4 tips for developing hits from the creator of Spyro and Ratchet&Clank

The executive director of Insomniac Games in an interview with Gamasutra shared four rules that guide the studio when creating any game.  

Our time is characterized by democracy. This is, of course, in this case about accessibility to development tools and distribution methods. Thanks to this, all conditions have now been created for the appearance of absolutely new faces, new bright teams on the market. Insomniac Games executive director Ted Price decided to share his experience with them, who for 18 years in the video game industry has learned a lot about their creation, having had a hand in the Spyro series, Ratchet& Clank series, Resistance series and a number of smaller projects. 

1. Do one thing better than everyone else

Everything is possible when you start developing a new game. And this is both bad and good at the same time. There is a sea of paths in front of you, any of them you can choose. But which one is better? 

“For us at Insomniac, usually the hardest thing is getting started,” Price says.

Insomniac has held a jam session only twice since its foundation in 1994. The studio in full force went up to the roof of the office with a keg of beer and brainstormed ideas for new games. At these moments, thousands of crazy ideas were expressed, which, if they were implemented, would result in a very complex and expensive project. 

“It was just a waste of time,” Ted explains.

“We didn’t ask ourselves the most important question. What makes our game better than other projects?“.

The main thing is to find the answer to this question and bring it to your team.   

2. At first there was a fan

It is very difficult to define a fan. This is one of those things that we all have an idea about when we play, but it’s still very difficult to determine what it is. 

It takes a lot of time and effort to find a fan. You’ll have to search, find something, then realize that the next find is not worth a penny, and look again.  The main thing to remember is that you can’t pretend that you’re interested in playing if you don’t like playing. Try to change something and play again, if you don’t like it, change it again. The fan will definitely come. 

The most dangerous trap is the idea that the game will be better when art, history, and music appear in it. In fact, the game should generate the fan itself. 

“All this – the story, the characters, the graphics – should be an addition to the fan, they should be secondary,” says Price. 

3. Identify your audience

Ask the most ambitious young game designers who their game is designed for. Do you know what answer you will get? At all. To be honest, there is nothing worse than this answer. And especially today. The modern gaming audience is incredibly diverse. And you have a much higher chance of finding your users if you segment this audience. 

For example, a mobile audience? This means that the fan player should receive in the first seconds after launching the application. Hardcore shooter? The camera and controls must be on top. Are you doing anything for Facebook? Virality should be put at the forefront. 

4. Do it yourself

“Creating anything is personal,” Price says. “By creating, you share your interests, your experience, and invest a part of yourself.” 

And when you put your hand to everything in the project, it begins to show results. Put yourself into your game and it will become special. 

It will give her a soul.