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#review This is the story of a scarf. More »

The word "awesome" gets thrown around a lot, but I think we as a culture have lost track of its real meaning. Originally, the word meant "awe inspiring," and Dictionary.com defines "awe" as "an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, fear, etc., produced by that which is grand, sublime, extremely powerful, or the like." Nowadays, "awesome" functions as a synonym for "cool" or "impressive:" When someone says a game is awesome, they're really saying that it's great, and generally are not implying any existential or emotional significance beyond that.

I bring this up, because I don't want to be misconstrued as generic or uninspired when I say that Journey is an awesome game. In the most classical, archaic sense of the word, Journey is a beautiful, evocative and unequivocally transcendental experience.

Journeys span all of Earth's landscapes and resonate within the human heart, regardless of sex, age, and origin. The latest project from the developers at thatgamecompany tells the tale of a traveler and that traveler's journey. Through remarkable beauty and terrible danger, this short downloadable experience marks one of gaming's most beautiful, most touching achievements...

#thatgamecompany Sony has done a great job with its exclusive PlayStation Network titles of promoting the kind of games you wouldn't expect to see promoted on a modern video game console. Games like Flower, and Journey. More »

Indie studio thatgamecompany will conclude its three-game deal with Sony with the launch of Journey on March 13. Will the group still focus on Sony's hardware or possibly try their hands at PS Vita next? Somebody get Chuck Testa in here so he can respond aptly.

Jenova Chen, thatgamecompany co-founder and creative director, told Push Square that the plan is to expand the studio's audience beyond Sony's realm. "Right now we are very much exploring ways to bring our games to a bigger audience, beyond just PlayStation. We are still in the process of negotiating, but I hope that we can announce it [soon]."

By the sound of it, thatgamecompany already has its next project lined up. We've been through the ocean, the garden and the desert -- so where to next?

We are just a few weeks away from launch and I’m here to unveil the Trophies that you can look forward to collecting during your Journey. In a few short weeks, you will be able to earn all 14 trophies, a few of which fans of thatgamecompany games will be sure to recognize. Be warned: the Trophy list below could contain spoilers!

As we venture closer to the game’s release on March 13th, we’ll be bringing more news and updates, as well as sharing the insights thatgamecompany had in creation this one-of-a-kind interactive experience. We hope you are as excited about the upcoming release as we are, and I look forward to seeing you online!

Journey: The Trophies

Threshold: Cross the broken bridge without completely rebuilding it.
Mirage: Find the hidden desert flower.
Explore: Discover all cloth creatures in the desert.
Adventure: Pass through 15 gates while surfing through the sunken city.
Trials: Sneak through the underground passage without tearing your scarf.
Ancestors: Find a mysterious creature hidden in the temple.
History: Uncover all 10 ancient glyphs.
Crossing: Reach the summit with a companion and return to the beginning.
Rebirth: Finish the game and return to the beginning.
Companion: Finish the game with the same partner for the majority of the journey and return to the beginning.
Reflection: Sit and meditate with another player for more than 20 seconds
Wonder: Meet 10 or more unique travelers.
Return: Start the journey again after a week long break.
Transcendence: Collect all unique glowing symbols across one or more journeys.

As with other thatgamecompany projects, Journey doesn't look like anything else out there.

I realize it’s part of my job to see games long before they’re finished, but there are some games from some developers that I’d be happy to keep my prying eyes away from until the game’s actually done.

Journey is one of those games, and designer Jenova Chen has announced the details we’ve all been waiting for about his studio’s latest creation on the PlayStation Blog this morning.

On March 13, Journey and a $14.99 price tag kicks off a “Spring Fever” event on PlayStation Network.

There will be other games released as part of "Spring Fever," but those details are coming later.

“The Journey in the game has also become a metaphor for the development process of the game itself,” said Chen. “Our team is very close to our own mountaintop; we are just a few short weeks away from letting the world experience what we’ve poured our hearts and souls into these last three years. I can’t describe how eager we are to let everyone finally play the game and hear about your experiences with it.”

Well, looks like I’ll be playing Flower again over the weekend.

