tgc
Latest
'Journey: Collector's Edition' gets 'exclusive minigames,' all three soundtracks on Aug. 28 for $30
Journey Collector's Edition's contents got a lot clearer this morning, as thatgamecompany revealed the box art and more details on its website. The collection comprises all three thatgamecompany PSN games – Flow, Flower, and Journey – and also includes a one-month PS Plus membership, "exclusive mini games," creator commentary audio tracks, soundtracks for all three games, and a variety of other bonuses (the full list is below the break).The re-release launches on August 28 for $30 in North America ("info for additional territories to be announced soon"), and the minigames are described as "three exclusive mini-games born out of a thatgamecompany tradition: the 24hr Game Jam." The three games, "Gravediggers," "Nostril Shot," and "Duke War!!," were each created by TGC "start to finish in 24 hours," and their release with this collection marks the first time the trio can be played (except for those who played the games while visiting TGC).There's also reversible cover art on the box – TGC's first physical release – which excites us greatly. Remember that sweet Ico/Shadow of the Colossus reversible cover art? That was pretty much the best. We're hoping this woos us even more.
'Us and the Game Industry' is the next documentary about indies
Whereas Indie Game: The Movie aimed to explore the lives of the people behind some of indie gaming's biggest titles, an upcoming documentary on the indie gaming scene entitled "Us and the Game Industry" seeks to capture already established success cases in that world. Cases like Jason Rohrer (Inside a Star-filled Sky, Sleep is Death) and Jenova Chen (Flower, Journey) both show up in the premiere trailer, seen above."'Us and the Game Industry' is a film about the new thinkers at the new frontier of experimental computer game development," the film's Vimeo page reads. "This film explores how their motivation, design process, focus and execution are creating unique and new possibilities of connecting people and providing the possibility for uncharted experiences outside the normal realm of commercial games."So -- yes -- it's almost assured you'll hear several indie devs wax philosophical on the process of game design when the film eventually arrives (no launch date is given, and the film's official site has yet to go live). And frankly, after the emotion fest that is Indie Game: The Movie, we're looking forward to some cold, hard pretention.
Journey dev's next project to take online play one step further
When is thatgamecompany's Journey coming out? March 13, as it turns out. But what's next, you ask? Man, you're so impatient! Anyway, it sounds like the next project from TGC is just as online focused (or more so) than Journey, as a job listing for the indie studio's next game reveals. "With our last game, Journey, we began incorporating online interactions into our projects, and we'd like to take it a step further on our next game," the listing reads."While we're pretty experienced making games, we've never built a full scale online service available to hundreds of thousands of users. We're looking for someone to help us plan and build our online infrastructure in a way that scales," it continues, demanding direct experience "building a scalable online service." More ambiguously, the listing also requires applicants have a "desire to see the medium of games mature and increase in relevancy for people around the world." That sounds more like TGC to us!Also of note, applicants are "more likely to enjoy this job" should they have a "desire to create something not just for core gamers but everyone you respect in your life." So, uh, if you don't respect anyone in your life, probably not an ideal job for you.
Journey ventures to PSN on March 13 for $15 [update: March 14 for EU]
Journey's developers at thatgamecompany refuse to dilly dally when it comes to seasonally tied launch windows, announcing this morning that Journey will arrive on March 13 for $15, effectively kicking off the spring season.According to a PlayStation Blog post revealing the launch date and pricing, no bonuses are currently being offered for PS Plus members regarding the title, but, uh, you can also totally play the game on March 13 as well, unless you choose to hold out for a special offer, of course.The release date announcement is just the beginning of a weeks-long trailer campaign leading up to thelaunch, so keep an eye out for more looks into the game in the near future. Should you need a fix right now, we've dropped a trailer above for you. You're so needy!Update: The EU PlayStation Blog says that the game will arrive on March 14 in Europe.
PacificNet iMobile, TiVo bring PVRs to China
We Americans have seen TiVo go just about everywhere, but thanks to a newfound partnership between PacificNet iMobile and TiVo Greater China, the timeshifting icon is headed overseas. Under the deal, PacificNet iMobile will promote and distribute TGC products in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, as well as other major cities in China, and it will reportedly "expand its marketing channel from online sales to user trial activities." Sadly, no details regarding hardware specifications, rollout dates, or pricing were mentioned, but it was noted that "Phase 1" would cover five "major" cities, while we'd expect the more distant regions to get serviced shortly thereafter.
A numerical history, and future, of flOw dev That Game Company
On the first floor of Moscone's North hall last Friday, flOw developer That Game Company presented their storied origins. Co-founders Jenova Chen, who took a brief recess from the company to help on the DS version of Will Wright's Spore, and Kellee Santiago, met at the University of Southern California. "I don't see [video games] as being any different [than other interactive media], it's all story telling," Santiago said. Chen, who affirms that his proudest work is flOw and Cloud, explained their place in gaming with an ever-popular culinary allegory. Think of Gears of War as steak and World of Warcraft as chicken. Let's give lettuce a relation to Nintendogs and fish can be Brain Age. "Let's say you focus on chicken, but somehow you find a way to make it accessible and customizable," said Chen. The according Power Point slide shows the chicken transition into a bucket of Kentucky Fried Chicken. "That also expands the audience or customers. How can you make existing games more accessible to wider audiences?" Does that mean flOw is a bowl of cereal? All we know now is that we're quite famished.
