Ted Price, the retiring CEO of Insomniac Games, received the honor of being inducted into the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences at The Dice Awards this week.
Price started Insomniac Games in 1994 and brought us games such as Spyro the Dragon, Ratchet & Clank, Resistance: Fall of Man, and the blockbuster Marvel’s Spider-Man series. Along the way, he developed a knack for leadership and taking brave stands.
Price’s departure is a rare happy event in the game industry where it’s still not often we get to see someone spend three decades in the game industry and retire of their own free will. I interviewed Price at the Dice Summit this week and peppered him with questions about his memories. After also interviewing Shu Yoshida and Don James, I felt like the retirement reporter at GamesBeat. And I was struck by the satisfaction each of them felt of having spent decades making happiness.
“I’ll start with the obvious,” said Ryan Schneider, one of three studio co-heads who will replace Price, in an introductory speech at the awards show. “Ted Price is, and always will be, one of the greatest leaders in the game industry. Period.”
Schneider referred to Price as his friend, his mentor and his hero.
He added, “Think about what makes a legendary leader. It’s possessing not just one, but several inate characteristics and superpowers: vision, integrity, humility, resilience. The ability to listen, the courage to act. The will to do what is right.”
Back in 2019, I interviewed Price at the 25-year mark in his career. He started Insomniac Games (first known as Extreme Software) in 1994. With Al Hastings and his brother, Brian, Price made Disruptor, a science fiction shooter game that publishers repeatedly rejected. Price was down to his last $1,000. They started developing Disruptor for the 3DO, but that early game console started tanking. So Mark Cerny, a producer at Universal/Cerny Games, suggested they switch the game to the PlayStation, Sony’s fledgling game console.
Universal published Disruptor. It didn’t do well, but it led to more projects. The next game was Spyro the Dragon, which was a family-friendly platformer with a larger target audience than Disruptor. Spyro became a hit, and it’s still around today.
Price is a passionate advocate for video game creators’ First Amendment rights and played a key role in industry efforts against restrictive legislation, including the landmark Brown v. EMA Supreme Court case, where the game industry defeated censorship efforts with its First Amendment arguments.
He has also regularly helped judge GamesBeat’s own Visionary Awards and we gave him our second annual Visionary Award back in 2019. We gave that to him after his actions in May 2017, when Price showed leadership by publishing a video opposing then-President Donald Trump’s Muslim immigration ban, which prohibited travel to the U.S. from predominantly Muslim countries.
“We at Insomniac Games stand united in strongly opposing President Trump’s immigration ban,” Price said in the video. “There’s no question these orders will harm us as a company and many of our team members. So we ask. Is this the American way? Is discriminating based on religious faith or national origin American? Absolutely not. This is a deplorable, discriminatory act that we and many others across the nation believe is patently unconstitutional. We have been, we are, and will always be a nation of immigrants. If you agree with us, please do something about it. … Join us in being a force for good and making your voice heard.”
Schneider said, “Ted has been a moral compass. And we need that compass….There is a question we can ask. What would Ted do?”
Price has worked on 35 games over the decades at Insomniac Games. Since Insomniac’s acquisition by Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2019, Price has continued to guide the studio’s growth, which now boasts nearly 450 employees.
In his acceptance speech, he said he was humbled at the award and the nice things people were saying about him. He said he was uncomfortable being on stage because he has always felt making games is a team sport. He said game teams represent a unity of vision that is increasingly rare in our divided world. He said games are the most vibrant art form in the world and they speak to us all individually. He said he was ridiculously lucky to be surrounded by people who really believe we are better together.
“These are the people that remind me every day of the importance of teams,” he said.
Price thanked his parents for the values that he carries with him today. He thanked his mom for sparking his dream by bringing home an Atari 2600 game console one day. He thanked all of his colleagues and peers in the industry, as well as the team at Insomniac. Lastly, he thanked his wife of 25 years, Kristine, for being unfailingly positive. He said he would join the players and cheer the industry on from the sidelines.
“My hope and my challenge to every leader here and all the game team leaders watching is that we never stop working to make this industry a place where every single team member feels welcome to speak up and share their ideas,” he said. “Together, we can make a lasting impact on this crazy world.”
Here’s an edited transcript of our interview.
GamesBeat: What led you to the decision to retire?
Ted Price: I thought it was time for me to make way for other leaders at Insomniac who have fresh ideas and can take Insomniac farther, as we continue to build bigger and more complex games.
GamesBeat: That came up in your talk. That it was time to create some opportunity for other leaders.
Price: It’s how companies thrive and continue. For me, Insomniac is–I’m proud of its 30-plus year history. I want to see it go for another 30 years.
GamesBeat: Did anything affect the timing?
