In this 2019 GDC talk, Insomniac Games' Elan Ruskin discusses the challenges of rapidly growing asset count, and adapting rendering, streaming, and lighting to build a New York City that fits on a Blu-Ray for the studio's award-winning 2018 game Marvel's Spider-Man. 

This talk looks back at how Insomniac's technology evolved to make the game (the studio's biggest yet) possible, and the setbacks and pitfalls along the way.

Ruskin also discusses the procedural tools for marking up Manhattan, how their approach to building the city changed over time, and how the pedestrians, traffic, street vignettes, and random crimes grew from humble beginnings to an interactive part of a living city. 

It was a fascinating, fast-paced talk that was packed with intriguing insight into how Insomniac's latest hit was built, and if you didn't see it in person you can now watch it for free over on the official GDC YouTube channel!

About the GDC Vault

In addition to this presentation, the GDC Vault and its accompanying YouTube channel offers numerous other free videos, audio recordings, and slides from many of the recent Game Developers Conference events, and the service offers even more members-only content for GDC Vault subscribers.

Those who purchased All Access passes to recent events like GDC or VRDC already have full access to GDC Vault, and interested parties can apply for the individual subscription via a GDC Vault subscription page. Group subscriptions are also available: game-related schools and development studios who sign up for GDC Vault Studio Subscriptions can receive access for their entire office or company by contacting staff via the GDC Vault group subscription page. Finally, current subscribers with access issues can contact GDC Vault technical support.