There is still content to be added to Bloodstained

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night still has some more journeys to undertake. Or, at least one. Bloodstained is getting a Journey crossover update on August 23, 2022.

The new crossover will add an entirely new section of the castle, dubbed "The Tunnels," inspired by thatgamecompany's Journey. Once players have found the area, they'll be able to explore the depths and discover new areas, though it will requir??e some explorations and shard activities to navi?gate.

Once you reach the end, a final boss fight awaits. And upon beating it, you'll get an undisclosed special item that is inspired by Journey.

Alongside the update, the Bloodstained team is also issuing a few issue fixes and tune-ups. In order to access the new area, you'll have to progress decently far into the game. The entrance will appear after you've freed a certain character and gained access to the Den of the Behemoths, though it's not in the Den of Behemoths. Because it's a new and hidden area, The Tunnels will not affect map completio?n percentages or achievements.

Immortal life

This is a really neat update, and I do enjoy both Bloodstained and Journey. The surprise in this isn't exactly coming from these two mashing up together, but the fact that Bloodstained is still getting content updates.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night launched in 2019, after a fairly lengthy Kickstarter campaign. [Disclosure: I backed the Bloodstained Kickstarter at the "get a copy of the game" tier.] It's since had a bunch of crossovers, a retro-prequel game that got its own sequel, and a bunch of other content all associated with this Vania-style game.

I'm not really complaining, even though I haven't gone back to Bloodstained to check out any of the extra content. Despite years of Kickstarter development and more, Bloodstained is keeping it rolling with new stuff. We'll see what special tricks Journey brings to Miriam's arsenal next week.

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The new team is working on a multiplayer experience

A new remote-first studio has been announced today, with goals set on both the games it wants?? to make and its own studio culture. Gardens is a studio aiming to create multiplayer games that foster meaningful moments, as well as growing a studio that's transparent, sustai??nable, inclusive, and empowering.

Gardens' co-founders are Chris Bell, Lexie Dostal, and Stephen Bell. Chris and Stephen both worked on What Remains of Edith Finch, the Annapurna Interactive-published narrative adventure. Chris' credits also include Journey and Sky: Children of the Light. Stephen has been working on Blaseball. Dostal, meanwhile, was a co-creator of Dustforce.

Other developers on the team have worked on Spider-Man, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, the Fallout series, Ratchet & Clank, and The Hobbit. Gardens is a remote-first stu??dio, though it is based primarily out of Portland and Los Angeles.

"With Gardens, we wanted to create a studio that cares as much about the health, happiness, and wellbeing of its team members as we do the craftsmanship of the games we create together," said Chris Bell. "Our top priority is making sure our teammates enjoy our lives and are given the tools and resource??s to grow while creating compelling, well-crafted, thoughtful games t??hat cultivate novel shared experiences between players online."

The team says it aims to create artfully-crafted, living environments that will foster those multiplayer interactions. Their upcoming, unnamed game will build upon shared online experiences, with players "crossing paths in a mysterious and ma??gical world."

You can find the studio's open positions here on Gardens site.

This is a team of developers that certainly caught my eye. Games like Journey and Blaseball certainly put interesting spins on multiplayer gameplay. It'll be interesting to see wher??e Gardens goes, and what its magical world has i?n store.

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You gotta start somewhere

Holiday shopping can be pretty diff??icult, especially when you have really different interests and hobbies than your non-gamer friends or family. Gift-giving can, however, be a great opportunity to introduce your loved ones to the magic of gaming, because there's nothing better than helping someone understand you?r passions and then enjoying them together.

The only thing is, if you're going to get someone a game who has never tried ??them before, you've got to make sure it's the right one, lest you risk putting them off of games forever. To give you some handy suggestions, or at least get you thinking on the right track, here's our list as some of the best newb-friendly games to gift to your favorite no??n-gamers this holiday season.

1. Minecraft

When taking into account different types of potential players, Minecraft is an all-arounder when it comes to game recommendations. It can appeal to ?people who just want to chill out in creative mode and build something cool, as well as those who want to challenge themsel??ves with survival mode.

There are also a plethora of mods out there that can cater to all kinds of niche interests, so you can customize the game to be appealing to anyon?e in your life. To top it all off, it's also a great way to help someone learn gaming controls in a low-stakes, low-pressure environment.

2. Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is a great choice for a new player because of its more casual feel. The game never rushes or forces you to do anything in particular �you can play it however you want. The mechanics are also simple and relaxing (with the exception of c??ombat, but new players can work their way up to that), and do a good job of easing the player in as they learn.

There's also the benefit of it being a 2D game, so you don?'t have to worry about dealing with the whole moving-and-looking-at-the-same-time thing if that's a stumbling block. Just make sure you set them up with the practice fishing rod at the start, and your buddy should have an awesome time.

3. Pokémon

I kind of missed the Pokémon train the first time around, but after playing Sword & Shield, I have to agree with my friends that say this series is a great way to introduce someone to turn-based combat or JRPGs. Having cute little critters to collect makes for a fun, easily understandable objective, and you don't have to be amazing at the game to progress, especially with the newer entries in the series. I've heard Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu/Eevee! can be a great place to ?start, but you're probably fine if you try any mainline seri??es entries that have come out in the last decade.

4. Telltale's The Walking Dead

Telltale's The Walking Dead is a great choice because while it does introduce new c??haracters, it's part of a franchise that non-gamers are already familiar with. It's even structured like a TV show with its episodes, which also divide what is overall a longer game into manageable chunks.

