,457
RESTRICTIONS

Unfortunately, we are NOT accepting any questions related to Spider-Man (PS4) this time around.

However this does not rule out the possibility that Insomniac might return in the future for another round of questions focused on Spider-Man, so long as all the relevant parties are interested.

Feel free to ask questions about Insomniac's other games and franchises, or even just general questions about the company and industry itself.

Thanks!
 
ASleepingMonkey

ASleepingMonkey

The Fallen
Oct 26, 2017
4,496
Iowa
OH SHIT! This is awesome, can't wait to hear the awesome questions the community has and the great answers they provide.

Thank you for setting this up!
 
Arc

Arc

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
4,500
I mean a little odd that we can't ask questions about their highly anticipated title that should be out this year.
 
Tiber

Tiber

Member
Nov 1, 2017
1,114
This is fantastic! Spyro and Ratchet and Clank are among my favourite games of all time and although it has since faded, the original Resistance blew me away on PS3.
 
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jstevenson

jstevenson

Developer at Insomniac Games
Verified
Oct 25, 2017
2,042
Burbank CA
Yeah lets do this!!

Also - I may send some questions to other team members to answer if they are more qualified than I.
 
Nirolak

Nirolak

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,660
Arc said:
I mean a little odd that we can't ask questions about their highly anticiipated title that should be out this year.
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Given their current job postings and unwillingness to show the game, I get the sense that one is cruising for a delay into next year. Plus, Sony has to green light PR on Spider-Man, and Marvel probably does too, and a Q&Era would be kind of an odd place to restart a marketing campaign even if it's still out this year.

That said, I think you could get them to comment on if they're considering more downloadable or VR games or if everyone is on Spider-Man. They were planning on doing a lot of direct fan engagement going forward and self-published or near self-published titles are a great choice for that.
 
FaceHugger

FaceHugger

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
13,949
USA
Darn, my question is related to Spider-Man, but not directly. I wanted to ask them what it was like taking heat from people on social media about Sunset Overdrive being an exclusive, while Spider-Man was in the works on the other side of the fence. The console warring was fierce when this gen started. Funny how it's not even a thing now.
 
CallMeShaft

CallMeShaft

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
3,355
Not really a question, but thanks for Ratchet & Clank. More specifically, thank you and Sony for making R&C PSN Plus' newest freebie! Look forward to playing it in the next week or two.
 
RoyaleDuke

RoyaleDuke

Banned
Oct 26, 2017
1,397
Nowhere
When working with the artists and composers of the games soundtrack, did you guys at any time just constantly listen to old school Punk on repeat? By that I mean things like Iggy Pop, The Stooges, MC-5, The Weirdos, The Plasmatics, The Zeros, The Clash. The question is, what kinds of music did you look to, in order to create the sound of the game and what was it like working with people like Dan Sartain and the like to create this masterpiece OST of punk rock, garage rock overload?

Because the one thing I really loved about the game was the fact that the music reflected that amazing Punk Rock, Stooges concert on ACID vibe that the game had, it was a game of complete freedom and fancy, it was like playing Jet Set Radio Future with guns. I've always been curious to hear more about what it was like to work with people like Dan Sartain, creating classic sounding but new songs filled with attitude and fun. The Sunset Overdrive OST is probably one of my favorite OSTs of all time.
 
Trago

Trago

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,600
What kind of ideas does the team have for Sunset Overdrive 2 if you had the opportunity to develop it?
 
Cerium

Cerium

The Former
Member
Oct 23, 2017
1,741
RoyaleDuke said:
When working with the artists and composers of the games soundtrack, did you guys at any time just constantly listen to old school Punk on repeat? By that I mean things like Iggy Pop, The Stooges, MC-5, The Weirdos, The Plasmatics, The Zeros, The Clash. The question is, what kinds of music did you look to, in order to create the sound of the game and what was it like working with people like Dan Sartain and the like to create this masterpiece OST of punk rock, garage rock overload?

Because the one thing I really loved about the game was the fact that the music reflected that amazing Punk Rock, Stooges concert on ACID vibe that the game had, it was a game of complete freedom and fancy, it was like playing Jet Set Radio Future with guns. I've always been curious to hear more about what it was like to work with people like Dan Sartain, creating classic sounding but new songs filled with attitude and fun. The Sunset Overdrive OST is probably one of my favorite OSTs of all time.
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Trago said:
What kind of ideas does the team have for Sunset Overdrive 2 if you had the opportunity to develop it?
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If you want your questions to be considered, please read the OP for the proper instructions!
 

