Ted Price wows PAX with new IP and inspirational speech

Insomniac Games CEO Ted Price gave an impressive speech at PAX Prime, not only announcing a new IP for the studio, Fuse, but also giving a thought-provoking lecture on the four pillars of making a “truly great game”.

With the announcement of the new IP comes a countdown clock website, with the clock looking to hit 0 sometime in September. Meanwhile not much has been said of Insomniac’s previously announced Overstrike, and speculation has been brewing that the two games are one and the same.

In Price’s memorable speech, he said he believes the first pillar of making a great game is to do something better than anyone else. Price used the example of Insomniac’s own brainstorming sessions, which tended to not produce much.

“It was a complete waste of time,” Price said. “We weren’t asking the right question. What does our game do better than any other game?”

Secondly, Price advised developers to not get too caught up in art and story that they don’t prioritise fun.

“That’s dangerous! That’s putting off the inevitable,” he said. “All the fun stuff — story, character, visual — has to be subservient to fun. And once you figure out what’s fun you have to prove it every single day.”

Price’s third pillar was a suggestion to developers to clearly define their audience. Titles need to be tailored for specific consumers; it’s not possible to appeal to everyone.

And finally, Price advised developers to make their consumers’ game experience personal.

“The creation process should be an intensely personal experience,” Price closed. “You are sharing your interests and experiences and putting yourself in everything you make.”