Thatgamescompany is going multiplatform. Which is good news for anyone who looked on enviously as titles such as Journey were released on the PS3. It’s bad news for Sony, however, as it’s just lost an important third-party developer.
Thatgamescompany signed a three-game deal with Sony which has now ended after flOw, Flower, and Journey were all released exclusively on the Playstation 3. Thanks to a $5.5 million round of funding from Benchmark Capital, Thatgamescompany is striking out on its own.
The plan is to release titles on multiple platforms in order to reach as many people as possible (and to increase revenue, obviously). As well as PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii, Thatgamescompany could cater to the handheld market and even mobile platforms such as Android and iOS.
Company founder Jenova Chen told VentureBeat, “We got so many emails from fans saying they wished they could play our games on other platforms. We make games for human beings, not just gamers. Young, old, men, women, and from all countries. We want to change the concept of what a game is and show society what a game can be.”
Chen is currently working on a new game but did not disclose any details about it. If it’s anywhere near as innovative and immersive as Journey then it will be worth keeping an eye on.
