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Exclusive Interview with Insomniac Games - pt. 1
In the first part of our candid interview with Insomniac Games, the Californian developer discusses story-telling and the future of Ratchet & Clank.
Written by David Scammell, 26 October 2009
GamerZines: Ratchet & Clank has a fairly rich narrative, but how do you approach writing its story? Do you start with the gameplay first and work the story around that, or the other way around?
TJ Fixman, Ratchet & Clank: A Crack In Time Writer & Editor: We start with the gameplay elements that the designers and creative director Brian Allgeier want put into the game. They wanted time to play a big factor, and a lot of upgrading which is what we're known for, so there should be some sort of macro-collectibles, and we also had to think of a way story-wise to have the Zoni scattered so that Ratchet could collect them and upgrade his ship. So it starts with elements like that and then I pitch him a story based on the elements that he gives me, and once we find something that resonates we take it to the design team and from there on out they split up the story and work out how to tell it through the gameplay. It's interesting, like story-wise, the same thing that makes a story compelling for a movie makes a story compelling for a game, but it's all about making sure that we have something that's fun to play.
GZ: One of the criticisms of gaming as a medium is that, while everything has come along technologically, some still think that the narrative and the quality of the story-telling hasn't progressed as far as it should have. Do you agree with that?
TF: Absolutely, I do agree. I guess one thing that people don't understand - and that I didn't understand before I got into game writing - is that one of the things that makes it tricky to create a compelling story in a game is that everything changes along the production cycle. In a movie you have a script that stays the same regardless and that's where everything stems from. In a game it's the other way around. The story has to always complement the gameplay. I could write a really compelling story but then anything could happen from there. Like, a level could get cut halfway through production and we've already animated all the scenes before that, so nothing back there can change, we have to keep moving forward. So you have to write a story not one time but ten or fifteen times. Fortunately for us in A Crack In Time we didn't run into anything as dramatic as an entire level being cut - everything stayed mostly on path - but features changed and gameplay changed, so I think that's one of the reasons why you do see the narrative falling behind. I think now that's all changed though and people are expecting a better story in terms of quality, studios are making more of an effort to hire writers that can tell a really good story. You look at the really big hits that have come out this year like Uncharted 2, Batman: Arkham Asylum and anything from Tim Schafer, these are all games renowned for having a good story, so I think that the entire industry should stand up and take notice.
GZ: So A Crack In Time wraps up the Ratchet & Clank Future story arc?
TF: Yes, this is the end of the Future trilogy. This wraps up not only all the questions that we raised in Tools of Destruction, but the questions fans have had from the PS2 instalments.
P3Zine Issue 31
For our latest Ratchet Clank coverage, click here to download P3Zine Issue 31 for free.GZ: Presumably this isn't the end of Ratchet & Clank altogether, though?
TF: laughs We say never say never! Right now we're just trying to get A Crack In Time into peoples' hands, but certainly the canon and the characters are there, so if anyone wanted to make a Ratchet & Clank story there's tonnes of canon there for them, but only time will tell.
GZ: With the popularity of the Wii, gaming seems to be going through a bit of a shift towards a more casual audience, and a lot of PlayStation's previous mascots like Crash and Jak have gone into kart racing, party games and spin-offs like that. Is that something that will inevitably happen with Ratchet & Clank?
James Stevenson, Senior Community Manager: It's tough to say, who knows - never say never! Ratchet & Clank is obviously a gigantic IP, they're probably the two most recognisable characters for a PlayStation brand at this point in time. We've sold over 17 million units across PS2, PS3 and PSP, so it could very easily... I mean, there are so many opportunities in the entire universe. It's a big game for Sony and their IPs, and we've already seen Secret Agent Clank which is sort of a spin-off in its own right, so with a world as imaginative and creative and with as many characters as Ratchet & Clank, I think there are all sort of games that could come out in the future. What those may be, I don't know. There are no plans for anything right now, and definitely not from our perspective, but the possibilities are endless.
GZ: A supposed memo between SEGA and Sony detailing Ratchet & Clank as playable characters in DLC for Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing leaked a couple of months back. Is that true? Will Ratchet & Clank feature in that game?
Sony PR: We wouldn't comment on that.
JS: Yeah, I don't think we'd comment on rumour and speculation like that. You know, who knows?
Ratchet Clank coverage available in P3Zine Issue 31 - click here to download it for free!
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