Th??e gameplay itself is mostly limited to dialogue choices, but also includes som?e classic point-and-click adventure stuff �both of these factors can make it a great jumping-off point to try some other games that share these mechanics.

5. Portal

Portal is also a great game?? I recommend to newbies, seeing as it's the game I played to learn shooting mechanics on a controller. Because it's a puzzle game that only has stationary turre??ts as enemies, you can really take your time as you try to figure out how the camera works. Some of the late?r levels require perfectl?y-timed shots, but by the time you get there, you pretty much have the controls down.

There's also the fact that Portal has one of the best game stories out there, so in addition to helping a new player learn the ropes, the?y can also see some of the superb storytelling that games are capable of. I'd just steer clear of this one for someone who is particularly puzzle-averse, because it can be pretty challenging to figure out some of the solutions.

6. Journey

One of the problems I've run into while trying to recommend games to someone who has never played them is how long most of them take to complete, but Journey negates this issue by having a run time of about two hours. What better way to convince a skeptic than to have them play a gr??eat game that's no longer than a movie?

Journey is also new player-friendly because of its fluid, relaxing gameplay. There are no enemies to be seen, so your friends shouldn't have any issues making it to the end. The game is known for its gorgeous visual style and music as well, so if you show someone Journey, they know they're gett??ing some of the best that gaming has to o??ffer.

7. Overcooked

Want to be able to play alongside that friend or family member while they learn the ropes? No problem! Overcooked is a great option �while things can get a bit hectic as you progress through the levels, the game is designed to be easy to pick up and understand. Considering it's one of those games where you ??can see yourself mastering it as you go along, it can make for a good confidence booster before throwing your new player into the deep end.

8. Firewatch

Firewatch is such a fun ride, but in different ways than you might ex?pect. The gameplay is super simple, and mostly involves walking around and interacting with items. The real star of the show here is its story, particularly its voice acting, which can make it the perfect option for someone who prefers a more narrative-based experience, if that's something your new gamer is into.

I know for me, story games were a great way to initially get into the hobby, and then I started trying out some more gameplay-heavy games once I learned the ropes. Firewatch also has the benefit of helping players learn the controls at their own pace, similar to Portal.

9. What Remains of Edith Finch

Many of the principles that apply to Firewatch are also in play here. What Remains of Edith Finch is in the upper echelon of game stories, in my opinion, so it's another ex?cellent cho?ice for those who like storytelling.

It also just has some really clever gameplay sections that I think showcase some of the best narrative design in the industry. It's wistful an??d moving, and is yet another relatively short play that can help you learn controls, so this one is a must for new players.

10. Uncharted 2

If you have a buddy who loves action movies and just wants to feel like a hero, Uncharted 2 is the way to go. I could be recommending the first Uncharted, but parts of that game haven't aged super well gameplay-wise (I'm looking at you, jet ski level), and the sequel is where Naughty Do?g really hit their stride with the franchise, both in terms of narrative and gameplay.

You've got loveable characters, swashbuckling action, and puzzles that will make you stop and think, which makes it perfect for a movie buff. Plus, if they end up liking it, there are still four other Uncharted games they can go and play.

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Let them show you the way

Do you have any toys or figurines that keep you on the straight and narrow? I not only have an Isabelle amiibo on my desk, but I also have great figures of Persona 5's jailers, Justine and Caroline, all of whose ste??rn faces and working spirit keep me from wandering a?way from the PC to take my 19th lunch break of the morning.

But perhaps the most inspiring figurine on the market is this delightful example, fresh from merchandising giants Good Smile. "The Traveler" is the nameless protagonist of thatgamecompany's 2012 classic Journey, and is ready to trek their way onto a bookshelf near you soo?n, where they will n?o doubt inspire you as you continue on your own life-quest.

Standing just in seven inches in height, The Traveler is the latest release in Good Smile's "Pop Up Parade" range, which also includes other gaming and anime icons such as Persona 5's Joker, RWBY's Ruby Rose, and Vocaloid's Hatsune Miku. The Traveler does not feature any accessories or articulation, but is beautifully styled and retails for ??a reasonable ¥3,454, or roughly $31 USD.

If you fancy a traveler of your very own, then they are available to pre-order now from the Good Smile website ?and other online? retailers. The Traveler is expected to ship in January 2021.

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Sony is giving out the two PS4 games starting April 15, 2020

Sony is giving out free-to-keep-forever PS4 copies of Journey and Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection – two defining PlayStation experiences – in a bid to keep folks safe at home during the pandemic. You'll be able to claim them from April 15 at 8:00 p.m. Pacific until May 5 at 8:00 p.m.

You don't need to have a paid PlayStation Plus membership – just redeem t?hem with a free account.

Journey is one of those revered games ma??ny of us have played and loved countless times before, but perhaps not on PlayStation 4. I want to carve out an afternoon to revisit it knowing that the anonymous online co-op element will be full of pote?ntial partners. Thematically, the game hits home right now.

As for The Nathan Drake Collection, it's the original PS3 trilogy remastered by Bluepoint for PS4: Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. The offer pares nicely with April's PlayStation Plus lineup, which happens to include Uncharted 4. You could easily kill a lot of time traversing the mainline Uncharted series back-to-back. These games aren't short.

Beyond the free games, Sony has also pledged to start a pretty substantial fund for independent developers who are going through "har?dships and financial struggles" amid COVID-19.

According to Sony Interactive Entertainment president and CEO Jim Ryan, the company has "earmarked $10 million to support our independent development partners." In a blog post, he noted that "more information about the fund, including participation criteria, will be made ava?ilable soon."

"We know this is just one small step and we are thankful ??to be able to offer this support to our players, our communities, and our partners," Ryan said.

