Gaming

Insomniac Games founder and president Ted Price is retiring

by Pelican Press
by Pelican Press 3 minutes read

Insomniac Games founder and president Ted Price is retiring

Insomniac Games founder and president Ted Price has announced that he’s retiring.

Having founded the Spider-Man and Ratchet & Clank studio in February 1994, Price will leave the games industry in March.

Following his departure, Insomniac veterans Chad Dezern, Ryan Schneider and Jen Huang will serve as co-studio heads.

Price said in a statement published on Insomniac parent company Sony’s website: “I actually made this decision last year. For me, after over 30 years of leading Insomniac, I felt it was simply time to step aside and let others pave the way for our team.

“During the past year, I had the opportunity to work with the senior leadership team at Insomniac to create a succession plan that I know will provide the continuity, stability and strong leadership necessary to deliver more of what our fans cherish over the next several decades.”

Price added: “I believe strongly that for us to continue our success, we need leaders at the top who are intimately familiar with how we do things, leaders who have helped build our culture and our processes, and who have earned people’s trust.

“For many years, Chad, Jen and Ryan have been instrumental in making Insomniac what we are today. I’ve seen each lead major initiatives here which have positively changed Insomniacs’ lives. Plus, they’ve consistently demonstrated the kind of collaboration and transparency that’s part of our DNA. And just as important, their skillsets are truly complementary.

“There is no way that I would ever consider handing the reins to a team I didn’t trust to take care of Insomniacs and lead us to even greater heights.”

In a joint statement, Dezern, Schneider and Huang said: “Our shared intention is to preserve what has made Insomniac special for 30-plus years while exploring how we can strategically evolve to succeed for decades to come.

“We’ll continue prioritizing our studio culture, built around transparency and collaboration. We strive for a workplace where employees can do the best work of their careers.

“What does all this mean for our players and fans? We’re going to keep making the games you love, while taking care of the people who make them. This aligns with our studio vision of making a positive and lasting impact on people’s lives.”

Insomniac was founded in 1994 as Xtreme Software, and the company’s first project was Disrupter for the original PlayStation. It went on to create the PlayStation mascots Spyro the Dragon and Ratchet & Clank, and to develop the PlayStation exclusive series Resistance.

While it released a number of multiplatform titles, including 2014’s Sunset Overdrive for Xbox One and PC, Insomniac cemented its longstanding relationship with Sony when it was acquired by the PlayStation maker in 2019.

The studio is perhaps best know these days for its work on the Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise, and is currently developing Marvel’s Wolverine for PS5.