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.
