Based on my single visit to Insomniac Games, I can confirm that it is indeed an awesome place to work, solely judged on the high availability of delicious snacks. That's why I'm awarding them the first annual Kotaku award "Best Company At Which To Snack In America." Congratulations, Insomniac. Michael McWhertor

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.

About Insomniac Games Insomniac Games is a wholly independent console videogames developer that has released award-winning hits for the PlayStation® game console, the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system and PLAYSTATION®3 for 13 years. The company created the first three Spyro the Dragon® games, the Ratchet & Clank® franchise and Resistance: Fall of Man™, which have combined to sell more than 25 million units worldwide. Insomniac Games is currently developing Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction™, which will release this fall, exclusively for PLAYSTATION 3.

In addition to making blockbuster videogames, Insomniac is known for ranking among the top four "Best Small Companies to Work for in America" in 2005 and 2006 and among the Top 10 for 2007, according to the Great Places to Work Institute and Society for Human Resources Management. More information can be found at http://www.insomniacgames.com/ or by listening to Insomniac's "Full Moon Show" podcast, available on iTunes and the studio's website.

Gallagher confirmed during a conference call earlier today that he had no plans to reinstate the old E3 format and that his first duties as president of the ESA would be to "listen" and learn more about the videogame industry's ecosystem. He praised the work of the ESA and the ESRB, pointing to successful efforts by both organizations to protect videogames as speech protected by the First Amendment and educating parents on videogame content ratings.

The new ESA president also revealed that while he has much to learn about the entertainment software industry, he personally has gaming experience, having played titles like Halo and Mario Kart with his family.

Full press release from the ESA is after the jump. Michael McWhertor

Mike Gallagher Selected as New Entertainment Software Association President

Former Assistant Secretary of Commerce to Lead Video Game Association

May 17, 2007 - Washington, DC - Michael D. Gallagher will serve as the next president of the Entertainment Software Association (ESA), the trade group representing U.S. computer and video game publishers, the ESA announced today. Mr. Gallagher was a former Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications & Information, serving as the chief telecommunications and policy advisor to the Bush Administration. Gallagher will start the ESA position later this month.

"Mike's outstanding technology, policy, and government relations experience makes him a strong fit for the ESA, where issues like intellectual property, self-regulation, and industry social and economic contributions are at the forefront of the agenda," said Robbie Bach, chair of the ESA Board of Directors and president of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division.

Mr. Gallagher is currently the Communications Practice chair at Perkins Coie, a leading international law firm offering a broad spectrum of legal services. Previously, he was Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy & Counselor to Secretary Donald L. Evans, secretary of Commerce. Mr. Gallagher is a member of both the Advisory Committee to the Secretary General of the United Nations for the Internet Governance Forum and the U.S. State Department Advisory Committee on Information and Communication Policy. Mr. Gallagher holds degrees in Economics and Political Science from the University of California, Berkeley and a Juris Doctor from the University of California, Los Angeles.

"Mike Gallagher is an experienced Washington hand - he understands the intersection of technology and policy and we look forward to working with him and the ESA to pursue our shared goals of keeping kids safe, empowering and educating parents, and protecting the First Amendment," said Jerry Berman, president of the Center for Democracy and Technology.

During Gallagher's four-year tenure at the Department of Commerce, he led successful efforts to pave the way for a number of new technologies and services, such as ultrawideband, broadband over powerlines, advanced wireless services, and millimeter wavelength networks. In addition, Mr. Gallagher developed and successfully advocated the US Government's policies on international Internet governance.

"It is a privilege to represent the dynamic entertainment software industry," said Mike Gallagher, newly-named president of the ESA. "With over two-thirds of American heads of households playing video games, and the tremendous opportunities available to the industry on every device — from consoles and PCs to handhelds and broadband enabled cell phones — the business is poised for tremendous growth. I look forward to working with federal and state leaders to foster an environment where the industry and its consumers can thrive."

The ESA is the U.S. association dedicated to serving the business and public affairs needs of the companies publishing interactive games for video game consoles, handheld devices, personal computers, and the Internet. ESA members collectively account for more than 90 percent of the $7.4 billion in entertainment software sales in the U.S. in 2006, and billions more in export sales of entertainment software. For more information about the ESA, please visit www.theESA.com.

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