Price: Insomniac, with Spider-Man and our relationship with Marvel–we definitely entered a new phase in our history. We’re talking to a much larger audience now. We’ve been fortunate to release games that have been well-received players. We’re in a great spot. I wanted to make sure that Insomniac’s stability and continuity were in place as I stepped away. Or I should probably rephrase that. I wanted to make sure we were in a stable place and new leaders would provide continuity for the team, which they do.
GamesBeat: What do you remember most fondly, looking back on the whole time?
Price: Building the games. Being a part of the development team early on was exhilarating. It helped me understand, firsthand, the kind of energy that exists when people come together to solve problems, without judging each other, with open minds. Giving each other the benefit of the doubt. To me that’s where the magic happens in game development.
Game development is about having ideas come from all parts of the company, working together to bring them to reality, and at the same time being responsible for having a business that operates professionally. We’ve tried hard over the years to balance both.
GamesBeat: Did you have a different outlook than either Cory Barlog or Neil Druckmann, based on their conversation?
Price: Every person in this industry is different. They have different motivations and life experiences. A lot of what they said about team really resonated with me. Neil was talking about how today, the ideas aren’t coming from him. They’re coming from team members. He makes the call on what the vision of the game is going to be, but it’s a collective effort. That spoke to me, because that’s how we do it at Insomniac. We encourage everyone to take ownership of the creative vision of the game. While we have folks who are responsible for making decisions, the intent is to make sure they’re well-informed decisions through people on the team who are experts in their fields. They have thoughts and dreams about where we should take our games.
GamesBeat: You get a lot of ideas on the board, and once you have that, then you make the call.
Price: The idea is that not only do you make calls based on a collaborative conversation with the team, but you also explain why you make the calls you do. As leaders, we’re responsible for making sure we’re all moving in the same direction. To make that happen effectively, I personally believe it’s important for everyone to understand the why. Even though it’s almost impossible to get everyone to agree or be comfortable with any particular decision, especially with a large company, I believe that once a team understands the reasoning behind any particular decision, it’s much easier for us to move as a collective.
GamesBeat: Neil said “Trust the process” a few times. Cory sounded more skeptical.
Price: One thing they said that I also thought rang very true, and it probably will for every developer who hears this, is that every team’s process is different. There’s no recipe for making games in this industry. That’s why it continues to be, I think, one of if not the most vibrant artistic industries in the world. Everything continues to shift within our industry. As development teams we have to be responsive and responsible to the changes in player desires, the changes in budgetary constraints. All of these things factor into the process that we’ve developed in each of our companies. That’s why I say that there is no standard process that anybody follows, in my opinion.
That said, at Insomniac we do try very hard to be transparent about what we’re doing, which process we’re following, and invite every Insomniac to comment on what’s working and what isn’t, so we can continue to improve the process.
GamesBeat: I like how some of this conversation carries on to other things. When DeepSeek came along with the contrast between OpenAI spending billions of dollars training an LLM, and then DeepSeek spending $6 million because they couldn’t get access to GPUs–the constraint was on them to be creative and come up with a solution that fit their budget and their schedule.
Price: For as long as I’ve been in the industry, we’ve always faced constraints. They’re often money, available resources. We have to be responsible within those constraints and, as you said, get creative in coming up with solutions that will allow us to operate at our best within those constraints. That’s a lot of the fun when it comes to development. I feel like most of the folks who arrive in the game industry are players. We’re trained from the very beginning as players to solve problems. I believe we bring those problem-solving capabilities and interests into the development field. That’s what makes game teams so dynamic.
GamesBeat: What was fun for you about game development early on, and what was fun later?
Price: I’ve been very fortunate to get a chance to solve very different types of problems with teams during my career. Early on I might have been involved in discussing the mechanics of how one of Ratchet’s weapons worked with gameplay programmers and designers, which was always a lot of fun. Later many of us continued to get together to talk about long-term strategy and how we could play to our strengths with the games that we make within the budgetary and time constraints that we have.
GamesBeat: As you became a bigger and bigger studio, then, was there still some fun in it for you?
Price: Yes, because the problems never stopped. At Insomniac we tend to enjoy attacking problems. We don’t shy away from them. To me, that’s what makes it fun. There’s a desire to continue to ask and answer the question, “How can we do this better?”
GamesBeat: You showed a lot of leadership with the stance you took on the travel ban. What are some moments you’re proud of when you look back?
Price: Sharing transparently and openly with our team, and also with the industry, is something I’m proud of. Insomniac has shared at conferences and tried to help other groups, smaller developers, by sharing how we do things, and also sharing the mistakes we’ve made along the way, things we might have done better. We’ve all been there. We’ve all been at the starting line asking, “How do we do this?” Insomniac was certainly there. Having the opportunity to say, “Here’s where we could have done things better and we hope it helps you, because you’re part of this industry,” that’s gratifying for us.