Deleted member 7130

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,685
Oh, man! I love Insomniac, but I got no good questions. I can't wait to see what the replies are. I'm sure some of us can manage great questions and balance out my empty head. lol
 
Illusion

Illusion

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
8,407
Oh boy my childhood's favorite developer.
So many questions, but must be slightly constructive or ask some really interesting questions.
 

mikezilla2

Member
Oct 28, 2017
370
can we please Have a steam version of sunset overdrive ?

how dos the studio feel about sypro these Days ?

and what regrets are there regarding Fuse ?
 
Bishop89

Bishop89

What Are Ya' Selling?
Member
Oct 25, 2017
34,475
Melbourne, Australia
This one is great. I have some unfinished resistance business with them!

Input on spyro remaster, what went wrong with fuse. So many questions
 
Admiral Woofington

Admiral Woofington

The Fallen
Oct 25, 2017
14,892
you are in a deserted island and can only bring 3 items with you, what are they and why are you bringing sunset overdrive 2 i guess you gotta release it now.
 
Big-E

Big-E

Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,169
Need to think of something. Loved Resistance 1 and felt burned by Resistance 2. So burned that I never played the third. I need to think of something that could explain the sadness that many felt in regards to that second game.
 
Fatal

Fatal

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
586
Submitted...


Despite your views on fidelity being more marketable than 60fps, do you see Insomniac embracing 60fps again on the next gen of console. It would beg to reason that more power will result in less need for compromise.
 
Chettlar

Chettlar

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,604
Are we allowed to ask things like what their opinions are on potentially making a PC port for Sunset Overdrive are and kinda the complications that would exist there?
 
WordsintheWater

WordsintheWater

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,501
Nirolak said:
Given their current job postings and unwillingness to show the game, I get the sense that one is cruising for a delay into next year. Plus, Sony has to green light PR on Spider-Man, and Marvel probably does too, and a Q&Era would be kind of an odd place to restart a marketing campaign even if it's still out this year.

That said, I think you could get them to comment on if they're considering more downloadable or VR games or if everyone is on Spider-Man. They were planning on doing a lot of direct fan engagement going forward and self-published or near self-published titles are a great choice for that.
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James Stevenson himself has said multiple times that Spider-Man is 2018 and so have Insomniac, I really don't think it's getting delayed. God of War has hardly been shown and that's coming out next month. I think it has more to do with what you just said with the PR stuff.
 
Hexer

Hexer

Member
Oct 30, 2017
925
Nice! I might actually have to think up some questions for this. I pretty much just wanna know what everyone else is wondering.... When is Sunset Overdrive 2 coming, and how bout that X Enhancement for the first one? ;) haha
 
Wozman23

Wozman23

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
1,031
Pico Rivera, CA
My mind is racing trying to reduce like 4362 questions down to 2 questions.

The two I went with:

1) How did the partnership with Stewart Copeland for the Spyro soundtracks happen, and is that an avenue that could be utilized again?

2) What were the biggest takeaways or learning experiences from the games that failed to meet commercial expectations like Fuse, Sunset Overdrive, and (the phenomenal) Resistance 3?

The main question I want to ask would be dodged: "What's next for Ratchet?" I'm hoping just maybe everyone in North Carolina isn't on Spider-Man and someone has that iron in the fire so they can tease us at E3.

Expanding on my questions:

Growing up I never appreciated the Spyro games as much as I should have. I didn't become a rabbid Insomniac fan until Ratchet & Clank. I mainly watched as a friend play the Spyro games. Later, I became a huge fan of The Police, especially Stewart Copeland, and love the Spyro soundtracks. I'm really glad they're (rumored to be) coming back! I really hope they retain the soundtracks, or better yet, get Copeland to work on them again.

I bought Fuse on Day One and was underwhelmed by everything other than the weapons. I know the IP will probably never return, and I'm okay with that. The other two, not so much. I bought the Sunset Overdrive Xbox One, which was my first purchase of an Xbox console ever. I enjoyed it and expected it to have a sequel by now. Overall, outside of a few great games, that purchase has been a disappointment. Resistance 3 is my favorite FPS ever. I always found the franchise to be far superior to Killzone. R2 did go in an odd direction, but R3 came back swinging to create one of the greatest FPS campaigns ever. I was really invested in that world and its lore. I've dreamt of where it would go in my head. I still hold on to hope that someday I may get to see an Insomniac-developed Resistance 4 where I can scour the globe for Gray Tech, build a devastating weapon that rips a hole in spacetime, and use that hole to take a trip to the Chimeran Homeworld to fight the Pure Chimera.
 
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