Today, thatgamecompany Creative Director Jenova Chen announced on the official PlayStation Blog that Journey, the studio's next PlayStation Network downloadable game, will launch on March 13th...

Journey, the drool-worthy next title from Flower's thatgamecompany, will be available for download for $14.99 on the PS3 beginning March 13. [PlayStation.Blog] More »

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.

As you may know from my recent tweet, the development of our latest PlayStation Network game, Journey, is finally complete. And today, we’re very excited to announce the official release date for Journey. You will be able to download it from the PlayStation Store for $14.99 starting March 13th, 2012. Three years ago, our last game, Flower, was part of the Spring Fever event on PSN, and this year Journey will kick off this year’s Spring Fever. Look for more information on the highlight games and sales of this year’s Spring Fever event on the PlayStation.Blog in the coming weeks.

With each game we create, we want to bring something truly unique and authentic to the user. We want our players to experience something they have never felt before. Our first game for PSN was flOw in 2007, a meditative zen video game haiku. We followed that in 2009 with Flower, our video game version of a poem about the tension between urban bustle and natural serenity. Journey, our third game, is an interactive parable, an anonymous online adventure to experience a person’s life passage and their intersections with other’s.

You wake alone and surrounded by miles of burning, sprawling desert, and soon discover the looming mountaintop which is your goal. Faced with rolling sand dunes, age-old ruins, caves and howling winds, your passage will not be an easy one. The goal is to get to the mountaintop, but the experience along the way is discovering who you are, what this place is, and what your purpose is. Travel and explore this ancient, mysterious world alone, or with a stranger you meet along the way. Soar above ruins and glide across sands as you discover the secrets of a forgotten civilization. Featuring stunning visuals, haunting music, and unique online gameplay, Journey delivers an experience like no other.

This last Sunday, February 12th, was the anniversary of the launch of our previous game Flower. We started working on Journey right after Flower launched, and the past three years have flown by extremely fast. In these three years, we at thatgamecompany and our friends in SCEA Santa Monica Studio have faced many challenges together and emerged stronger. Much sweat and tears have been put into the development of the game, and many people have come and gone.

So for us, the Journey in the game has also become a metaphor for the development process of the game itself. Our team is very close to our own mountaintop; we are just a few short weeks away from letting the world experience what we’ve poured our hearts and souls into these last three years. I can’t describe how eager we are to let everyone finally play the game and hear about your experiences with it.

Stay tuned for more Journey news and updates in the coming weeks.

PS3 exclusive Journey, from Jenova Chen's Thatgamecompany, is now done, with Sony "working on" a release date. Can't. Wait. [Kotaku AU] More »

Quick Look: Journey Beta

Brad and Patrick discover that the desert never ends, it goes on and on and on...

It’s worth waiting a good, long time for the next game (though experience might be a better word for their past stuff) from thatgamecompany, and I can’t think of a game I’ve been patiently waiting harder for than Journey.

Fortunately, it looks like we won’t have to wait much longer.

“3 years is a long time,” said designer Jenova Chen on Twitter today, “[and] when you finally finished something and look back, ‘What have I done in the past 3 years?’ Hope it's worth it.”

Journey may be done, but it doesn’t have a release date yet, according to Chen.

“Once Sony figure out the right time, they will announce it,” he said. “I assume pretty soon.”

Fingers crossed.

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Even with Nick and I on death’s doorstep (::cough cough::) and Jeff and Rey at CES in Las Vegas, the PlayStation Blogcast marches on with another jam-packed new show! A Journey interview with thatgamecompany CEO Kellee Santiago? Done. An Origin Story for SCE President and Group CEO Andrew House? Confirmed. Starhawk Public Beta details and dates? Oh yes.

And, as always, we’ve got exclusive first details on next week’s PSN game lineup: a couple of “colossal” classics, two well-regarded Tom Clancy PS3 games, and the digital version of Crysis 2. And that’s just the beginning, dear listener…

And we’ve got another exclusive for you: first details on PlayStation Store’s 12 for ‘12 sales event, which cuts 30% off 12 top-rated PSN games (and 50% off for PS Plus subscribers) for one week starting Tuesday, January 17th. Listen to PlayStation Blogcast to learn six of the 12 titles, then check back next week for the full roster.

