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Flower lands on Vita, viewable at E3's Indiecade exhibit
Flower is coming to Vita after four years as a PS3 exclusive, according to the list of Indiecade games coming to E3. Flower used tilt controls on the PS3, and the Vita version will take advantage of the system's touchscreen and motion-sensing abilities. "Using simple touch or motion controls, the player guides the lead petal and accumulates a swarm of flower petals as he moves at his own pace within the environment, causing the on-screen world to change," the Flower Vita description reads. Flower was designed by Jenova Chen and thatgamecompany, which went on to develop Journey. Indiecade's lineup of E3 games lists two Vita titles, IGF finalist Hohokum from Honeyslug and Flower Vita. Indiecade consistently brings a solid batch of underground games to E3, and this year it features 37 PC, Vita, mobile, console, card and Sifteo Cubes games, including 7 Grand Steps, Lovers in a Dangerous Spacetime, Legend of Dungeon, Guns of Icarus Online, Tower of Guns and Towerfall.
Thatgamecompany's next project is 'years' away, says departing dev
The next thatgamecompany project won't see the light of day for "years," according to Asher Vollmer, who announced he's left the developer. In a blog post, Vollmer said he left the Flower and Journey studio because focusing on his work forced him to neglect his own game ideas, a feeling exacerbated by the "snail's pace" progress of development."The Game is going to be incredible," wrote Vollmer, referring to TGC's current work-in-progress, "But it is moving slowly. There are YEARS remaining on the project and, quite frankly, those are years I don't want to give up for a game that isn't truly mine."While details remain closely guarded, we know thatgamecompany's next project is a multiplatform one, and that it's being developed on the back of a $5.5 million investment from venture capital firm Benchmark Capital. Studio co-founder Jenova Chen told us touch interfaces and free-to-play models are being considered, but not much is set in stone.As for Vollmer, the end of his tenure as a Feel Engineer at thatgamecompany means the Puzzlejuice creator himself become independent. However, in his blog post Vollmer noted thatgamecompany's next project as something he didn't "casually abandon.""It's going to be huge. And I don't mean it's going to be a long sprawling game," Vollmer wrote. "I mean it's going to be an IMPORTANT game. I genuinely believe it's going to change the industry in a really positive way."No pressure then, TGC.
April Fools: Journey gets a trailer for Rocket Death Match DLC
thatgamecompany is probably the last group of folks we expect these shenanigans from; They're always so artsy and sincere! But there must be a few yuksters around Sony's studio in Santa Monica, because the studio created this faux trailer for April Fool's Day, threatening to invade the serene landscape of Journey with some raucous Rocket Death Match DLC. Then again, maybe it makes sense. Getting vaporized with an across-the-map rocket shot in Halo might not be the same kind of emotion that we felt at the end of Journey, but they can both be pretty tearful experiences.
Journey sweeps Game Developers Choice Awards, wins 6 of 11
Journey and thatgamecompany claimed six of the 11 total prizes at the Game Developers Choice Awards ceremony during GDC 2013 tonight: the Game of the Year Award, Best Audio, Best Game Design, Best Visual Arts, Best Downloadable Game and the Innovation Award. We have to say, the GDCA has good taste.The first-ever GDCA Audience Award prize went to Arkane Studios' Dishonored. FTL: Faster Than Light picked up the award for Best Debut, and Telltale's The Walking Dead walked away with the Best Narrative award. Take a peek at the complete list of winners below.
thatinterview with thatgamecompany co-founder Jenova Chen
In a relatively quiet, upstairs nook of the rain-soaked Palmer Events Center in Austin, TX, thatgamecompany co-founder Jenova Chen and I sat down to discuss Journey, his company's future and his thoughts on free-to-play business models, among other things.For Chen, 2012 was an auspicious year. Journey was a critical smash hit, earning top honors at DICE and a five-award sweep at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts game awards, among other illustrious achievements. Beyond its success with the press, however, Journey's release represented an even larger milestone for Chen and thatgamecompany: The developer's three-game exclusivity agreement with Sony had come to an end.