These moves are part of a Play At Home plan now underway at Sony Inte??ractive Entertainment. It's unclear if we'll see further free game giveaways – this pandemic isn't going anywhere – or what will come of the indie fund, but I'm particularly curi??ous about the latter. That's quite a gesture.

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Winds of change

Journey still has some gas in the tank. Ei?ght years after it first launched on PlayStation 3, it's coming to the world's most popular PC games distributor.

Earlier today, Journey got a Steam store page. This masterpiece from thatgamecompany is set to land on Steam on June 11, 2020. That's just a bit more than a year after Journey fir??st rele??ased on PC via the Epic Games Store. The main draw for the PC version is 4K resolution support.

It remains to be seen whether the Steam release replicates Epic's pricing strategy. When Journey first hit Epic, it was priced at $5. That's a $10 launch discount off the normal tag of $15. The Ste??am version isn't yet available to buy; it can only be wis?hlisted.

Regardless, Journey stands as one of the most resolute and timeless of indie games from the last decade. Now, even more people will have the opportuni?ty to experience it.

Journey [Steam]

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Don't stop believing

In a surprise drop, thatgamecompany and Annapurna Interactive have released their unique adventure title Journey for the iOS platform, allowing players to t??raipse through its weird and?? evocative worlds while on the go.

Journey, which launched on PS3 in 2012 before eventually being ported to PS4 and PC, turned heads and won critical praise with its strange story of a lonely figure on a long, seemingly aimless odyssey through a highly-stylised world. The player can be joined by another player, but there is no open communication between the pair. Told without words and presented without any open exposition, Journey is a unique trip,?? which was quite unlike anything else at the time.

Journey is available now on iOS devices, pri?ced at?? around $5

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4K support in tow

Thatgamecompany's 2012 masterpiece Journey will be launching on PC next week. Coming to the Epic Games Store on June 6, 2019, the title is currently available for pre-order at the ridiculously low price for $4.99. After Epic's sale ends, the game will return to its regular $14.99 price. This new PC version will include support for 4K rendering, which should make the beautiful vistas of Journey look even more stunning.

I haven't played Journey in many years now, but I found its unique take on co-op and adaptation of the "Hero's Journey" arc to be breathtaking. It's not the most in-depth game and certainly isn't something for everyone, but the way each step of the storytelling te?mplate is adapted throughout the different environments makes for a dazzling experience. You should definitely play the game once, even if you end up not enjoying it.

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I hope you like Overwatch

Every year, PAX draws thousands of game enthusiasts to Seattle, and lots of them decide that the best way to express their affect??ion for a given game is to dress up like one of the characters. Cosplay has really taken off at PAX since it started over ten years ago. I did my best to photojournalize some of the best cosplay at PAX West last weekend. Let's get to it.

Pokémon Go was doing very well in Seattle last weekend, with lures on Pokéstops as far as the eye could see. Go doesn't exactly lend itself to cospl??ay, but that didn't stop this group from coming up with a way to show off some of the game's features.

Speaking of Pokémon, Nintendo's booth was full of folks eager to try out the upcoming Pokémon Sun and Moon.

That's where I? ran into this family, all dressed up as the Gen 7 starters-- Popplio, Litte?n, and baby Rowlet.

I saw plenty of Pikachu hoodies and professional looking? Pokémon at the show, but there's something to be said for an old fashioned homemade costume as well. Here's a Jynx and a Dugtrio.

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild wasn't available to play at PAX this year, but that didn't stop people from dressing up like Link and Z??elda. This Zelda has her own arm?or, and it looks like she could handle Ganon by herself, no problem.

This solo Zelda looked ready for anything...

As did this Sheik.?? I never saw these last two in the same room at the same time. Probably just a coincidence.

From the Legend of  Zelda to League of Legends. I don't play LoL myself, but several of the characters were represented Here we see LoL's parody of a WoW paladin, Taric. I couldn't get i?t all in the picture, but he had a massive crystal hammer as well??.

The ninja he?ro Yasuo was also around, and ready t??o fight.

One blue-clad ninja deserves another. This Kasumi from the Dead or Alive series blunk at an inoppor??tune time,? but still looks fantastic.

And while I'm posting ?pictures of blue ninja ladies, Zero Suit Samus fits that descr??iption pretty well.

After gettin?g that photo, she asked me to take a picture of her thigh. I make it a point never to argue with women who have cannons for arms, so here ya go.

Fire Emblem has gotten a lot more popular in the last couple of years. This group all came dressed as characters from Fire Emblem: Fates.

So did this young lady, dressed as Camilla.

It was nice to see characters who started on the 3DS getting some love. Here's Edea from Bravely Default.

From Edea to Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite, who loo??ked lovely. After posing for the picture, she yelled "Booker, Catch!??" and threw a bottle at my face.

Keeping with the theme of strong female characters, this Shepard from Mass Effect was totally unconcerned about the Tyrannosaurus Rex behind her. I gues??s saving the entire galaxy from evil robots changes your ideas of what's scary.

The other original Bioware RPG series got some attention too. Here's a knight from Dragon Age.

You couldn't pay me enough to wear a full suit of armor in the Washington State Convention Center, but I've got to admit this fellow looked great. He told me what game he was representing but I had a hard time understanding him. All I know is that it wasn't Shovel Knight.

Keeping with the theme of knights and chivalry, I was happy to see one of my favorite series, Dragon Quest, getting some attention. These two were representing Square Enix at the Dragon Quest Builders booth.

The fellow on the right is Torneko, and I think the one on the left is meant to be a gender-swapped Alena, both from Dragon Quest IV.

