Jackson Bell With film studios and dozens...

Jackson Bell

With film studios and dozens of production companies headquartered

within city limits, Burbank touts itself as the media capital of the

world.

Even Burbank City Manager Bud Ovrom has said the city is “the real

Hollywood.”

So it’s no wonder Ted Price, the founder and president of

Insomniac Games, known for its best-seller, “Spyro the Dragon,”

decided to move his company to “the media city.” “Spyro the Dragon”

is a character-action game in which the title character has to save

his world from the villain, Gnasty.

Price’s story begins in 1974 when he received an Atari 2600 for

Christmas and was hooked on video games. When the Apple II was

introduced a few years later, he made a deal that if his father

bought the personal computer, Price would one day design a game and

become a millionaire.

He didn’t break his promise. Price is worth every cent he said he

would be as the owner of a 37-employee company.

It all started when Price, a Princeton University graduate who

first worked as a controller at a San Diego-based medical company,

quit his job to pursue his dream by founding Insomniac Games in 1994.

The self-taught video-game designer recruited friends in the early

years. As the company grew, he hired more employees, eventually

moving into an office at Universal Interactive.

“I moved to Los Angeles because I couldn’t find enough people who

were willing to move to San Diego,” he said.

Three successful games later, the company relocated to Burbank in

October. Price also lives in Burbank, about five minutes from his

office.

Insomniac Games hopes to follow up on the success of the “Spyro

the Dragon” series, which sold 8 million copies, with its new

release, “Ratchet & Clank.” Price describes it as a genre-bending

character- action game.

“This game has so much stuff in it that no two players can play it

the same way,” he said.