Insomniac Games

Background

Insomniac Games is a game development studio based in Burbank, California founded in 1994. Prior to starting the company, Ted Price spent a few years as controller of a startup medical company. The studio had been known as Planet X Software, Outzone Software and Xtreme Software before they released their first title, Disruptor in 1996, when the name Insomniac was chosen. Insomniac became known for the original Spyro the Dragon games for PlayStation and is currently known for the Ratchet and Clank series and Resistance series, in addition to Marvel's Spider-Man and Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. On August 19, 2019, Sony Interactive Entertainment announced it would acquire Insomniac Games, ending its independency.

1st Logo (November 20, 1996-October 24, 2000)

Original version, seen on Disruptor
Spyro The Dragon
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage/Gateway To Glimmer
Spyro: Year Of The Dragon (April 25, 2000)
Spyro: Year Of The Dragon (September 4, 2000)

Logo: On a black background, we see the warped word "INSOMNIAC" with a shine inside the "O" and "GAMES" underneath.

Variants:

Spyro the Dragon: A Gnorc walks up to a mountain holding a sign with the company's name on it. He puts the sign in the mountain and goes "Rah!" as we zoom in the sign. We zoom out and Spyro charges at the Gnorc.
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage (known as Spyro 2: Gateway To Glimmer outside of North America) / Spyro: Year of the Dragon (April 25, 2000): After a few seconds, the sign tilts left. We zoom out from the sign as we see the caveperson, looking at it in Skelos Badlands. He tilts it back to normal. He jumps, running away as the Lava Lizard chomps the sign before chasing the caveperson. On the April 25th prototype of Year of the Dragon, the vertical scale was decreased. The logo to the 2nd game also wasn't present on that prototype.
Spyro: Year of the Dragon: After a few seconds, the sign twangs as we zoom out to see the dragon egg near it in Fireworks Factory. The hand touches the sign, and the Ninja Rhynoc's head peers up behind it. He jumps, flipping in the air and landing near the egg. He looks both ways as if no one is looking. He proceeds by taking the egg and walks away, but Spyro charges at him just in time, the egg is in the air, crushing the sign into pieces, and landing near Spyro.

FX/SFX: Depends on the variant, but the Spyro variants are all rendered real time in-engine.

Music/Sounds: On Disruptor, none.

Music/Sounds Variants:

Spyro the Dragon: The sound of the footsteps as the Gnorc walks, a "thud" as he sticks the sign on top of the mountain, the Gnorc going, "Rah!" throughout the wind ambience and also the title's music.
Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage/Gateway to Glimmer / Spyro: Year of the Dragon (April 25, 2000): A wooden creak as the sign tilts with the ambience of the lava bubbling, one more creak as the cave person tilts it back, the Lava Lizard growls, the cave person goes "WOAH!", and a "chomp" sound with stomping sounds of its feet.
Spyro: Year of the Dragon: A famous Warner Bros. wooden twang, a piece of wood grabbed as the hand places the sign, a whoosh as he jumps, a thud as he lands, then the music begins, a "grab" foley sound as he takes the egg, a Hanna-Barbera running sound effect as Spyro charges, a punch sound as he knocks the Rhynoc down, a wood clatter as the egg crashes the sign, and a last thud as the egg lands near Spyro.

Availability: Seen on Disruptor, Spyro the Dragon, Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage/Gateway to Glimmer, and Spyro: Year of the Dragon, all on PlayStation.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (November 4, 2002-April 29, 2016)

Ratchet & Clank (2002)
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando/Locked & Loaded
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal
Ratchet & Clank: Deadlocked/Gladiator
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools Of Destruction
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time (startup)
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time (intro cutscene)
Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault/Into The Nexus
Ratchet & Clank (2016)
Resistance: Fall Of Man
Resistance 2
Resistance 3
Fuse
Sunset Overdrive

Logo: The word "INSOMNIAC" is seen, this time in white Pulp Fiction Regular font with a black border, the 'O' being replaced with a bright blue moon. "GAMES" is on the bottom right in a squashed Bank Gothic font.

