Insomniac Click mobile division formed

US developer Insomniac has announced the formation of a new mobile division called Insomniac Click, which will be dedicated to creating new games for web and mobile platforms.

Writing on the Insomniac website chief creative officer Brian Hastings described the new division as an expansion for the company, not a shift in focus.

"With the exception of myself, everyone working in the group has been newly hired specifically for their expertise in this space. All our existing teams are still 100 per cent dedicated to making unforgettable AAA console experiences with our proprietary blend of double rainbows and awesomesauce," writes Hastings.

He also describes the move as a "pragmatic necessity", as "the gaming landscape is changing faster now than at any time in the industry's existence".

"We believe there will always be a market for what we call 'core' games," says Hastings. "But as core games have become increasingly complex the barrier to entry for everyone else has often become higher and higher. As a result, the games with the highest production values are simply impossible to play for the vast majority of people in the world.

"Insomniac Click is dedicated to taking the qualities that define our brand - deep worlds, rich stories, accessible gameplay - and applying them to new game experiences that anyone in the world can play."

Hastings then goes on to admit that existing games on Facebook do not entirely meet the definition of a traditional video game. "Many social games out there are more activities than games," he says. "You can't succeed and you can't fail and that's part of the fun."

He then goes on to state a five point "Contract With The Audience" which will gurantee that, "social interaction must be mutually enjoyable", "game tuning must benefit the player experience", "gameplay depth" is evident, that games are "easy to learn, hard to master", and that games are fun outside of the context of a social network.