I ran into the hero from Dragon Quest VIII in front on the convention center, standing next to an excellent Ayla from Chrono Trigger.

Square games were well represented at the show this year. You couldn'?t go very far without seeing one of these Uber cabs, decked out like Chocobos with peacock sounding ho??rns.

Theoretically, you could also catch a ride with Cindy from Final Fantasy XV.

I ran into these two several times over the weekend, always with swords locked in the clash of battle. One of them gave me his card after I took their picture.

Edgy guys with swords are all the rage this year. I saw several Deadpools, ??but this one had by far the best costume.

This Deadpool had melded with Dante from the Devil May Cry ser?ies. He ca?lled himself "Danpool, the ultimate hybrid."

One of the nomads from Journey made an appearance on the expo floor. It's hard to play video games wit?hout any hands!

Adult Swim was showing off the new ToeJam and Earl game. Earl was wandering aroun??d the show floor...

...but?? ToeJam had to stay in the booth. It's a little harder to make a convincing ToeJam?? costume.

From ToeJam to Tomb Raider. Lara here is recovering nicely fr??om that rebar wound.

This pair of youngsters were dressed as the Team Fortress 2 Scout and one of Ezio's assassins from Assassin's Creed.

Fortunately, they were nowhere close to this guy.

Kat from Halo: Reach joined another Spartan waiting for the ?light to change. They look ready to play some Grifball.

By the fourth day of the convention, these Destiny Guardians needed a rest.

Keeping to the M-rated games, the Fallout series w??as well represented.? This Vault Dweller had made her own Plasma Rifle.

Meanwhile, another Vault Dweller proves that Gho??uls are people too..??. just horribly irradiated people with melted skin.

Without question, the game that had the most representation was Overwatch. It takes some guts to walk around a con without a shirt on, but this Junkrat's been doing it long enough to earn himself a g??olden grenade launcher.

D. Va was a popular choice???? for people to dress as. I found a pair of them near the food court.

This one was less faithful to the source material, but I hadn't seen anyone else try to wear the MEKA suit, so that's worth a few style points. It's a little hard to see?, but that's a Dorito in his mouth.

Tracer is pretty much the face of Overwatch. She was hard to capture? ??on film, but I managed to catch her between blinks. 

Soldier: 76 needed some help to get his ?tactical visor on, but he had no problem cleari?ng the room once it was ready.

Zarya and McCree prove that the relationship between the Russian Federation and 'Murica is stronge??r t?han ever.

Speaking of McCree, this gender-swap??ped version was all smiles when I asked her what time it was.

Gender-swapping Overwatch characters seems like a popular thin?g to do. Hanzo and Genji were inseperable. I'm happy to present... the Shimada sisters.

This Lúcio was a little melanin-challenged, but cheerfully complied when I asked him to drop the b?eat.

It was pretty warm in? the convention center, so?? Mei shed her bulky parka in favor of a tank top.

Her ice gun was very impressive. She told me who m??ade it for her, but I'm afraid I didn't write it down.

Speaking of impressive weapons, this ?Junkrat and Widowmaker had some of the best I've seen.

I had to get a closeup on Junkrat's. The ??attention to detail was amazing. When I aske??d, they said they'd been working on their gear nonstop since the open beta back in April.

Finally, this Reaper seems to have blended himself with Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat. Freezing a dude before blasting him into ice chunklets with a Hellfire shotgun?? just seems like overkill.

That's it for this year. There were a ton of other great cosplayers at the show this year, including a really good Eleven from Stranger Things  and a full-body Overwatch Bastion, but his costume kind of fell apart due to the heavy rain on Friday morning. I did want to mention that I got verbal permission to post these images from everyone whose pictu??res I took at the show, with the exception of a couple of the full body armored costumes. If you have a favorite here or if you can tell me where that knight with the horned helmet came from, let me know in the comments!

The post PAX West 2016 cosplay breakdown appeared first on Destructoid.

Journey's is the best

A couple weeks ago an imgur page was floating around the Internet showing various films with each frame reduced to its average color and represented as a single vertical line in what turn out to be often vibrant barcodes. This is not exactly that same process, but a similar idea as applied to video games.

Alan Zucconi ripped frame data from Let's Plays of various games. He gives a tutorial how to do it on his site. Instead of taking the average c??olor, his algorithm tabulates all of the colors and arranges them into a vertical slice, giving it more of a painted look than a hard barcode look, but it's still striking.

My favorite of the bunch is Journey's, because it works as a retelling of the game. You can see how it starts in the desert??s, treks through the underground, and ends on the snowy peaks, all from one image.

Others are not so pretty. For all the praise Bloodborne gets, it makes for just about the dullest, drabbest barcode. 0rbitalis is also a strange choice, considering ??how much of it takes place against a bla?ck background.

If you like to be surprised, you can browse the images in the gallery below and right-click -> Save As to see which games they come from. Otherwise, hit the imgur link for labeled images.

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Teach your children well

Journey has been out on PlayStation 4 for a couple of days. ??No surprises here: it's stunning.

I didn't intend to beat it again so soon, but the game's seamless online co-op dug its hooks into me. I couldn't let my anonymous buddy down by quitting. Not a chance! Sadly, we split just before the final ascent and a r?eplacement never showed. I had to see the ending alone. Aga?in. One day...

I don't have a particular moment that stands out above all others; more like a general sense of warm, fuzzy feelings that I was able to connect with strangers in a video game by chirping. (That sun-soaked sliding sequence is by far my favorite bit, though. Gorgeous and exh??ilarating.)