Journey, Dishonored and The Room win big with BAFTA game awards
Journey took top honours at this year's BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) game awards, with five different gongs going to thatgamecompany for Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, Best Online Multiplayer, Best Game Design, and Best Original Music.The Unfinished Swan picked up two awards, for Game Innovation and Debut Game. Dishonored won the award for Best Game in 2013, and iOS tactile puzzler The Room picked up an award for the Best British Game.Valve's Gabe Newell was given an Academy Fellowship award for his storied career, while the "Ones to Watch" award (meant to showcase the best young game dev talent) was given to a game called Starcrossed, made by students working with the Dare to Be Digital competition.
Let Austin Wintory guide you through Journey's soundtrack
We absolutely adore the soundtrack to Journey, but going through the complete score with composer Austin Wintory's commentary proves that guy experiences music on a level we'll never understand.
OUYA's Kellee Santiago talks game publishing, her new role as Head of Developer Relations
When Kellee Santiago resigned from her previous gig as president of thatgamecompany, she left behind a job running one of the most highly acclaimed indie game studios in the industry. But she left on a high note, having helped craft Journey -- not just one of the best games of 2012, but a high mark on the medium. Her next move is similarly bold, taking the reins of the Android-powered OUYA console's digital content library as "Head of Developer Relations." On Santiago's LinkedIn profile, she describes her new job as, "curator of content for the games section on OUYA" (among other things); a job she's plenty qualified for given her time on the board of the Indie Fund (an angel investment group of successful indie game devs). "This role seems almost like a logical extension of everything I've done up to this point," Santiago told us in an email interview this afternoon. Indeed it does. In her new role at OUYA, Santiago will be "working with many developers globally and in different capacities," she said, as well as managing the digital library that users at home see. "I'm very passionate about empowering new voices in game development so we can have more variety in game content -- that's what initially led me to co-founding thatgamecompany, and Indie Fund, and working with the Independent Games Summit, and IndieCade," she added. The job of course includes courting devs, even if that means OUYA assists in the funding and publishing of those devs' games. "OUYA is doing both," Santiago told us -- that's no doubt assisted by the $8.5 million OUYA pulled in during its Kickstarter funding campaign. Despite her passion for indies, she said there's no "arbitrary restrictions for developing on OUYA," and that her guiding principle is identifying, "developers and content that for whatever reasons wouldn't be able to exist on any other console." In other words, there's no reason one of the biggies -- think EA, Activision, Ubisoft and others -- couldn't get in on the action. Square Enix has already promised a variety of titles, so it seems a given that others will sign on. One developer who's still curiously uncertain about the console, however? Santiago herself. Though she teased on Twitter earlier today that she'll, "still be making stuff, too," and not to worry, she wouldn't offer us any more details about her plans for development on OUYA. Again, it seems a given, but we can't help but want to know more sooner than later.
Journey, Walking Dead, Far Cry 3 lead BAFTA 2013 nominations
Journey scooped eight nominations in the British Academy of Film and Television's Games Awards this year. As if it hadn't won enough of the like, thatgamecompany's PS3 odyssey is a contender for BAFTA's Best Game award, competing with Dishonored, FIFA 13, Mass Effect 3, Far Cry 3, and The Walking Dead for the prize. It's the two latter games that also lead the way in terms of nominations; Far Cry 3 received six nods, while The Walking Dead picked up seven, including two in the Performer category for Melissa Hutchinson and Dave Fennoy's respective portrayals of Clementine and Lee.Dear Esther is also clearly popular at BAFTA HQ. The melancholic game, developed by indie studio thechineseroom, can boast a very impressive five nominations including ones in the British Game and Debut Game categories.The full list of nominees is after the break. BAFTA's Games Awards take place on March 5.
