Insomniac doesn't torture employees, ranks among top 50 companies to work for

1:59 PM on 06.25.2007   |   Nick Chester

11 comments

At my last job, things were pretty miserable. I'd often drag myself into work two hours early to finish an eight day project I'd been given three days to do. My boss would harass me by making lewd comments towards me about my mom, and by fashioning "sexually explicit" dioramas using offices supplies. Cleaning the toilets was not in my job description, but it certainly seemed like a reward when it gave me the opportunity to spend a few precious moments away from my superiors or co-workers.

Apparently, the folks at Insomniac Games should actually like their jobs. For the third year in a row, the developer has been listed among the "50 Best Small & Medium Sized Companies to Work for in America." Assuming that Insomniac's Ted Price didn't threaten the Society for Human Resource Management (responsible for the list) with a Sheepinator, this is quite an achievement for any developer. 

Tales of over worked and under paid programmers, game testers, artists, etc. are all too common in the industry. It's nice to see recognition given when a developer maintains a happy, healty work environemnt.

Now if I can just get Niero to stop grabbing my ass ...

Insomniac Games among Top 10 for 3rd Straight Year in 50 "Best Companies to Work for in America" rankings.
"Once Again, Ratchet & Clank® and Resistance: Fall of Man Creators Remain First & Only Videogames Company Honored"

BURBANK, Calif. (FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE): Independent console videogames developer Insomniac Games has once again distinguished itself as being among the best studios to work for in the games industry. For the third straight year, Insomniac retained its unique distinction of being the first and only videogames company named to the “50 Best Small & Medium Sized Companies to Work for in America” list.

The rankings were announced before an estimated audience of 15,000 at the Society for Human Resource Management’s (SHRM) 59th Annual Conference & Exposition in Las Vegas. Despite a 20-plus percent increase in applicants since last year -- and a combined 50 percent increase since 2005 -- Insomniac ranked 8th in the small companies category. Insomniac Games is the only company in the history of the small business category to earn a Top 10 ranking for three-straight years, remains the first and only videogames developer included on the list, and is the only company in the “TV, Film and Video” category to be recognized this year. In addition, Insomniac is Southern California’s lone representative to the small business list.

“Last year was among the most challenging in Insomniac’s history as we prepared to release Resistance: Fall of Man™ worldwide with the launch of PLAYSTATION®3,” said Ted Price, Insomniac Games’ founder and CEO. “Yet we delivered a top-rated and top-selling game -- on time -- while retaining our Top 10 ranking as one of the best small companies to work for in America. Therefore, it’s especially gratifying to demonstrate again that it’s possible in the games industry to achieve excellent results while maintaining a collaborative and stimulating workplace culture.”

SHRM, the world’s largest human resources management organization, recognizes the top 25 small and top 25 medium companies in America that have used smart people management strategies to develop successful organizations with highly productive and satisfied workforces. The results were primarily based on a randomly distributed employee opinion survey that measures several categories such as workplace environment, management’s responsiveness to employee feedback, and adherence to company philosophy. In addition, further assessments of company programs, practices and workplace culture were factored into judging.

Insomniac Games remains the only North American videogames developer to be honored in any ranking compiled by the Great Places to Work Institute ® (GPTW). The organization is perhaps best known for producing Fortune magazine’s annual “100 Best Companies to Work for®“ list, which ranks companies with more than 1,000 employees. Two videogames publishers have made GPTW’s “100 Best Companies to Work for in America” list since it was first published in 1984.

Insomniac Games is best known for creating the multi-million unit selling Ratchet & Clank® and Spyro the Dragon® franchises for the PlayStation® game console and PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system. The company is responsible for the top-selling Resistance: Fall of Man, exclusively for PLAYSTATION®3 and is currently developing Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction™ for exclusive release on PLAYSTATION 3 this fall. Insomniac, with 150 employees, continues to seek new employees in a variety of production-related positions.