Sony recently announced that its PlayStation gaming division, Wordwide Studios, has acquired competing game maker Insomiac Games. So… what does that mean for the formerly independent studio?
Quite a alot, in fact. Some of your favorite franchises have come from Insomniac Games for almost two decades and you may not realize it! You will, however, likely recognize some of Insomniac’s titles below.
Ratchet & Clank
Ratchet: I don’t know?
Your favorite Lombax and Robot Duo with the ridiculous arsenal with ELEVEN games under its belt is now in the hand of a new developer? Could we finally get an all-new game or maybe some type of remaster? The 2016 game was more of a retelling of the original but that PS4 disc could hold so much more information! Possibly, do they go in a whole new direction, what do you want to see happen?
Resistance: Fall of Man
Has been in Limbo since the PS3, having its last server shut down by Sony back in 2014. It would be a missed opportunity not to “resist” the urge to bring it back to the modern console generation.
Song of the Deep
Song of the Deep and it’s Metroidvania style would be awesome to see again on the PS4. Stunning graphics and a unique style really made this game stand on its own!
Marvel’s Spider-Man
With the recent yanking of Spider-man from the MCU plus Sony picking up Insomniac, we now have the lead developer and the franchise holder under the same umbrella! This (SPECULATION WARNING) pretty much guarantees us a sequel to 2018’s masterpiece! If we see Spidey in the “Sony-verse” will we now get tie-in games? Maybe Into the Spiderverse will get its own game for when it’s sequel hit theaters? There is a long web covered road ahead.
Will this acquisition affect the Insomniac philosophy?
That remains to be seen. Ted Price has gone on record saying:
We definitely have been very vocal about maintaining our independence, […] I really enjoy what I do, and I don’t like being told by other people what to do; and I think a lot of people at Insomniac feel exactly the same way.
Ted Price, CEO and founder of Insomniac Games
Price would later discuss the acquisitionon on the Insomniac Blog:
Today we announced that Insomniac has a new home as we join the Worldwide Studios family at Sony Interactive Entertainment. It feels more like a homecoming though. We’ve collaborated with Sony for more than 20 years — spanning all four PlayStation consoles, 20 total games and six franchises. We still work closely today with many of the same Sony teammates as we did when we released the original Spyro the Dragon in 1998.
The decision to join forces with Sony extends far beyond familiarity. Our studio vision is to create experiences that have a positive and lasting impact on people’s lives. As we look ahead to our future, we know that joining the WWS family gives us the best opportunities to fully achieve that vision on a much larger scale. Further, we believe that Sony shares a similar vision to positively impact players’ lives, their employees’ lives and the games industry at large.”
For Insomniac, a new beginning
The acquisition presnets new opportunites for Insomniac, and the ability to provide fans new experiences. Price would continue:
So today merely marks the beginning of a new chapter in our studio’s growth and evolution. We’re excited to put Insomniac in the best position to deliver fresh experiences for our fans for many years to come. Our structure and approach will remain intact across both Burbank and Durham, NC studios, and we will continue to cultivate our unique culture.
It’s been a crazy ride for sure. Now, we’re ready for the next phase of our journey, and can’t wait to explore new worlds with our Sony family and loyal fans.”
Will Sony respect their newly acquired company’s development process or come in like a big bad corporate dad and make them crank out content? I hope not, as the studio in the past really focuses on quality of gameplay over the quantity of titles.
Sadly we won’t see what the new partnership could do for Spyro because he now owned by Activision Blizzard, does anyone want a Disruptor remake instead?
How do you feel about this move by Insomniac Games? Are you looking forward to what’s coming next? Let us know in the comments below and follow Thathashtagshow.com for everything trending in geek pop culture!