Journey bankrupted the studio, next game to be multiplatform, Chen says
Developing Journey cost thatgamecompany a lot of time, talent and all of its money, creator Jenova Chen said during his DICE 2013 address. Journey bankrupted thatgamecompany; Chen began its development in 2006 and the studio eventually received two extensions from Sony so the team could perfect the game's emotional impact."We did get the money, we got to finish the extra year, but a lot of people in our studio were not paid in the last half of the year, and we actually paid our savings to extend the game for another couple months," Chen said. "So by the end, when we shipped Journey, we also went bankrupt as thatgamecompany."In the end, Chen said it was worth it, if only to see the deep, human impact Journey had on its players. One email he received told Sophia's story, a 15-year-old who played Journey with her dad before he died and said the game changed her life for the better.Next up, Chen wants to create a similarly artistic, but more commercially successful game, in an attempt to broaden the game development industry as a whole, he tells Polygon. Thatgamecompany's next game will be multiplatform, unlike its previous, Sony-exclusive games.
Journey soundtrack loses Grammy to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Austin Wintory's composition of thatgamecompany's Journey soundtrack earned him a Grammy nomination in the Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media category, an accomplishment Wintory was shocked to achieve. It marked the first time a full video game score was recognized by the Academy, following Christopher Tin's win in 2011 with the song "Baba Yetu" from the Civilization 4 soundtrack.Last night, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross took home the Grammy for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, for their The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo music. Wintory took the news in stride on Twitter, congratulating Reznor on the win."Obviously I didn't work on #JourneyPS3 hoping to win a Grammy," Wintory later tweeted. "The entire point was the game itself and that's gone beyond my wildest dreams." Journey won the top honor at the DICE 2013 awards and we were fairly fond of it as well. Good work, Wintory.
Journey makes its way to No. 1 on PSN charts for December
Journey is a pretty fantastic game. Not only do we completely agree with this sentiment, but US PSN players do too – Journey topped the PSN sales charts in December, beating out Mass Effect, Far Cry 3, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale and The Walking Dead Episode 5: No Time Left.Helping to fill out the top 20 full-games list was Assassin's Creed 3, Grand Theft Auto 4, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, Tokyo Jungle, and The Walking Dead episodes three and four. LittleBigPlanet Vita was the No. 1 Vita game in December, while the Black Ops 2 Season Pass was the top add-on.In related PSN news, European players can snag some sweet deals this month on games such as Saints Row: The Third, Spec Ops: The Line, Mafia 2, Jet Set Radio, Hell Yeah! and quite a few more. Check out the complete list here.
Joystiq Top 10 of 2012: Journey
Watchmen, the monumental graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, was once deemed "unfilmable." So entrenched were the creators in the structure and language of their chosen medium, that no interpretation, even if faithful to the plot and characters, could truly convey as intended this study of duplicitous, damaged superheroes.One of my favorite novels, "House of Leaves" by Mark Z. Danielewski, belongs best in a book, which you flutter through, turn upside down and decode in mad layers. The core of it, however, is a spooky, spatially suspect house. Hollywood can probably handle that – and I'd go see the results – but it wouldn't be the same without the scribbled anecdotes, the cover and the spine.Journey is an unfilmable video game, despite being rooted in a concept that's miraculously relatable and explainable (for a game). A slender being, draped in beautiful and unfettered fabrics, is drawn to a mountain. The beacon beckons not with words, but a language enmeshed with the world itself. Some designers show they care by putting a dot on your screen; others make you a mountain.