How’s our driving? We want your feedback, comments, questions, and suggestions, so leave ‘em in the comments below!

The Cast Sid Shuman – PlayStation Sr. Social Media Specialist Jeff Rubenstein – PlayStation Sr. Social Media Manager Rey Gutierrez – PlayStation Sr. Social Media Specialist Nick Suttner – PlayStation Sr. Product Evaluator Thanks to Cory Schmitz for our beautiful logo and Dormilón for our rad theme song and show music. Special thanks to Astro Gaming headsets for providing audio gear.

[Editor’s note: PSN game release dates are subject to change without notice. Game details are gathered from press releases from their individual publishers and/or ESRB rating descriptions.]

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!

Probably the most frequently recurring difficulty in discussing my work on Journey is the fact that the game is called Journey! That concept of a metamorphosis, or emotional arc, is at the core of everything in this game, including its score. You can imagine, with a title this succinct, that the puns are both unintentional and constant! The video you see here will give you a taste of what we’ve been up to and the joy that it’s been to create.

One of the inspirations for Journey was Joseph Campbell’s ‘Hero’s Journey.’ The knee-jerk assumption is that something this big demands epic music on the most towering scale yet my gut led me in the opposite direction. While there are definitely some big moments, I would actually describe it as intimate overall. The orchestra seen here is the Macedonia Radio Symphonic Orchestra, conducted beautifully by Oleg Kontradenko in the Macedonian capital of Skopje.

I set up camp in a mixing stage at Sony’s San Diego Studio with the Music team and Randall Lowe from the Santa Monica Studio, where we linked with the orchestra in real-time in Skopje. Meanwhile we were able to Skype together the core development team at thatgamecompany in Los Angeles, in addition to our producer Kellee Santiago who was in Virginia at the time, and producer Robin Hunicke and lead designer Jenova Chen, who were in Shanghai speaking at GDC China! This ended up being a wonderfully 21st century session: a spider web of interconnectedness spanning the globe! In addition to the orchestra, I also had the great pleasure of working with a handful of great soloists, including my dear friend and cello superstar Tina Guo. Their performances brought a vitality to the score that far surpasses the mere notes on the page.

And yet for how “high-tech” we were, this music is utterly unconcerned with technology. It is all about emotional meaning. This is part of what makes Journey itself so special. The game has no fluff, no filler. I think of it like a poem.

There is a famous story where Steven Spielberg, after first screening Schindler’s List for his long-time composer John Williams, asked, “so what do you think?” John Williams replied very earnestly, “Steven you need a better composer than me for this film,” to which Spielberg reportedly fired back “Yes, I know, but they’re all dead!” This is basically how I felt about Journey, especially once I got my feet wet and I started to feel that this was no ordinary game. The one advantage I seemed to have was time. By the end I had spent about three years on it. I was able to get around any issues of inspiration through sheer elbow grease, or so I hope. In fact, Journey ended up permeating virtually my whole output during that time. In April 2011, I wrote a miniature cello concerto for Tina (called “Woven Variations,” linked below) that we performed together in Los Angeles. The piece is not really a suite of my music from Journey, but more of an extrapolation. It’s an exploration of the material, taken to entirely different places. This ended up going even further the subsequent summer when I conducted a concert featuring the LA Master Chorale, where I created a single hour-long piece (based on the same ‘Hero’s Journey’ archetype) by stitching together various works in the repertoire and using my Journey music as the glue. Because Journey was still being actively worked on, I would then take the lessons learned from these concerts and apply them to the actual score. A peculiar process emerged from this, where the tangents started informing the core project, as if my career were a table of people all talking back and forth to each other, instead of a normal, forward-moving single file line.

I love writing in just about any genre of music you could name, and likewise there are basically no genres of games that I categorically don’t enjoy playing … and yet, if we were in an alternate reality where Journey did not exist and you asked me what my ultimate dream of a game would be (both to score and to play), I suspect I would basically end up describing Journey. Amazingly, we live in a reality in which this game does exist. I feel constantly in awe of what both thatgamecompany and Sony Santa Monica do, and consider it an almost surreal bit of luck to have been part of their … um, journey. You see what I mean???

