Hello everyone,
Greetings from Durham! Welcome to the inaugural dispatch from Insomniac’s studio in North Carolina. I'm Studio Director, Chad Dezern. We’ll use this space to keep you updated with the latest news from our top-secret game lab in the heart of the deep woods near Research Triangle Park. Every day nature and technology do battle outside our windows; as I type I’m watching a scientist in a crisp white lab coat wrestle a mountain lion. At least I think that’s what’s happening, it’s dark out there.
To kick things off, I’m going to A some FAQ’s whilst recommending only the finest BBQ (said, for some reason, with the voice of a late-night 70s disc jockey).
Why are you in North Carolina?
We’re here because we think Insomniac has a culture, a process, and a technology base worth expanding. And all three of those things are portable; opening a studio on the east coast allowed us to grow our capabilities while maintaining the successful team size in Burbank. With two studios we have location options for talented game developers from all over the world.
We chose the Triangle in North Carolina after narrowing the field down to a list of finalists. It’s simply an amazing place to live—it’s friendly, affordable, and diverse. So—more games, cool place!
What are you working on?
Here it is! This is the most frequently asked question of all. And you’re probably expecting something like “I wish I could tell you, because we’re excited about it. But we’re not able to announce just yet. Stay tuned!” But no, I’m totally going to tell you. It may be a little unorthodox, but I think this is the perfect forum to make the announcement. Here goes: we’re hard at work on CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED censored by the Insomniac Games Community Team.
So you can see why we’re excited! We can’t wait for you to play it.
Where is the best Eastern North Carolina-style barbecue in the Triangle?
This one is divisive and may result in fisticuffs. I’m partial to the Barbecue Joint in Chapel Hill. The Pit in Raleigh has the best ribs, though. Backyard Barbecue is solid all-around and close to the office. I want to go there.
What games have you been playing? Will you share them with us in a “playlist” section at the end of every entry?
Why yes I will.
Playlist
Ratchet and Clank Future: A Crack in Time, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, Brutal Legend, Beatles Rock Band, Scribblenauts (I’m still coming to grips with the fact that I can summon Cthulu), God of War: Chains of Olympus.
That’s all for now. For my next post I’m going to write something titled “I have resolved to stop comparing one thing to another. Or, a game is not a film.” Until next time!