Journey soundtrack receives Grammy nomination
Austin Wintory must be floating on air after learning his Journey soundtrack is nominated for a Grammy. Wintory's work for thatgamecompany's PSN adventure is going up against scores from the likes of John Williams, Howard Shore, and Hans Zimmer as it bids to take home only the second Grammy ever won for video game music.While Journey represents the first game to get a Grammy nod for its soundtrack, the accolade for the first game music ever nominated belongs to Civilization 4 and Christopher Tin's "Baba Yetu." Tin went one better after he took home the golden gramophone for "Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists" back in 2011.As for the 2013 awards, the full list of nominees for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media are Journey, The Adventures of Tintin, The Artist, The Dark Knight Rises, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Hugo. Wintory learns if he's to follow in Tin's footsteps on February 10, 2013, when the 55th Annual Grammy Awards are held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Hit List Q&A: Jenova Chen, thatgamecompany President
In the "Hit List" from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, the video game industry's top talents describe their current gaming addictions, their most anticipated releases and more. This week: thatgamecompany President Jenova Chen. A note from the AIAS:Jenova Chen is President & Creative Director for thatgamecompany (TGC). TGC is best known for creating experimental, artistic, and accessible games that touch players on an emotional level. TGC designed and developed the award-winning PSN titles flOw, Flower, and, most recently, Journey.At the upcoming 2013 D.I.C.E. Summit conference, Jenova will be speaking on: Emotion Oriented Interactive Entertainment - Inspirations and Theories Behind Journey. Jenova learned many valuable lessons on what went well and how to do better on his quest to create games that deliver a lasting emotional impact. Jenova will discuss TGC's founding design philosophy and share some of the lessons he and his team gleaned from TGC's past six years developing three innovative downloadable games.
Journey soundtrack jumps, floats to CD [update: autographed copies at thatgamecompany store]
The soundtrack to thatgamecompany's Journey is now available on CD thanks to Sumthing Else Music Works. You can snag it from Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Best Buy, Amazon or GameStop. If you can abandon your lust for physical media, it's still available on iTunes for significantly less.Update: Thatgamecompany informs Joystiq that interested fans can snag autographed copies of the soundtrack from the studio's store. For a limited time, all copies will be signed by the soundtrack's composer, Austin Wintory.
Pre-orders open for 'The Art of Journey,' first 750 copies signed
The Art of Journey, thatgamecompany's compendium of concept and production artwork from its unbelievably gorgeous PSN game, can now be pre-ordered for $60 through Bluecanvas. The first 750 people to place their order will receive a copy of the book signed by Journey creative director Jenova Chen and art director Matt Nava.While some of the art book's pages are equipped with augmented reality capabilities, the new photos of the product below are not. You can, however, hold a book up to your nose while looking at these pictures, and it's kind of like Smell-O-Vision.%Gallery-164752%
Puzzlejuice plans a Steam release, dev goes to work for thatgamecompany
Puzzlejuice is one of my favorite recent apps on the App Store, and it's about to get a lot more ... well, favorite-er. The app is getting a big update this Thursday taking it to version 1.5, and celebrating the fact that the game has been included in the PAX 10 at this weekend's big video game convention in Seattle. The new version will have a tougher difficulty level, a new powerup, and compatibility with Spanish, French, Italian and Dutch as well as the original English. And because of the update itself, the game will be on sale for just 99 cents -- a bargain at twice the price. The title is also making its way to Steam, and developer Asher Vollmer says that he's working on a keyboard only version of the game (so maybe the letters will be typed out instead of dragging a finger across the screen) that we'll get to see at PAX. And Vollmer also shares the good news that he's been hired as a game designer at thatgamecompany, the excellent studio known for great games like Flow and Journey. So congrats to Vollmer on all of his success -- that Steam version should be just around the corner and we can't wait to see what he's up to next.
Journey's art travels to bookshelves next month
The beautiful art of Journey – and we're talking about the PS3 game here, and not the band, although the cover design for Escape is a total classic – will be available in a coffee table-appropriate format next month.The Art of Journey, a hardcover book designed and written by art director Matt Nava, includes art from the game, and discusses the influences and ideas behind its development. It also includes in-game 3D models, visible AR-style by pointing a smartphone at a special code on the page. For more multimedia satisfaction, the book also includes a PSN voucher for a copy of the Journey soundtrack.
Take a look at the Journey: Collector's Edition mini-games
Journey: Collector's Edition is out today. The collection bundles together thatgamecompany's Flow, Flower and, of course, Journey into a single package – but that's not all. It also includes three never-before-seen mini-games from internal "24hr Game Jams." We put together a short video showcasing all three of these new games: Gravediggers, Duke War and Nostril Shot.If that isn't enough to entice you, know that there are cat ninjas at one point.
