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Insomniac's Ted Price

"We've had a super-positive response from our fans."

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Image credit: Eurogamer

Insomniac Games, the maker of PlayStation hits Ratchet & Clank and Resistance, has signed a multiplatform publishing deal with EA Partners. In other words, the studio is making a completely new IP that will be on Xbox 360 as well. That news broke yesterday; the internet was drowned in exclamation marks.

Today, with the dust settled, Insomniac leader Ted Price was chirpy. As his interview schedule was winding down, we asked him how he felt the deal had gone down.

EurogamerTed, the news is out there; has it been a busy day?
Ted Price

Well, actually, it's been really cool. We've had a super-positive response from our fans; the people who play our games. And that's gratifying.

EurogamerHas anything surprised you about the reaction?
Ted Price

Nope. We anticipated that some of the hardcore PS3 fans might wonder whether or not we'd be delivering the same experience, and hopefully the comments that have been showing up from me in other places show we're still as committed as ever to the franchises we're working on with Sony.

EurogamerWhat about scope of the news: did you realise Insomniac was this popular?
Ted Price

It's certainly gratifying! I've used that word twice now. It's cool to see people that recognise who we are. It's a nice change from 10-15 years ago when, for the most part, it was games that generally got the most attention and developer brands were few and far between. Here at Insomniac we've worked really hard to develop our brand so our customers know what they're getting when they buy an Insomniac game. People sit up and take notice when we make a move like this. It's great.

EurogamerIs there anything you'd like to clear up about the deal?
Ted Price

No: people get the point quite clearly. We're entering a new deal with EAP for a multiplatform game. We're extremely excited about that. But at the same time we're remaining dedicated to Ratchet and Resistance and to our partners at Sony.

EurogamerOne thing I don't recall you covering is how loud the Xbox 360 is and how large that power adapter is. Surely you must be mad to support such a machine?
Ted Price

Ha - did you say it's very loud?

Insomniac has been on PlayStation 3 since day one, literally - Resistance: Fall of Man was a launch title.
EurogamerYes, and it has a very large battery.
Ted Price

[Guffaws]

I have one sitting here on my desk now and it's... It's a little bit louder than a PS3.

EurogamerI'm surprised you can hear me. On a more serious note: what have you admired about Microsoft's console from afar that you're now free to explore?
Ted Price

We really didn't look at the two platforms and compare them and decide that one was better than the other. Xbox Live is impressive in its breadth and its popularity with users; that's a very cool opportunity for us to start taking advantage of. Beyond that, we're focusing on the game, to make sure we can deliver an awesome experience on both platforms.

EurogamerWhat about things like Natal and Move - do they tickle your fancy?
Ted Price

We're definitely learning as much as we can about those because, as with most peripherals that have come out in the last 10 years, some work and some don't. Natal and Move have, in particular, a lot of potential for new gameplay opportunities. We want to see what's announced at E3, in terms of other games using [Natal and Move], and learn from other developers.