Thatgamecompany is the developer behind three PSN classics. In Flow, Flower, and Journey we have seen innovative gameplay married with gorgeous visuals to create something beyond mere games. These are more like experiences. And the releases have got steadily better in quality too.
Journey was rightly applauded on release and is likely to figure high in countdowns of the best games of 2012 come the end of the year. But what’s next for Thatgamecompany?
Studio co-founder Jenova Chen recently spoke to VG24/7 about its future plans, teasing:
“It takes us a little bit of time to basically readjust after the three game deal [with Sony]. We’re very close in figuring out what the next deal is. We’re negotiating with various partners, so maybe within the next month, we’ll be able to determine which is the [right deal].”
“In terms of when you’ll know about the next game, I think we intentionally announce our games very early. We announced Flower half a year after we launched Flow. We announced Journey half a year after we launched Flower. So hopefully within this year, you’ll hear from us about our next game.”
Chen was referring to the deal Thatgamecompany scored with Sony, which has now come to an end. I can only assume Sony will do all in its power to retain the studio, especially with the positive reception Journey received. Chen continued:
“If it wasn’t for Sony’s deal, I don’t think we’d be ever to get into a situation to make a game like Journey because Journey is so far the largest budget for a PSN game and there is some money spent on marketing for Journey and I think that’s the first time in history.”
“If it weren’t for the three-game deal, we would not have the luxury to be able to build this game. It’s much larger and a more expensive game and it took us three years to make. Internally, we’re calling Journey the AAA PSN game.”
I cannot wait to see what the studio has planned next. The question is whether they’ll be able to outdo themselves once more by releasing a game that once again ups the ante of what is possible for a PSN game. Only time will tell.
