Journey developer thatgamecompany has announced that it has raised $5.5 million in funding – allowing it to cut its ties with Sony, and go fully independent for the first time since its formation.
Earlier in the year, we revealed that the creative studio was looking to move beyond PlayStation. Speaking specifically about the deal, studio head Jenova Chen revealed that the autonomy will allow the developer to release its future titles on multiple platforms.
The funding – provided by Benchmark Capital – will see general partner Mitch Lasky added to thatgamecompany’s board of directors. In a statement, Lasky compared the studio’s vision to Pixar, and said that the firm wanted to support that creative vision.
He added:
The intent of the investment is to provide the resources for thatgamecompany to remain independent, so they can innovate with complete autonomy from the pressures of platforms and publishers.
thatgamecompany formed in 2006 and immediately signed a three-game exclusivity deal with Sony. The release of Journey earlier this year saw the collaboration come to a conclusion. Since then, a number of the studio’s high-profile employees have departed.
It’s going to be interesting to see where thatgamecompany goes from here. The technical support from Sony Santa Monica was instrumental in ensuring the studio’s output reached its full artistic potential. Now it finds itself without the assistance of one of the industry’s most prolific developers, and facing the challenges of multiplatform development alone.
Still, thatgamecompany has been one of the most consistently exciting studios this generation, and as such, we're eager to get a glimpse of what it's working on next.
Comments 5
thats very sad,they should have cont with sony
true. Sony needs exclusives. But life moves on. Maybe Sony picks up another stellar studio to replace em...like Bungie
@shinobi88 Well, they've already signed up their spiritual successor. Giant Sparrow — who's making The Unfinished Swan — is in exactly the same contract as TGC were.
Journey 2 on Xbox 360/720, PS3/4 and Wii U. You know it makes sense.
@get2sammyb I'm afraid I'm gonna have to politely disagree with you about Giant Sparrow being thatgamecompanies spiritual successor. They may have signed the three game deal, but they've yet to prove themselves imo. Unfinished Swan does look good and fun!
I do admit I have no info on the team members or what their creative history may be. I can only find Ian Dallas and not even much info on his history. Unfinished Swan was submitted to various indie contests back in 2008 as a tech demo, so they've got indie blood in them. So it's a good start.
As for thatgamecompnay. Hey thatgamecompany, there's a great new little machine called...cough...Wii U. It's got a lot of fun possibilities! : )
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