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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.
Journey: Behind the Music
Wondering what goes into crafting Journey's beautiful orchestral soundtrack? Thankfully, it has absolutely nothing to do with the stadium rock band of the same name, and everything to do with the Macedonia Radio Symphonic Orchestra. No joke!
thatgamecompany's Kellee Santiago on Vita, and her ongoing argument with Roger Ebert
With Flow and Flower, Kellee Santiago and Jenova Chen's 12-person dev studio, thatgamecompany, completed two thirds of its three-game contract with Sony. And when Journey arrives some time in 2012, that three-game contract will come to an end, leaving Santiago and co. to an unknown future in the game industry. At a recent Sony press event in New York City, Santiago wouldn't say what the future holds for TGC ("Right now we're really focused on finishing Journey," she told me), but she did speak to her own interest in the PlayStation Vita. "I could definitely see all of thatgamecompany's titles on the Vita," Santiago said. "But, as you said, we're a team of 12, so for us in each title we just try to focus on the specific platform we're distributing on, and then leave the future to the future." The studio's first game, Flow, ended up on Sony's last handheld system, so the idea of Flower and Journey ending up on the Vita isn't exactly a far-fetched one. Given Santiago's apprehension at speaking about TGC after Journey, I instead prodded her about her interactions with famous (infamous?) film critic Roger Ebert. Had anything transpired since her last note? Santiago laughed before telling me, "He seems to have conceded that while he has his opinion, he can't really have it 'cause he doesn't play games anyway." In her last response, Santiago even offered to send Ebert a PlayStation 3 with Flower. "We did send him a PlayStation 3 with Flower," she said. But has he played it? "At least of the last writing on it, he has not played it." Maybe she should've sent an employee to play the game for him as well? [Image credit: TED Blog]
Journey floating to PSN in Spring 2012
After teasing us with gorgeous footage, press demos, and a beta, Flower dev thatgamecompany today announced intentions to launch its next game, Journey, in Spring 2012. As with previous TGC games, Journey will arrive exclusively on the PlayStation 3's digital store. "While there is still a ton of care and polish needed, we can't wait to finally deliver Journey, TGC's take on an online adventure game," creative director Jenova Chen writes on the PlayStation blog. "Like all our games, Journey is an experiment. In the end, it's what you think that matters."
Journey beta preview: Feeling small
During a PlayStation press event last week, I spoke with thatgamecompany executive producer Robin Hunicke, who told me that the team was "really really satisfied" with the feedback on the recently wrapped up Journey beta. "So many people wrote us to say that meeting a stranger online was a satisfying experience," Hunicke said. "It was exactly the kind of feedback we wanted." If that sounds as counterintuitive to you as it did to me, Hunicke explains just how thatgamecompany managed to make meeting strangers online (ick!) a not-awful experience. Over the course of the two-week beta, 10,000 players – 5,000 in the US and 5,000 in Europe, according to thatgamecompany co-founder Kellee Santiago – helped the small dev test its networking code. The beta was a good source of positive reinforcement; the game's ideas worked. Not bad for the studio's first multiplayer game. The networking code, on the other hand, had a single bug. "But it was a really big bug," Hunicke said, laughing. It presented itself immediately and was patched just as quickly. For the next two weeks, the team gathered feedback and enjoyed hearing players write in, sharing experiences that matched the game's goals.%Gallery-129118%
Industry veteran Mark Cerny talks about the hugeness of modern developers
Mark Cerny is a game developer with 30 years of experience under his belt, which just so happens to be notched with widely known projects like Marble Madness and Crash Bandicoot. In an interview with Gamasutra, Cerny discusses how the size of game development teams has ballooned in recent years. He explains that there was more accountability when he developed games by himself, adding, "You couldn't blame upper management who didn't understand you, you couldn't blame the marketing guys who didn't put together the proper marketing campaign." Cerny says that his role as a part-time mercenary developer becomes less effective when he's hired by hundred-strong teams, and that some games -- namely, Thatgamecompany's Flower -- simply can't be developed by a gargantuan ensemble. "Because you're taking such a curved path on the way to making the final product, you don't want the art staff of 20 just waiting, just building the models, when Jenova is going to have some idea that goes in a completely different direction," Cerny says. We agree, though we think a larger staff would have allowed for the online deathmatch mode that Flower so, so desperately needed.