What about you? Have any notable Journey stories to share?

The post What’s your most memorable Journey moment? appeared first on Destructoid.

$150

Journey looks great on PS4. This statue does, too.

But Journey on PS4 is free if you own it on PS3 ($15 otherwise), which I do, while this statue is $150, so I'm going to celebrate Journey on PS4?? by maybe playing it on PS4 at some point. You are free to celebrate by bu??ying the statue, or really whatever form of worship you prefer. Light a candle, maybe.

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It's still breathtaking

As part of the 2015 "PLAY" sale, Journey is going to be re-released on the PlayStation 4 tomorrow for $14.99 ($11.99 for Plus members). For the most part this is the same exact game most of you have already played, but with enhanced visuals, which you can view in the gameplay video above. Just like fl0w and Flower for PS4, Journey is also Cross-Buy.

Everyone has already talked ad nauseum about the game for years, but having played through it again on PS4, my opinion rema?ins relatively unchanged. It's an incredible looking adventure, and is still one of the strongest arguments for games as art, but the existential narrative is a bit overrated, and the platforming and puzzle solving, still too simplistic.

The post Here’s what Journey looks like on PS4 appeared first on Destructoid.

Free for those who own it on PS3

Journey has been a st??aple o??f everyone's PlayStation 3 indie catalog for the past three years. In a scant two weeks, it'll be that exact same fixture except on PS4. They grow up so fast.

Sony and thatgamecompany have announced that Journey is finally making its way to PS4 on July 21. To commemorate the occasion, they released this lau?nch trailer ("launch" used very loosely) wherein a lot of nice folks said a lot of nice things about the game.

While this gives users who switched platforms this generation a chance to experience one of the best PlayStation exclusives, it won't come at any extra cost for those who have already purchased it once. Journey is part of the Cross-Buy program, meaning that it can be downloaded for free on PS4 if you've already purchase??d it on PS3. The emotions and saving are running high.

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Limited edition print also unveiled

Journey is a beautiful game. And what better way to honor that beauty than with two separately artful tributes that will soon be up for sale -- the soundtrack on two vinyl LPs and a "very ?limited edition" screen print by artist Mark Englert.

The vinyl album, priced at $35, will be available for pre-order starting Thursday and will be released at some point in August. There will only be 350 prints available at $60, so as with the soundtrack, you'll probably want to pre-order this on Thursday as well.

Journey Vinyl and Limited Edition Art Print Revealed [PlayStation Blog]

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Band Geeks 2

Austin Wintory -- the Grammy-nominated composer behind Journey, Monaco: What's Yours Is Mine, and The Banner Saga, among others -- has been fined by the American Federation of Musicians for "violating union rules," Variety reports.

Wintory allegedly recorded the soundtrack for The Banner Saga under non-union auspices, meaning the score was produced without the approval of the union. The AFM's international executive board found Wintory guilty, fining him $2,500. If Wintory does ??not pay, he will be expelled from the union.

According to Variety, Wintory plans to ignore the AFM's demands, instead donating $2,500 to the Education Through Music charity, "where the money can be used tow??ard building on dreams instead ?of destroying them."

The American Federation of Musicians is over 100 years old, having existed in some form since 1896. It is currently the "the largest organization in the world representing the interests of professional musicians," according to the AFM's official website.

We've rea??ched out to the AFM for comment and will upd??ate this story as necessary.

American Federation of Musicians Threatens to?? Expel Gramm??y-Nominated Video Game Composer (EXCLUSIVE) [Variety]

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Probably wouldn't have played them, otherwise

When The Unfinished Swan and Journey are ported to PS4, players who own the games on PS3 will not have to pay again to experience the new versions -- Cross-Buy support is confirmed!

Someone in the PlayStation Blog comments also asked "Will it be 500 [frames per second]?" and that, hilariously, got an actual response from Sony Santa Monica. "I've never heard of a game that is 500FPS, but the team is targeting 60FP??S," said community strategist Aaron Kaufman.

It's been so long since I've played Journey that I might as well continue waiting until I inevitably get a PS4. Perha?ps by then I'll have forgotten more of the game. That's my hope, anyway.

The post Nice! Cross-Buy conf?irmed for Journey and The Unfinished Swan on PS4 appeared first on Destructoid.

Finally!

After months of whispers, rumors and leaks, Journey and The Unfinished Swan are officially confirmed for PlayStation?? 4, thatgamecompany and Giant Sparrow revealed today. The enhanced versions are being handled by developers Tricky Pixels and Armature Studio, respectively.

Journey and The Unfinished Swan Coming to PS4 [PlayStation Blog]

The post Journey, The Unfinished Swan announced for PS4 appeared first on Destructoid.

Oops we didn't announce it at the right time, let's act like nobody noticed

Sony tipped its hand today, posting a lineup of titles apparently meant for its gamescom showcase next month in Cologne, Germany. You know, before deleting it,?? anyway. Nothing is ever actually deleted on the Internet, though.

We saw the list. Lots of other people saw the li?st. The cat's out of the bag.

You can pore over the full docket below, which suggests Journey, The Unfinished Swan, and Until Dawn -- that PlayStation Move horror game revealed bac??k in 2012 and never heard from ever again -- are all coming to PS4.

Make? sure to act real surprised when Sony "officially announces" this at a later date.