Variants:

In the logo's early years, it was usually preceded by a screen reading "A game created & developed by".
Ratchet & Clank (2002): We zoom out on a space background over a dark planet, as a rocket ship flies down and behind the moon, exiting on the left. The planet reveals itself as the moon in the Insomniac logo as light cycles over it. The ship passes right in front of the screen, leaving behind a trail of smoke and the finished logo. The logo dims, with the moon being the last to fade out.
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando (known as Ratchet & Clank: Locked & Loaded in Europe): A spark of light shows on a black screen, which forms an arc shape that reveals the moon from top to bottom. The moon emits a bright flash that forms the "INSOMNIAC GAMES" text.
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal: Several stars shine on a black screen, and the moon's shine appears similarly to the previous variant, except the moon immediately emits a burst of light that reveals the finished logo and brightens the background to reveal a clear starfield, which slowly zooms in. The logo quickly fades, zooming toward us to segue into the game's title card.
Ratchet: Deadlocked (known as Ratchet: Gladiator in Europe): The logo zooms out on a space background similar to the previous variant, then out some more to segue into the game's title card.
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools Of Destruction: Similar to the Going Commando variant, except faster and the light coming onto the moon from an angle.
Ratchet & Clank Future: A Crack In Time:
- When starting up the game, we see Dr. Nefarious, the villain of the game and several other entries in the Ratchet & Clank series, looking directly at the viewer with a scowly expression and holding his hand up. The Insomniac logo is seen beside him, with "CREATED AND DEVELOPED BY" above.
- During the intro cutscene (seen when starting a new game file), the logo becomes orange and fades out except for the moon, which becomes an orange glowing orb, leading to the rest of the opening as it flies off.
Ratchet & Clank: Full Frontal Assault/Into The Nexus: The text "CREATED AND DEVELOPED BY" is seen above the logo.
Ratchet & Clank (2016 game): We move past a cloudy dark sky as the Insomniac logo, in blue, shines in. The logo glitches momentarily.
Ratchet & Clank (2016 movie): A still logo on a black background was only seen on said film.
Resistance: Fall Of Man: The logo rapidly cuts in (as if it was a glitch) on a faded, worn-down gray vignette background, with blood splatters appearing on either sides.
Resistance 2: The moon jutters around on a dark, gritty background as the rest of the logo appears around it.
Resistance 3: The logo is sepia-toned, with a cardboard-like look to it.
Fuse: On a smoky red background, the Insomniac logo moves around, and is seemingly made of electricity aside from the moon. Sparks and fire appear all over.
Sunset Overdrive: The logo, on an angle and in white, is wiped in with a paint-like effect.

FX/SFX: Depends on the variant, but generally CGI.

Music/Sounds:

Ratchet & Clank (2002): The sounds of the rocket ship blasting by, in addition to somewhat menacing white noise.
Ratchet & Clank: Going Commando/Locked & Loaded: A four-note horn tune combined with industrial noises, a shimmer as the logo reveals, and a drumming rhythm that continues into the game's title card.
Ratchet & Clank: Up Your Arsenal: A short sci-fi tune, with a loud whoosh and shine as the logo is revealed and zooms toward us.
Ratchet: Deadlocked/Gladiator: Whoosh noises.
Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools Of Destruction: A short orchestra tune with glimmering noises.
Resistance: Fall Of Man: A droning noise, coupled with radio static noises as the logo appears, and an intimidating drum hit.
Resistance 2: Similar droning noises to the previous variant, with noises similar to that heard when tuning a radio signal as the logo appears.
Fuse: Electricity noises and a menacing droning noise.
Sunset Overdrive: A short rock theme.
For the rest of the variants, the opening theme of the game or silence.

Availability: Seen on Insomniac's games of the era, starting with the original Ratchet & Clank.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo (September 7, 2018-)

Logo: The logo has been redesigned, with "INSOMNIAC GAMES" now in white Niveau Grotesk Black. The moon has been replaced with a design consisting of two crescent moons, one larger, that face each other, which could also be seen as a three-dimensional 'O' in the negative space.

Variants:

Marvel's Spider-Man: The larger crescent, red, zooms by on a black background. Then, the Insomniac logo zooms down into place while spinning, but the larger crescent begins to drift off. One of Spider-Man's signature web shots comes from the bottom left of the screen and attaches to the crescent, moving it back into place and forcing the letters to face toward us.
Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales: The logo forms via a computer effect, first gray with a blue glowing outline before the entire logo becomes red. The moons start to form electricity, and shock the entire screen, forming sparks that turn the rest of the logo white.

FX/SFX: Depends on the variant, but generally CGI.

Music/Sounds: The opening theme of the game.

Availability: Seen on Insomniac's output since Marvel's Spider-Man on PlayStation 4.

Editor's Note: None.