Click here to listen to “Woven Variations”.

Happy Holidays, PlayStation Bloggers! (Or are readers considered to be “bloggies”?)

We just hit a major milestone on Journey, and are super excited to take a brief break – when we return it will be pedal to the medal to finish it up and get it out to you! Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive over the last THREE YEARS (our longest project yet!). Your support really does make all the difference, and I can’t say “thank you” enough on behalf of everyone at thatgamecompany.

Because 2011 was such a long and intense year for us, we had a bit of a mellow party to just relax, hang out, and eat some good food.

TGCers gathering around Robin’s dining room table

We gathered with friends at TGC member Robin Hunicke’s house in Venice. A few family members happened to be in town and joined the festivities…..

Jenova Chen and… his mother! Who is visiting from Shanghai.

Although the event was meant to be low-key, I really wanted to give the team something great this year as a gift, in honor of the incredible work they do everyday, which completely humbles me. However, I am terrible at gifts, and have useless hobbies, like playing board games. Thankfully, Robin came to the rescue with an awesome idea, and the mad skills to make it happen. (Side note – when the apocalypse happens I’m making a bee-line for Robin. She’s the kind of person who knows how to PH soil properly to grow crops, how to build her own house, make a battery… I don’t know what I will provide but somehow this all works out great in my mind.)

Robin and our lead artist, Matt Nava, snuck out after work one day to begin the project. They chose the fabrics and paints that would be required to set things in motion. Then, over the course of a few weekends and Robin’s stint with the flu a couple of weeks ago, it all came together…..

You can probably guess where we’re headed now?

Robin sewed together the fabrics and Matt made the stencils for the symbols… which is unique for each person, and all directly from Journey.

They even made matching boxes!

And here are the final results…. of the real-life Journey scarves!

Happy Holidays from thatgamecompany! See you in 2012!

With Flow and Flower, Kelle Santiago and Jenova Chen's 12-person dev studio thatgamecompany completed two-thirds of their 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 portable, 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 The last time I showed you Journey, I showed you the desert. Let's go... underwater? More »

Many games take us on a journey; very few convince us to forget the reality we started in. Every time I've seen Journey, the next project from the team at thatgamecompany, I've been transfixed by every mote of color and every whisper of music. With little context other than the pull of a distant mountain, you guide a figure through unimaginable stretches of desert and unravel the puzzles that inhabit the land...

We've drooled over the beta version of Journey, a dream-like adventure game coming to the PlayStation 3. The game is quiet, mysterious, lovely, sometimes co-operative with a second player and, as of today, scheduled for a spring 2012 downloadable release. More »

Journey will release in 2012, thatgamecompany has announced...

Recently, Dylan Jobe detailed LightBox Interactive’s plans for Fantastic Fest 2011, Austin’s independent sci-fi/horror/fantasy film and gaming festival. He also showed off some badass new Starhawk space footage. You should watch it.

Today, we can reveal the full truth: PlayStation will serve as Fantastic Fest’s exclusive videogame company, and we’ll be holding court at The HighBall Club and Lounge. You’re invited! As Dylan mentioned, the LightBox team will be holding Starhawk tournaments on Thursday, September 22nd starting at 5:00pm. Additionally, you’ll be able to go hands-on with some of our hot upcoming PSN indie games like Journey, Okabu, and Retro/Grade, PlayStation Move titles like Deadmund’s Quest and Everybody Dance and SOE’s Sideway, Rochard, and Payday: The Heist.

Even better, you’ll have the chance to meet the devs, many of whom you’ve seen here on the Blog. Even Q-Games’ resident artist/DJ Baiyon is making the trip from Kyoto to spin PixelJunk 4am for you. There’ll be prizes and tasty beverages, all for the low, low price of FREE.

You in?