That involves, for example, talking to students. Helping students understand what it’s like to be in the industry. For me personally, I’m the executive sponsor for the Global Social Justice Fund at Sony. Or I won’t be when I retire, but I’ve had the chance to work with PlayStation career pathway scholars. These are kids from underrepresented groups who are learning about the game development process from development teams directly. It gives them an onramp into the industry that they may not be able to access otherwise. That’s the kind of thing that many Insomniacs are involved in. It reflects who we are as a company.
GamesBeat: A lot of leaders are good at self-interest, doing the right thing for their team or their studio. But I don’t find as many people who think more about the industry’s interest. Do you feel like you’ve learned to care about this over the years, or was it always something that was there for you?
Price: Insomniacs who have joined us over the years have had a really altruistic perspective. It helps bring you people who do care, genuinely, about others, about making our industry and the world a better place. It sounds pat for me to say this, but it’s true. We attract people who believe in our mission, and part of our mission is to help those who are less fortunate than we are. They also believe in our vision, which is to have a lasting and positive impact on people. Not just players, but also the people who are at Insomniac.
We broadcast those values. It does bring people in who want to act on them. That collective desire helps me. It powers me up. It reminds me that it’s not just about focusing inward and making the games. It’s about asking how we can have a positive impact on those around us. Insomniacs live that daily.
GamesBeat: You poured a lot of energy into DICE and the AIAS over the years. Is that another expression of that mission?
Price: The AIAS exists to recognize and reward craft excellence in this industry. At the same time, because of the Academy’s success, it’s started a foundation that helps very similarly to what I was talking about at Sony. It brings in scholars who can learn from the people who attend DICE and industry veterans who are there to share their knowledge and help jumpstart careers for people who may not have the opportunities that a lot of us take for granted.
GamesBeat: Did things change for you as you became part of Sony?
Price: Being part of Sony for us as a company has allowed us to be part of a much larger team. We’ve always been very close to Sony. We’ve also been close to the other first-party teams at Sony. But becoming part of Sony meant that we were even closer. We were sharing even more with our friends at Naughty Dog, Guerrilla, Sucker Punch, Santa Monica Studios, the list goes on. When we share, we all get better. At the same time, we haven’t stopped sharing with folks outside as well. As I said before, we’re going to conferences, giving talks at GDC about how we do things. That helps those who are often just getting started in the industry.
Being part of the Sony family is something that we–most people assumed we were, right? Prior to 2019, people assumed we were part of Sony, which we weren’t. It was a natural transition for us to become part of Sony. We had very closely aligned philosophies about most things. That said, we’ve also enjoyed being part of Sony, given that Sony is very hands-off when it comes to their process. Each team – Naughty Dog, Sucker Punch, Guerrilla, Insomniac – we all have our own approach to development and to culture. That’s one of the wonderful aspects of first-party development. We’re all totally different. We have that autonomy to continue forging our paths. It’s what makes great first-party games.
GamesBeat: You stayed a lot longer at Sony than some people who’ve sold their companies. What drove that?
Price: I love the people I work with. I really do. I wouldn’t have been in this industry for so long had I not truly enjoyed the day-to-day interactions I had with Insomniacs and with our partners. It’s been special for me. At the same time, I also wanted to make sure that at some point, when I was leaving, that Insomniac was in a solid place. That’s where we are right now.
GamesBeat: Do you have plans for what you want to do next?
Price: I’m not planning to do anything associated with the industry. I already spend a lot of time volunteering in STEM education where I live. I plan to continue focusing on that.
GamesBeat: What would be your advice for new people coming into the industry, or coming up in the industry behind you?
Price: I don’t need to give any of the team members who are moving up at Insomniac advice. We talk all the time. I’m confident in the leaders across Insomniac, from our new co-studio heads to our department heads and project leaders. They know what they’re doing. Many of them are multi-decade veterans. They’ve helped create our culture at Insomniac. I feel that Insomniac is in fantastic hands. It has a very bright future. I’m looking forward to playing their games. So no advice there.
For folks getting into the industry, take advantage of internships. Come to DICE. Become an AIAS foundation scholar. Spend time at GDC. Meet people. Learn what it’s like. Go to talks. Find talks from the developers you respect and listen to what they went through. Take those lessons to heart. Then do your own thing.
GamesBeat: The last couple of years have seen some tough times in the industry. It’s been hard for me to think of advice for younger people, because it’s such a difficult industry.
