John-ShepardSony and the PlayStation brand will definitely miss Thatgamecompany's exclusive offerings, but at least a wider audience will be able to appreciate the studio's innovative, artistic visions.
After completing their three-game deal with Sony, Thatgamecompany decided to strike out on their own, and the latest update is a positive one: They've raised $5.5 million, which will allow the team to create and release games independently. Yep, you got it right: This means self-publishing.
Thatgamecompany co-founder and creative director Jenova Chen said the funds will do their job; the studio will release games "to more platforms and provide what it sees as an optimal experience to players." VC firm Benchmark Capital provided the necessary money, and general partner Mitch Lasky will join Thatgamecompany's board of directions. Lasky said the developer's vision rivals that of Pixar's contributions to animation. …and that's one hell of a compliment. Said Lasky:
"The intent of the investment is to provide the resources for TGC to remain independent, so they can innovate with complete autonomy from the pressures of platforms and publishers."
Thatgamecompany's last title, Journey , became the fastest-selling PSN title in the US and was greeted with high critical acclaim. Lastly, here's Chen's comment to Joystiq :
"We are extremely excited to be partnering with Benchmark Capital, as now we are going to be self-publishing our next games. We haven't announced if our next game will be multiplatform, but we are trying to reach a larger audience than that of the PS3."
Good luck, guys.
They deserve to make some serious money now. I don't see the quality of their games reducing by going multiplatform.
They deserve all the support they can get. I'm glad we had dibs on their first few titles, but it's time for them to spread their wings and open up to a broader audience.
And like LV said above, make some serious cash. It's well earned.
Alright good on them. Chen has proved himself a master of the gaming arts and I fully support their move to grow and expand with the times. I hope certain dingbats can appreciate what this company is capable of.
good for them. its good to see a talented company prosper like that. i hope they do well and keep making magnificent games like they have. as long as they dont keep their games from us ps3 users i dont mind if they go to other systems.
i wish them luck, can a independent studio make
it on their own these days?
Good for them!
Although I usually find exclusive titles to be of a higher quality, I am happy for them.
I am espeically happy that they aren't going with some massive publisher like EA or Activision. I wouldn't want those companies owning what Thatgamecompany creates.
The name Jenova made me think of FFVII. This company has gone up one more level of awesome in my books..lol, but good for them. They took a risk on some games that could be considered "a little out there" to some gamers, but it seems to be paying off. When so many companies seem to be shutting down, it's nice to see a little guy win for a change.
Yup, this is good for them. These guys know what they are doing.
I thought Jenova died at the center of the Earth?
No, at that point, Jenova merely fused into the lifestream and came back causing the geostigma. But it's ok… Aeris spirit-beat Jenova before finally returning to the planet with Zack. (or so we're led to believe)
She better not be dating Zack on the other side. That sh*t is not cool man.
sweet!
i hope this means from now on they will be making games a dam side longer than 3 hours!
wish they would venture out and make a full retail release, im interested to see what they would do for it.
TGC is one of the best development studios out there today and easily the best when it comes to digital-only titles. I'm happy that they were able to receive their funding, but I'm unsure that their sales will increase that much on the 360 due to the nature of their games. I can see their games doing well on the Wii, though… and the PC, of course.