Coming out of E3 a few weeks ago, we at thatgamecompany couldn’t be more excited about the reception our latest game, Journey, received from both the press and general showgoers. Journey is our third exclusive game with SCEA’s Santa Monica Studio for PS3 and PSN, and we’re trying something new, something that we hope changes the way people think about online gaming.

As you may have heard, in Journey, players take on the role of travelers headed to a mysterious mountain in the distance. But unlike our previous two games, flow and Flower, Journey is presents our vision of what an online adventure can be. As you explore Journey, you may cross paths with other travelers. You can to join and play with up to one other player at a time.

But what makes Journey different is that there are no online lobbies, no matchmaking, no PSN IDs, and no chat. You are the character, limited to the ways of communication of the character itself. Will you choose to travel together – or go your own way? What secrets lie in the mysterious, sand-covered ruins of this world?

We had a great time at E3 talking to all of the press that stopped by the Sony booth. And we couldn’t be more proud after Journey took home some great awards like PlayStation: The Official Magazine’s Most Valuable Game award, Machinima’s Best Downloadable Game award and Examiner’s Living Art award, as well as Best PS3 game nominations from IGN, G4TV and GameSpy, as well as a Best Original Game nomination from the E3 Game Critics.

To test Journey’s innovative and unusual multiplayer functionality, we are conducting a small, invite-only beta that will run tomorrow, June 28 and will run through July 12. If you were one of the very earliest adopters of Flower, and you are a PS Plus subscriber as well, watch your XMB inbox for your invitation and entry into the beta. Additionally, we’ve been able to free up a limited number of additional spots for the beta. Please check thatgamecompany’s Facebook page, here on the PlayStation Blog, or our media partners and their sites for code give-aways.

We will be inviting players to join our weekly play sessions in order to help test our network code and all of the technical stuff running in the background of the game. You will also be able to provide feedback to the team on your experience. These sessions will take place on Tuesdays from 6 PM to 10 PM PST.

Thanks, and keep watching the blog, and our Facebook page, for the latest on Journey.