Ratchet & Clank(R) and Resistance(TM): Fall of Man Creators Kick Start
Industry-Wide Tech Sharing by Providing Free Source Code, Tips and
Tutorials
SAN FRANCISCO, Feb. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- Independent console games
developer Insomniac Games, creators of the multimillion-selling Ratchet &
Clank(R) and Resistance(TM) franchises, today unveiled a tech-sharing
initiative dubbed 'Nocturnal' in which it will share elements of its
technology source code and presentations free of charge with the worldwide
development community.
"The Nocturnal initiative is designed to encourage greater
communication and information sharing among the development community
because it will ultimately enable us all to create better games at a lower
development cost," said Mike Acton, engine director, Insomniac Games. "And,
in the end, it's all about making great games."
Nocturnal is being deployed in separate phases. The first phase,
Insomniac's "R&D" site (http://www.insomniacgames.com/tech/techpage.php),
launched in August 2007, and has been updated every Wednesday with new
presentations, research and articles since. Phase two will be launched
shortly, and will open some of Insomniac's source code under a liberal
open-source license. Source code will be documented and downloadable from a
wiki at (http://nocturnal.insomniacgames.com). Insomniac will further
support Nocturnal by releasing additional source code, research and
presentations in the future.
"We feel that the time has come to share what we have learned, and
learn from others to improve our solutions to the common problems that
present themselves when making a game," said Geoff Evans, an Insomniac
senior tools programmer who helped develop and launch Nocturnal.
Insomniac is allowing developers to use elements of its proprietary
third-generation PLAYSTATION(R)3 (PS3(TM)) tools chain source code for any
purpose, for free. Source code makes up the technological building blocks
that drive software development. It is often closely guarded by companies
as they create their technology. However, this has led to many functions
and pieces of code being re-written time-and-time again, wasting resources
across the industry and ultimately affecting consumers' gameplay
experiences.
"We see Nocturnal as a long-term project that may be valuable for those
who want to develop similar technology as us, but without the same effort
we needed," Acton explained. "We also believe Nocturnal may be valuable for
our fans to gain insight to our production processes, while communicating
our ideas with a larger group gives us the opportunity to generate feedback
on our approaches and ultimately improve them."
Insomniac Games is the first studio developing a third-generation PS3
title with its work on Resistance 2(TM). The company's second-generation
title, Ratchet & Clank Future(R): Tools of Destruction(TM), was acclaimed
for its CG-movie-quality graphics upon its release in 2007.
About Insomniac Games
Insomniac Games is a wholly independent console videogames developer
that has released award-winning hits for the PlayStation(R) game console,
the PlayStation(R)2 computer entertainment system and PLAYSTATION(R)3 for
14 years. The company created the first three Spyro the Dragon(TM) games,
the Ratchet & Clank(TM) franchise and Resistance: Fall of Man(TM), which
have combined to sell more than 25 million units worldwide. Insomniac Games
is currently developing Resistance 2(TM), which will release this fall,
exclusively for PlayStation 3.
In addition to making blockbuster videogames, Insomniac is known for
ranking among the top four "Best Small Companies to Work for in America" in
2005 and 2006 and among the Top 10 for 2007, according to the Great Places
to Work Institute and Society for Human Resources Management. Insomniac is
currently hiring for a variety of positions
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q86tZxuWngo). More information can be found
at http://www.insomniacgames.com/ or by listening to Insomniac's "Full Moon
Show" podcast, available on iTunes and the studio's website.
For interviews, please contact Ryan Schneider at (818) 729-2312 (work),
or: rschneider@insomniacgames.com. Alyssa Casella at Sony Computer
Entertainment America can also be contacted at (650) 655-3617 and
Alyssa_casella@playstation.sony.com.
SOURCE Insomniac Games
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Related links:
http://www.insomniacgames.com
http://www.playstation.com
CONTACT:
Alyssa Casella of Sony Computer Entertainment
America, +1-650-655-3617, Alyssa_casella@playstation.sony.com,
for Insomniac Games
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