Price: It’s a tough industry, I agree. The industry has gone through a difficult period as it’s consolidated. That’s generally followed by opportunity, though. When I look at the indie scene in particular, it continues to be incredibly exciting. People are taking advantage of more and more powerful tools to make games that wouldn’t have been possible just a decade ago. That, to me, means that while it’s a tough place to work, there’s always room for people who are driven and passionate about expressing themselves in some fashion. Making a statement that will have a positive and lasting impact on players.
GamesBeat: Do you think there trends right now that makes this a particularly exciting time to make games for a new generation of players?
Price: Trends, there are lots of trends. There are trends all the time. One thing that hasn’t changed, coming back to the beginning of our conversation, is that developers are generally very willing to share. There’s more and more really good information on the internet right now about any aspect of the industry you’re interested in. If you want to specialize in animation, gameplay coding, engine coding, it’s all there. At the same time, if you want to learn what it’s like to make a game and start your own company, there are many great resources for you to take advantage of and build a basic foundation so you can take those first few steps.
That’s often the most difficult aspect of getting into the industry. It’s making the decision to take the first few steps and try something. Whether it’s going for an internship, applying for an entry-level position at a company, or even starting your own company yourself.
GamesBeat: Someone was asking you about Resistance 4–
Price: He wasn’t asking me about Resistance 4. His question was, were there any games that I recall that I was excited about and pitched? I mentioned Resistance 4.
I will say that Resistance is one of my favorite franchises at Insomniac. I say this because I was the creative director on the first two games. We went through a lot of twists and turns to ship that first Resistance. It was so gratifying to come out as a launch title on the PlayStation 3 and see that the vision we had collectively – which, again, changed over several years – was delivered, and fans responded really positively. We still get plenty of interest from fans when it comes to Resistance. That’s one of the reasons it’s very close to my heart.
GamesBeat: In a sense your work is not done, but you’re able to walk away from it.
Price: If you’re in the game industry, you can say that–there’s always something else you could be doing. We’ve built a lot of franchises at Insomniac. Today I’ve made the decision to become a fan. I know that the team is going to make the right calls on what we do with all of these franchises in the future. I’ll be there to enjoy it with a controller in my hand.
After his acceptance speech, I was able to ask Price a few more questions.
GamesBeat: You had a lot to say in your speech. What motivated you to have so much to say?
Price: Well, that’s been me. I feel like having a point of view, and I like sharing what I think we as an industry should shoot for. We can be ambitious with our games, right? But I think we also have to be ambitious with our cultures, and that means looking inward and making sure that we’re continually asking, ‘What can we do better as a team?’ Not just that. ‘What can we do better with our games?’ We need as an industry to make a hugely positive impact in the world. I say this all the time, but to do that, we have to have healthy teams. We have to have teams that are motivated in full ownership. So that means to me that we have to always ask, ‘What can we do to make our cultures better?’
GamesBeat: How does it feel that it’s still a such a hard business?
Price: It’s a good point. I think it’s a challenge for all leaders in any business. You can never make everybody happy, but what you can do is you can ask everybody for their thoughts and share why we’re making decisions so that even those who might not have agreed can understand that there’s reason and thought and compassion behind the decisions that one makes.
GamesBeat: Did you have a favorite Insomniac game?
Price: Well, I’ll tell you what. I won’t talk about the game. I’ll talk about the development processes. For process, the one that really always sticks out my head is Resistance: Fall of Man, because we went through so many twists and turns on that concept. It must have changed three times before we landed our Resistance. And it was a launch title for the PlayStation 3. And we were developing new tech, and we were hugely ambitious with the game. It was a new IP, first person shooter, mature. A lot of things were firsts for us, but we got it done. And that was because the team rallied and believed in the game. So it felt invigorating and rewarding, interesting.
GamesBeat: It was my favorite Insomniac game.
Price: Oh, that’s awesome. It’s great to hear.
GamesBeat: And what was your favorite console.
Price: Well, it’s hard. I mean, as a fan of graphics, the PlayStation 5 is pretty amazing. That’s an obvious answer. Working with the Sony hardware team, as we have for so many years, means having a close relationship with them. It means that we just understand each generation better, and we can do more with it, not just because it’s more powerful, but because our core team really takes leaps in terms of their abilities with every generation.
GamesBeat: It seems like what changed with Mark Cerny taking over console design on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 was that the wall between the hardware developers and the software folks came down. Developers really got to have real feedback into what should be designed into the system. Is that how you felt as well?
Price: I can’t remember exactly when it happened, Sony has made a huge commitment, and Mark has been a huge part of this, to ensure that it’s a collaborative effort.
GamesBeat: And then I guess that means that, you know, the best hardware maybe, is not always just purely the best. It’s the one that you can make games for, right?
Price: It’s got to be a balance, right. It’s got to be immensely powerful, accessible, well documented and supported.
GamesBeat: Congratulations.
Price: All right, great questions.