PlayStation @ Gamescom [Sony via NeoGAF]

PlayStation 4:
Battlefield: Hardline
Bloodborne
CounterSpy
Driveclub
Surgeon Simulator
Middle Earth: Shadow of Mordor
Alien: Isolation
Diablo III: Reaper of Souls Ultimate Evil Edition
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham
Far Cry 4
Guns Up!
WWE 2K15
NBA 2K15
Assaulrt Android Cactus
Pix the Cat
Nom Nom Galaxy
Nuclear Throne
Galak-Z
Project Cars
Disney Infinity 2
Hohokum
Helldivers
Destiny
Until Dawn
The Unfinished Swan
The Order: 1886
The Last of Us Remastered
Super Exploding Zoo
SingStar
Minecraft PlayStation 4 Edition
LittleBigPlanet 3
Killzone: Shadow Fall Intercept
Journey
inFamous First Light
Hustle Kings

PlayStation Vita:
Super Exploding Zoo
Soul Sacrifice Delta
Futuridium
Hatsune Miku-Projekt DIVA-F 2
Flame Over
Frozen Synapse Tactics
Final Horizon
Dragon Fin Soup
Lego Ninjago Nindroids
The Sly Trilogy
The Ratchet & Clank Trilogy
PlayStation Vita Pets
Murasaki Baby
Minecraft PS Vita Edition
Invizimals: The Alliance
Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number
Hohokum
Freedom Wars
Entwined
Big Fest

The post Sony spills gamescom lineup, Journey f?or PS4, then deletes listing appeared first on Destructoid.

Austin Wintory is facing legal action after composing the score to The Banner Saga

If you've played the likes of Journey, Monaco, or The Banner Saga, then you'll have heard the wonderful music composed by Austin Wintory. Unfortunately, the Grammy-nominated composer is under fire from his union, the American Federation of Musicians, and is facing a possible $50,000 fine after working on the The Banner Saga's score.

At the end of 2012, the AFM put together a new contract specifically for musicians and composers wanting to provide music for games. However, this was seemingly done without any feedback or consultation with any of the 90,000 union members and as such, the agreement was dismissed by game publishers and developers. After recording the score for The Banner Saga, Austin Wintory has now been threatened wit?h a large fine and possible legal action.

This seems like an absurd situation; musicians and composers are forced to work outside their own union just so they can make the soundtrack to a videogame. It sounds counter-productive to say the least and Austin has recorded the video above as a way of publicizing the problem. If you read Dale ??North's inte?rview with him from earlier this year, you can tell Austin is really passionate about composing music for games and it'd be a real shame i?f one of the industry's best were unfairly t?argeted due to unreasonable legislation. 

The post Journey composer facing $50,000 fine from Musician?s Union appeared first on Destructoid.

Indie Game The French Movie

This is confusing, but cool. Pixel Heart is going to be a documentary that visits a bunch of talented, global folks in videogames -- Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Rez), Robin Hunicke (Sims, Journey), Edmundo Bordeu (Zeno Clash), Mark Healey (Little Big Planet), and Eyram Tawia (Letiarts) -- and then trots back to France for a big?? game jam.

The game jam ?will produce 12 games, 6 of which will be available to play online, 6 of which will use some sort of ?dedicated hardware.

To fund this wild project, Pixel Heart has taken to French crowd funding platform Ulule, which you can donate to regardless of region.

This all sounds amazing, and the crowdfunding video sells it. Seriously, at least watch the kitchen scene at 3:35. It makes A la cartridge look bad (which it obviously is or it wouldn't be #cancelled).

The post Pixel Heart is a document?ary/game featuring talents from Rez, Journey, more appeared first on Destructoid.

Interview with Journey, The Banner Saga composer

We managed to catch up to composer Austin Wintory (Journey, The Banner Saga, Monaco) following his D.I.C.E. Summit talk on how technology has ?changed music making, and how this impacts videogame scores.

As a fellow musician and a budding game music composer, I enjoyed chatting with Wintory about how accessible tools and software have brought about the democratization of music making for all genres, even beyond games. We also talk about what it's like f??or hi?m to be moving from indie games to big-budget titles and back as a composer.

Despite his accomplishments, including a Grammy nomination for the Journey score, Wintory is refreshingly humble and down-to-earth. I'm happy to have had a chance to talk with such a talented and genuine c??reator.

Destructoid: I really enjoyed your D.I.C.E. talk on the democratization of music making. As you said, someone could have a crappy $50 Casio keyboard and the pre-installed software on a computer and go to it and...

Wintory: ...and? make something that actually sounds good. Even ten years ago it was?? like, that's clearly amateur stuff.

So I did Monaco, for example; I did a double album release. So one of the ones on there was by Laura Intravia, who worked with Video Games Live as the flute player. She would dress up as Link and do a Zelda medley for solo flute that she arranged. She is an excellent flute player. She's also a singer, and when we would do Journey for VGL she would sing "I Was Born for This." The joke was it's Laura Intravia featuring Video Games Live because she i?s involved on every single track and every piece they do in their setlist until recently.

I connected with her, love her, and she's so wonderful. I told her I'm doing this second album with covers of Monaco. 

Because she was on tour so much, she decided to get rid of her own place, and I think she moved stuff into her parents' basement because she was only not on the road for what seemed like a few weeks a year. Between shows, she went into her parents' basement, and with a laptop, using, like, FruityLoops, made the thing you hear on that album, and it's unbelievable. She sent it to me asking for ??production t??ips. I said that it just needs less reverb, and then it's perfect. I was like 'holy shit,' I couldn't believe it.

It's all about knowing your tool, right?

I had a friend show me a video interview with a European electronic dance artist that managed to top the charts with a single. The artist was asked to show his creative process for a magazine, but he couldn't because he had no idea what he did. That may sound terrible to some, but I think that's wonderful!