Journey closed beta starts tomorrow, open to select few
Following up on last week's report, thatgamecompany has revealed the requirements for taking part in the "very limited" beta for its upcoming project, Journey. According to a recent post on PlayStation Blog, the beta will be restricted to "the very earliest adopters of Flower" who are also PlayStation Plus subscribers. The beta will begin on June 28 (that's tomorrow!) and run through July 12. Those who qualify should receive an invitation via their PSN inbox soon. For those who don't fit the criteria (remember, everyone's on PlayStation Plus at the moment), all hope is not lost. A "limited number of additional spots" will be made available via PlayStation Blog and some unnamed "media partners." Finally, more invitations are being given away via thatgamecompany's Facebook page. You'd best hurry if you want one -- the Facebook giveaway closes at 7pm Pacific tonight.
Journey online beta beginning next week
You may soon have a chance to test out the online component of Journey, the latest evocative project from thatgamecompany (you know the one). According to comments made by Mike Snider, who makes up one half of USA Today's Game Hunters, an online beta is due to start next week. We'll let you know as soon as we hear more about gaining access. While the developers are sure to extract valuable deta from the beta, we're more excited by what internet can learn from the playground presented in Journey. Wrapped in elegant textiles, players travel through a sparse and wondrous desert, choosing to dilly-dally, collaborate or simply go their own way. There's no hostility, jealousy or snark, and even the shouting seems gentle and polite. Meanwhile, Joystiq's own sources indicate that some people are already playing the beta. NO, PLEASE, go on without us. WE HOPE YOU CHOKE ON EVERY GRANULE. Update: According to thatgamecompany's Twitter feed, further details of a "very limited" beta will come on Monday via its Facebook page and PlayStation Blog.
thatgamecompany's Jenova Chen tours the world of Journey
We'll admit it: we're kinda, sorta seriously smitten with thatgamecompany's third game, Journey. As if the two previews we've run didn't already tell you that! Anyway, this recent interview with GTTV is interesting, sure, but look at all that gameplay footage! Beautiful! Check it out after the break.
Journey preview: A million little fibers
"Our goal is to expand the boundary of emotional experience that games can communicate," Jenova Chen, ThatGameCompany's co-founder and creative director told me following my preview session of Journey. And in the span of 30 minutes, I would run the emotional gamut from fear to confusion to acceptance and back to fear. Clearly, the journey is both metaphorical and literal. The game opens with the fading of a white-hot sun, the dimming light revealing vast sand dunes. A beacon of light, emitting from a far-off mountain barely visible in the distance instilled in me a sense of urgency. Silently I stood for a while, ignoring my instincts in an attempt to soak it all in. There we were, the sand and I, alone. It was an almost comforting bleakness. As I took my first steps forward, pushing the sand out in front of me like a sheet with a pocket of air trapped under it, I made it my goal to reach the light. Walking up and down dunes small and large, I eventually stumbled upon what I could only describe as a shrine. Suddenly, my character was surrounded with an aura that highlighted the folds of my clothes and gave me a the tiniest bit of a scarf. As it happens, the game is less about me and mostly about that scarf.%Gallery-124915%
Xbox co-creator Seamus Blackley starts new game studio
After helping birth the original Xbox way back in 2000, Seamus Blackley left Microsoft to get back to game development. He put that dream on hold in 2004 when his studio, Capital Entertainment Group, folded, choosing to soldier on as a talent coordinator at Creative Artists Agency. Beyond negotiating deals for famous names like BioShock creative lead Ken Levine and Flower devs thatgamecompany while at CAA, Blackley most recently helped ex-Infinity Ward heads Vince Zampella and Jason West navigate that debacle's dangerous waters. But now, it seems, Blackley is changing jobs once more. Variety reports that he'll be heading up his own game production company, with virtually zero details given about the move. The change is still fresh enough that Blackley has yet to alter even his LinkedIn profile, for instance. For now, the games team at CAA will now be headed up by Ophir Lupu and David Stelzer, who were already working with Blackley's command, as well as Greg Essig retaining his role as a "games agent."
NYC: Come watch thatgamecompany's Kellee Santiago speak at NYU's Game Center
We've told you about New York University's Game Center in the past -- remember that time when Chris Hecker brought SpyParty and talked about all sorts of stuff? -- and we're here to do just that once more. Tomorrow evening, we're hoping you'll join us and several hundred friends in Room 6 of NYU's lower level, where thatgamecompany co-founder and president Kellee Santiago will be speaking to the "Challenges In Evoking Unique Emotions In Video Games." Maybe she'll even talk a bit about her company's new game, Journey? We certainly hope so! Beyond her lecture, a discussion will be moderated by interim director (and Zynga New York creative director) Frank Lantz, with questions from the crowd also being solicited. The discussion begins at 7:00PM EST sharp, and we've dropped pertinent details after the break. Don't be late! Update: NYU has updated its blog with a note about attendance, stating, "Thanks to your enthusiastic response, we have reached capacity for this RSVP-only event. There will be very limited extra seating opened up on a first come, first serve basis starting at 7PM. We encourage you to join our mailing list, follow us, or friend us for updates on future lectures and events. Thank you for your understanding!" So, uh, take that as you will! We're still going!