The Details

Date: Thursday, September 22nd
Time: 5-8pm (capacity is limited, so please arrive a bit early)
Location: The Highball Club and Lounge, 1142 S. Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX (map)

Playable games:

• Journey
• PixelJunk SideScroller
• PixelJunk 4am (formerly PixelJunk Lifelike)
• Okabu
• Eufloria
• Papo Y Yo
• Retro Grade
• Sideway: New York
• Payday: The Heist
• Rochard
• Starhawk
• Medieval Moves: Deadmund’s Quest
• EyePet & Friends
• Carnival Island
• LittleBigPlanet 2 PlayStation Move Pack
• Everybody Dance

You must be 18 or older to attend – please bring your ID! So if you’re in the Austin area – I’m talking to you, Dallas/Houston/San Antonio gamers! – please join us. We’d be happy to meet you.

Recently, Dylan Jobe detailed LightBox Interactive’s plans for Fantastic Fest 2011, Austin’s independent sci-fi/horror/fantasy film and gaming festival. He also showed off some badass new Starhawk space footage. You should watch it.

Today, we can reveal the full truth: PlayStation will serve as Fantastic Fest’s exclusive videogame company, and we’ll be holding court at The HighBall Club and Lounge. You’re invited! As Dylan mentioned, the LightBox team will be holding Starhawk tournaments on Thursday, September 22nd starting at 5:00pm. Additionally, you’ll be able to go hands-on with some of our hot upcoming PSN indie games like Journey, Okabu, and Retro/Grade, PlayStation Move titles like Deadmund’s Quest and Everybody Dance and SOE’s Sideway, Rochard, and Payday: The Heist.

Even better, you’ll have the chance to meet the devs, many of whom you’ve seen here on the Blog. Even Q-Games’ resident artist/DJ Baiyon is making the trip from Kyoto to spin PixelJunk 4am for you. There’ll be prizes and tasty beverages, all for the low, low price of FREE.

You in?

The Details

Date: Thursday, September 22nd
Time: 5-8pm (capacity is limited, so please arrive a bit early)
Location: The Highball Club and Lounge, 1142 S. Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX (map)

Playable games:

• Journey
• PixelJunk SideScroller
• PixelJunk 4am (formerly PixelJunk Lifelike)
• Okabu
• Eufloria
• Papo Y Yo
• Retro Grade
• Sideway: New York
• Payday: The Heist
• Rochard
• Starhawk
• Medieval Moves: Deadmund’s Quest
• EyePet & Friends
• Carnival Island
• LittleBigPlanet 2 PlayStation Move Pack
• Everybody Dance

You must be 18 or older to attend – please bring your ID! So if you’re in the Austin area – I’m talking to you, Dallas/Houston/San Antonio gamers! – please join us. We’d be happy to meet you.

Go behind the scenes of the development process of Journey including reactions on the Closed Beta in this Interview with Executive Producer Robin Hunicke!

Highlights from Journey's SDCC 11 panel!

Hey, PlayStation Bloggers! I wanted to share this highlight reel from the panel Jenova Chen and myself were on last week at Comic-Con (it was the first time attending for both of us!). We had a great time interacting with new and old fans, as we also had a playable demo in the main exhibit hall at the Sony PlayStation booth. We gave away a bunch of Journey t-shirts as well, so if you are one of those people, please show us a photo of you wearing it on our Facebook page – we love when our players represent! And if you weren’t able to get a shirt at the show, follow us on Facebook for more chances to win one.

The panel at Comic Con was hosted by independent developer, Nathan Vella of Capybara Games, and featured other indie PSN developers Mike Burns, President of Fuel Entertainment (Sideway), Ulf Anderson, Overkill Software & Co-Creator of Payday, and Vander Caballero, Creative Director of Minority, Inc. (Papo & Yo). I felt like I learned just as much as the audience after our discussion regarding how we each got into game development, and where the inspiration for our games came from. We also got to show some old concept paintings Jenova did years ago before even flOw had begun development, evoking the themes and ideas that would eventually become “Journey.”

Thanks again to everyone who came up to us and said “hi” at the show – we hope to see you again soon!

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.

Sneak into Journey's beta with the opening moments of dune surfing and serene roaming!

The mystical scarf material extends across great chasms to cross bridges long since decayed from the flow of time in the opening moments of Journey's beta!