The people that come from a traditional background see that and are threatened by that and I think it's a bun?ch of bullshit. People respond to it. What does it matter how it came to be?

That's nice to hear, coming from you.

Because I am one of those conservatory trained guys. [laughs]

These people obviously tend to gravitate toward electronic music. But you look at someone like Danny Elfman; he writes orchestral music with the best of them and he does not have a background in that at all. I think that?? makes his music so incredibly rich and amazing.

Even five years ago, it would have felt like a distant wish for any musician to have a chance at making music for a videogame. Now, with this lower barrier of entry, will it be that just about anyone can make music for games?

Look at game jams. People can make ridiculously interes??ting games in 24 hours that 10 years ago they couldn't have because of the tools. Things like Unity and Garage Band speed up the process so much. I love that.

So this changes game music for the better, right?

It changes al??l music for the better. Like you said, there's a big dance hit made by a guy that has n??o idea what he's doing. It's not restricted to games. I think everything benefits from it, from every angle.

The competition is dramatically bigger now. I'm not part of a select group of 15 guys. I'm part of all of humanity now. Every person is basically a viable composer and co??mpetitor to me until proven otherwise. All the rest of humanity has the potential to be viably up for anything I would be, and I actually really love that because that means I have to be all that I can be to stand a chance. There's no chance for complacency. There's not a certain level in your career that you'd reach where projects just kind of come and you can kind of cruise control from there.

No, people respond to what's interesting, different, engaging, and exc?iting, and if you're not part of that, then it'??s really easy to just sort of go away.

Malcolm Gladwell was once on The Colbert Report, talking about his book The Outliers, which was his follow-up book to Blink. On it, Colbert asked what Gladwell called himself, as he's a writer, a researcher... I can't remember exactly how he prompted h??im. But Malcolm described himself as being professionally curious. I thought that was fantastic. I stole that, and now on my Twitter it says that I'??m professionally curious about music. What's great is that there are 500 million other people that are the same. We can inspire each other, we can drive each other, and we can just generally sort of rise the tide as one giant entity. I don't see any downside to that.

On the flip side of toy keyboards and budget tools, how do you get to use a full orchestra on an indie game like The Banner Saga?

Well, it's all Kickstarter! We said,?? hey, we'd love to do this the right way. They brought me on in the middle of the campaign, and by this ?point their thing was this out-of-control steamroller.

I asked that they have tiers. I made a deal with Stoic and said to carve out some specific rewards where the money geared to get those is going to go solely toward the score instead of toward the general pot, which we would then have to figure out. People took to it like crazy, and we ended up with a bigger budget than I had on Journey. I mean, the deal is structured differently, so that's somewhat of a deceptive statement to make. Without getting into all the minutiae of the finances of it, the takeaway is that there are a lot more musicians on The Banner Saga than on Journey.

I mean, the orchestra is the single most populous department in the whole ??game. Like, Stoic is three guys, and then a few additional programmers and writers came in here and there. But the orchestra?? was over 50 people, and I had a whole bunch of soloists as well. And percussion, and three different singers, Taylor Davis on violin... so over 60 people performing on the score.

So that's the biggest thing you've done so far?

I have a few things going on right now that I can't talk about, but I'm trying to think if they'll end up being more than that. There are definitely some things coming up that are more elaborate in terms of the production, but that doesn't necessarily mean that there are more players.

In film, I've worked with 100-plus sized groups, and in concert music as well. But Journey was just stri??ngs, and it was a modest sized group, too.

But Journey sounded so big and expensive!

It was not. It was done right, and I don't feel like we cut corners. It was the first time Sony?? had done that ??for a download title.

It's funny in hindsight to remember that Journey was supposed to be only a download title. It ended up going a lot further than any of us thought it would. But I remember I had to make a kind of "Braveheart" free??dom speech to Sony to say t?o them that we've come so far and we just need this extra little bit.

And look at how that turned out! Do you think they've learned from that?

Yeah. I don't need to benefit from that. The produced The Unfinished Swan the same exact way immediately following. I had nothing to do with The Unfinished Swan but I think they felt empowered to go that extra mi??le from our experience, and it turned out beautifully.

It seems like you're well-grounded in the indie side of games. Is that where you want to be? I mean, you can probably pick what you'd like to do at this point, right?

No, it's all over the board. I actually prefer to be in both worlds because they are very different and similar at the same time, and the kind of cross-talk?? that they make within me is very stimulating and helpful to kind of stay fresh.

It's funny; doing a game like Monaco, the perception is that Journey is basically triple-A. Talking to my friend, composer Gerard Marino, who worked on God of War and other big titles, in his eyes, Journey is like this little indie. Whichever camp I'm talking to, Journey belonged in the other.

It was a weird middle ground in that sense. But Sony showed it the same love that they showed to The Last of Us and Uncharted. The budget was not anywhere near the size of those games, but they didn't sort of just try to sn??eak it out. In other words, we had the full benefit of what the name Sony brings wi??th it. In my mind, that makes it essentially sort of a triple-A title.

Monaco is like pure grass roots. I've got another game coming that's called Gorogoa that's even more starkly. It's an even smaller team than The Banner Saga, but a a beautifu?l, wonderful game. I'm de?lighted. And there's bigger stuff as well.

Well, whoever you're working with is going to be well off...

That's very generous. I feel very lucky to be gainfull??y employed in any way.

Well, you got a Grammy nomination. Has that changed things for you?

