The head of Insomniac games talks about the risks of running an independent studio and the influence of mobile and indie development.
you know, this game wasn't even on my radar however I love these breakroom videos. I'm really impressed with what insomniac are trying to do and even though I haven't even tried the demo for fuse. I will buy the game on release just because I can see and hear in his voice that he loves what he does and respects gamers. I salute you sir keep on creating amazing games.
1 Like At what point does he talk about the influence of indie development please? The game doesn't appeal enough to me to listen to an hour about it but that portion really interests me :)
Sorry this comment is not video game related, but pause the video when Ted Price is facing the camera and compare with this photo of Iggy Pop:
http://www.lastfm.fr/music/Iggy+Pop/+images/20011325
Don't you think they bear a strong resemblance?
Fuse, despite the lackluster demo, is a day-one buy for me. I loved Ratchet & Clank and Resistance as franchises, and demos never generally impress me to begin with. I think the only mistake that made with the Fuse one was stripping out the scenes with renowned Insomniac comedic writing.
2 Like @TheCyborgNinja "How do you plan on getting the information out of him?"
"The same way I solve all my problems; point a gun at him and threaten him until he tells me the answer."
IMO indie is the way to go. There are some really good games coming out of indie studios at the moment. AAA needs to take note of what's happening and stop releasing bugged rehashes of past titles.
1 Like I'm a pc gamer and I listened to the whole thing. Guess that means it was that interesting :)
This was absolutely great to watch and listen to. Good job on a great interview. I love hearing it from the man himself instead of a written article. Also good for Ted saying "This is the story we're telling." His essential "Deal with it" moment.
This was terrific. I'm hoping to see more shows like this on GameSpot. The candid, conversational style of the interview is great. I hope this becomes a long-running series here, where more devs and artists just talk openly about their games. More than that, I want to hear them talk about their experiences, their ideas and feelings on gaming and the industry in general. Thanks, Tom!
My only complaint is the background noise. Maybe next time you can find a quieter location to do this, while keeping it out-of-the-office.
I'm looking forward to playing Fuse. I'll be sure to try the demo tomorrow.
Ahhh...the days of couch co-op. Bringing over a good game/system to friend(s) who could not afford or too busy with family and spend hours of fun. It took them away from their tedious reality for a bit.
2 Like Over 80 minutes of interview? Any chance of one minute version of this? Or better yet, 10 seconds version?
1 Like Boycotting this game for the sheer fact that they went multi plat. Just my opinion.
1 Like @Incubus420 So they betrayed Sony or something like that? You're being childish and are going to miss on great game.
@AndCarlsen @Incubus420 I know I'm just playing. I know why they left Sony. Still going to pass on the game though. They aren't good at shooters.
Why does anything need changing? So the idiots can use gaming for political and personal agendas?
I think resistance is a joke and a huge waste of an awesome concept however I have a ton of respect for the Ratchet and Clank series so I'll go right ahead and get hyped for this in till I see something I don't like
1 Like @uglypinkmoose Resistance world and story is underwhelming however, the game play in Resistance is exceptional and one of the best FPS games series in gaming easily. The weapons like the Auger and Bullseye with their alt fires are just fun to use and some of the best EVER in an FPS. I never cared for the story much and the characters were a bit dull but serviceable. Ratchet and Clank is just AWESOME. Plain and simple I agree with you. I have to disagree with Resistance because many devs will try and rip off the weapons and gameplay from that game and give it a more meaningful story.
Legislatures should watch this video starting at about 44 min. in. Great, short discussion on violence in games.
1 Like The first 20min I was a bit worried because Ted seemed too media trained. I almost quit watching tbh. But he eased up after that. I think it's better the more the dev can talk about their older work and other peoples games. Their current project is obv super sensitive and they don't want to say anything that can negatively affect sales.
I understand that may be difficult as they are doing the interview to promote their new game. Still just my 2 cent :).
@Sushiglutton I felt the same way for the first 20 min or so he was in PR mode and then he eased up and finally got into a casual discussion about the game and the company in general. I still think Tom asked some really dumb questions though, I preferred the Ken Levine interview though.
2 Like Ugh Tom really asked some dumb questions when he was talking about "mature" and "violent" games.
2 Like I wish Fuse would come to PC (Steam).
Alotta older PC games allow 'couch co-op' via 2 USB controllers hooked up via USB hub. Sega Genesis Classics Collection does this very well in Gunstar Heroes, Streets of Rage 2&3, Bio-Hazard Battle... Fuse could pull it off as well. So my fingers are crossed.
1 Like I love these Break Room videos. Always informative, insightful and enjoyable to watch.
1 Like I've played Fuse's demo. I'd say aside from looking a bit generic, the game is pretty fun actually. It reminds me of the great co-op mode Resistance 2 had, and the weapons and abilities are definitely fun to use. They may have EA bossing around above their head, but this is Insomniac we are talking about.
@ChristysXmas As I mentioned a couple of times, EA has nothing to do with the game except begin the publisher. They don't even own the name "Fuse", Insomniac does.
Terms of gameplay I agree aside from slightly wonky movement. Plus the character banter was quite funny at times.
great interview! I love anytime we get to hear how developers work through the obstacles that present themselves
2 Like The risk of running an independent studio is being forced by EA to make a generic uninspired third person militrary shooter.
@nephili232 Military? You're playing as a bunch of mercenaries who don't even like what they're doing. Even the enemies are basically mercs with a big budget.
You say this even though you know nothing about the game or the relationship between EA and Insomniac. I'd say your comment is what is uninspiring.
@WCAR18 This tired, ridiculous argument again? I forgot that I can't comment at all on the appearance of a game until I've beat it completely. Interviews, demo, gameplay videos just don't cut it. Absurd.
Admittedly I have no idea what the relationship is between Insomniac and EA. All I can do look back on their pedigree of unique and creative games then look at their first independent project under EA?s wing? a generic third person military shooter. Put into the context of what has happened to other game series when the developer has come under EA?s control and you can make some assumptions.
@nephili232 @WCAR18 Insomniac has a full control over Fuse. If you download the demo and look the title screen it says, albeit in a little longer form "Fuse is a registered trademark of Insomniac Games Inc" EA is only the publisher. Hell, if the game is a smash and EA doesn't want to continue the anyone can be the publisher of the sequel.
@nephili232 That's why I always say that companies like EA, Ubisoft, etc... actually hates indie developers since they made them suffer in order to save their skin.
@Sohereiam More like they LOVE indie developers because they can toss many of them large sums of money that seem enticing but come with a billion and one conditions. One of those conditions usually being that you've just sold your soul to the gaming industry devil, and are at risk of being shut down and/or sold out by them at any time.
