Sony agrees to acquire Spider-Man video-game developer Insomniac

LOS ANGELES – Sony Corp. agreed to buy Insomniac Games Inc., the studio behind last year's hit "Marvel's Spider-Man," as part of a push to stay competitive by acquiring independent game studios. The studio, based in Burbank, California, and Durham, North Carolina, was founded 25 years ago by current Chief Executive Officer Ted Price. It has a long history of making games for Sony, including Ratchet & Clank, a sci-fi shooting game, and the Spider-Man title, which has sold over 13.2 million copies. Sony's PlayStation remains the top-selling gaming console worldwide. Tech giants Apple Inc., Facebook Inc. and Google also have stated their intention of getting deeper into the business.