It seems that Insomniac is thinking big in terms of development and expanding to the east coast means they can concentrate on what they do best, making games. This also means that they can pick from a different pool of talent and add more diversity to their growing library. We talked with Chad Dern and Shaun McCabe from Insomniac Games to get the skinny on their move to North Carolina.

Bb: California seems to be the hub of gaming development and publishing.
Why expand in North Carolina? And, why the decision to expand now on the
eve of launching another big title?

Chad Dezern, North Carolina Studio Director: Expanding to the Triangle
in North Carolina lets us maintain the small studio culture at our
Burbank office while offering an East Coast alternative for talented
developers.

To answer the question of why now-we just feel that the time is right to
expand. Insomniac has produced a string of successful titles and we now
have a more refined process to go along with a solid base of tools and
technology. We want to make more games, without losing our current
studio culture mindset.

I should also point out that Shaun and I are staying in Burbank until
Resistance 2 is completely finished.

Bb: Does this announcement mean that you are becoming more of a game
publisher or just a bigger developer?

CD: We’re a developer through and through. Our focus is now and has
always been on creating and developing the best games possible.

Bb: Does Insomniac plan on developing games on other platforms like the
Wii and the Xbox 360?

CD: I’m not going to talk just yet about what we’re doing. But I can say
that we really enjoy our working relationship with Sony.

Bb: Resistance 2 will be released close to the same time as Gears Of War
2. Both games are critically acclaimed exclusives for each console. Do
you think that there’s added pressure going head to head with a game
like Gears of War 2 for the second time around?

CD: The pressure is self-imposed; we always put pressure on ourselves to
make the best game we possibly can. For us with Resistance 2, that means
building on what we started with Resistance: Fall of Man and delivering
on the promise of the massive game we’re making. We always want to push
ahead and top everything we’ve done in the past.

Bb: How has the Nocturnal Initiative worked out for you?

Shaun McCabe, North Carolina Production Director: It’s been great so
far. While we’re still in the early stages, we’ve gotten a lot of
positive feedback from the development community and are planning a
major release in the near future. For more information, email us at
nocturnal@insomniacgames.com.

Bb: Do you plan on expanding the Ratchet & Clank universe with another
sequel?

CD: Wouldn’t you like to know!

Bb: What does next generation gaming mean to you?

CD: For me as a player, it’s about giving in and forgetting to pay
attention to all of the individual elements.

And as a developer it’s about crafting that experience. We’re at the
point where we can try to transcend the mechanics of the medium and make
something that works as a whole; when everything is clicking a game
becomes more than the sum of its parts.