Journey preview: Souls searching
I laughed when I first saw the scarf worn by Journey's main character. I couldn't help it -- the flair it adds to the enigmatic avatar renders the figure distinctly more charming than spooky. The scarf serves a more functional purpose, too: It's a gameplay meter, measuring your character's ability to fly. The scarf depletes as you fly; fill it back up -- and even lengthen it -- by completing puzzles and discovering secrets, among other things. There's actually a variety of scarves to be collected and equipped throughout the gameworld. Scarves, however, are not the focus on thatgamecompany's third PSN-exclusive, Journey. The focus, creative lead Jenova Chen told me at a recent press event, is to enable unique online experiences. "Everyone's on a journey towards a goal, and everybody travels through a similar landscape," he said of the game. "And at some point, their paths cross each other, and then they could be playing together." %Gallery-110295%
Journey's latest trailer keeps us believing
Journey isn't a game about transforming a landscape with the power of wind, or experiencing aquatic evolution, but about guiding your cloaked, scarf-wearing avatar through a world -- either alone or with another, unknown person -- and forever pushing towards the mountain in the distance. The game's latest trailer encapsulates a lonely tone and showcases Journey's gorgeous environments. thatgamecompany president Kellee Santiago characterized the PSN-exclusive Journey as "a social experiment" in a recent interview with GTTV (much like her studio's previous two games have been), while creative lead Jenova Chen says he's hoping to evoke the feeling of awe and wonder that people experience while on a hike. Neither explains what the deal is with the scarves, though.%Gallery-110295%
Thatgamecompany holding Journey playtest event in LA next week
If you're curious about thatgamecompany's enigmatic mountain-approaching PSN adventure, Journey -- and if you're curious about what you're going to do while you're in the LA area on November 19 -- the developer has something planned to satisfy both kinds of curiosity. That night, thatgamecompany is hosting a semi-public playtest of Journey. If you're between 18 and 35, familiar with PSN, and able to make the journey to Santa Monica, then contact thatgamecompany (contact details after the break) and you might be among the lucky players invited!
Thatgamecompany's Flower recreated in LittleBigPlanet 2
We get legitimately excited when we see how beta testers are using LittleBigPlanet 2's creation tools in an ingenious way -- but sometimes, the logistics of their creations give us a wicked headache. Like, for instance, PSN user RAPHEAI's in-game recreation of Flower. It simply boggles the mind.
thatgamecompany's flOw recreated in StarCraft 2
It's been a while since we've seen a really unique application of the dark magic-fueled creation tools behind StarCraft 2, so we're glad the video posted below could come along and decisively end our dry spell. Behold: Origins, a recreation of thatgamecompany's microcosmic PSN title, flOw.
Preview: Journey
flOw = an experimental version of Pac-Man Flower = a refined, perfected version of flOw Journey = an online-enabled HD combination of Wind Waker, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. These comparisons may not be entirely accurate, but it's the closest way I could convey the changing trajectory of thatgamecompany's design philosophy. Journey is the most ambitious (and potentially revolutionary) undertaking from the independent studio, yet it also draws the most similarities to what many would call "traditional" games. Like most every other game, there is a humanoid avatar, controlled by analog stick. You jump. There's platforming. There's also an incredibly evident game-like goal: to reach the top of a mountain, looming in the far distance. At its core, Journey can probably be best described as a platformer, with a clear objective: get to the end. However, thatgamecompany isn't simply focusing on a goal -- instead, the experience is geared towards its title. Players are dropped in a gorgeous psuedo cel-shaded desert world. The character designs evoke Wind Waker, but the mesmerizing cloth and sand physics make the world feel even more alive. Like Team Ico's games, there is an incredible sense of loneliness to the world: there's no life, no foliage to be seen. There are remnants of a world lost, with a beautiful tranquility.%Gallery-95384%
Journey: the third PSN game from thatgamecompany
thatgamecompany, best known for flOw and Flower, has rather covertly announced another PSN exclusive. Journey follows the footsteps of its predecessors, offering "simple gameplay and accessible controls." Unlike thatgamecompany's previous offerings, however, Journey is an "online adventure experience" that has players encountering strangers. According to the press release, traveling with others will "re-shape the experience -- creating authentic moments that they will remember and discuss with others." It sounds a lot like Chat Roulette, doesn't it? The Journey begins on PS3 in 2011. [Thanks, Stan K.!] %Gallery-95384%