Obviously I would be stupid to pretend that the phone was ringing more before that than after that. But it wasn't that specifically so much as it was the general insanity of Journey. And it was every day. Especially around this time last year, every day there was another something happening, and it was blurry and ridiculous. And we had already been through a blurry ridiculousness when the game came out and it was selling so well, and the reviews were just perfect scores, one after another. So I had already had several surreal waves of like, is this actually happe?ning?

The thing that meant the most about that was as a lifelong admirer of John Williams, to be able to have a brief moment of being sort of, in? the eyes of somebody??, shoulder to shoulder with him. It was unreal to me.

I met him when I was like sixteen years old and it made me realize I could do this. He was just this guy. I had all of his soundtracks already. When I shook his hand I thought that that was the hand that wrote Star Wars and Indiana Jones. That humanized him and made me think that I could ??do this. I was a profound experience for me. So to be able to circle back and a??ctually sort of share that moment was really personal and meaningful.

But I don't think it's some sort of big truth beyond that. And, also, it has a danger hiding beneath it as well. When you have someone offer you a reward nomination or you earn an award of some kind, there's a tend?ency to think that you are now validated as a great composer. Which means that t?he next time you go to write a piece of music, you'll think 'this music is great because a great composer wrote it.' And the moment you start to think that is when the end begins.

So I get very weary when people try to be super effusive of that sort of praise because I don't actually believe it to be true. I generally don't think I'm a great composer. I think I'm a terrible composer, but I'm good at making sure that people don't hear 99% of what I write. [laughs]

I'm a good curator.

The post Austin Wint?ory: Everyone has the?? potential to make music appeared first on Destructoid.

You'd think Austin Wintory would have better tools

We recently had a chance to chat with Journey and The Banner Saga composer Austin Wintory, and as a fellow musician I took the op??portunity to talk shop. Curious?? about which tools he uses to create music with, I asked about his studio setup. Given that Wintory is an accomplished, Grammy-nominated composer for games and film, I expected a list of the finest hardware, and not a Casio toy.

"I actually ??????????????????????????had, until pretty recently, a $50 Casio 44-key keyboard," Wintory told Destructoid during our interview. "I did almost everything in my whole career on that b?ecause I had it since I was a kid. It had like a special significance to me."

"Journey was composed on that," Wintory revealed. 

Even a toy can be used as a controller if it is MIDI compatible. This keyboard was, so it could be connected to professional software, such as Wintory's sequencer of choice, Digital Performer.

I asked if he is still using it even after Journey's wild success.

"I mean, it's still sitting on the floor of my studio," Wint??ory said. "The keys crapped out so I went and bought a proper MIDI controller that actually does have weighted keys." 

I asked Wintory how he was able to create such expressive music with what most would consider to be a toy, and ??no?t a proper musical instrument. 

"You know, it's just an input device. Ultimately, at the end of the day, if it's something that needs to be expressive, like flow, I spend a lot of time manipulating controller data. If it's something that needs to be expressive like in the manner of Journey, I'm putting microphones in front of musicians."

Be ?sur??e to check out our full interview with Austin Wintory later today.

The post Journey was composed on a $50 crappy Casio k?eyboard appeared first on Destructoid.

Awards to be livestreamed on February 6 at 7:30PM PT

The 17th Annual D.I.C.E. Awards take place in Las Vegas from February 4 to February 7 and the nominations have been announced by The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences. Last year the Sony exclusive Journey was up for 11 awards, and went on to win game of the year. This year we see another Sony exclusive, The Last of Us, with 13 nominations.

No word on who will be hosting the awards this year, but I'm hoping to see a return of Chris Hardwick, founder of Nerdist.com. He absolutely killed it as host last year. I'm also hoping another drunk developer crashes the stage again (2:07:30).

The award ceremony will be ta??ki??ng place on February 6 and will be livestreamed starting at 7:30PM PT.

Here's the full list of categories and awards:

Game of the Year
Assassin's Creed: IV Black Flag  
Bioshock Infinite            
Grand Theft Auto V      
The Last of Us  
The Legend of Zeld??a: A Link Between Worlds ;    

Outstanding Achievement in Game Direction
Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons  
Grand Theft Auto V      
Papers, Please
Tearaway          
The Last of Us   

Outstanding Innovation in Gaming
Grand Theft Auto V      
Papers, Please
Tearaway          
The Last of Us  
The St??anley Parable  &nbs??p;  ;  

Adventure Game of the Year
Assassin's Creed: IV Black Flag  
Tearaway          
The Last of Us  
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds    
Tomb Raider     

Action Game of the Year
Battlefield 4     
Bioshock Infinite           
Dead Rising 3   
DmC: Devil May Cry      
RESOGUN   &nb?sp;      

Downloadable Game of the Year
Brothers – A Tale of Two Sons  
Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon
Gone Home     
Papers, Please
The Stanley Parable &nb??sp;     

Online Game of the Year
Battlefield 4      
Borderlands 2  
Diablo III
The Last of Us
World of Tanks 

Outstanding Achievement in Original Music Composition
Beyond: Two Souls
Bioshock Infinite
Puppeteer
rain
Rayman Legends

Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design
Battlefield 4
Bioshock Infinite
God of War: Ascension
Grand Theft Auto V
The Last of Us

Outstanding Achievement in Story
Beyond: Two Souls
Bioshock Infinite
The Last of Us
The Novelist
Tomb Raider

Outstanding Character Performance
Grand Theft Auto V
Ryse
The Last of Us
The last of Us
The Stanley Parable

Casual Game of the Year
Candy Box
Peggle 2
Plants VS Zombies 2
Rayman Fiesta Run
Ridiculous Fishing

Role-Playing/Massively Multiplayer Game of the Year
Diablo III
Dota 2
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch
Pokémon X & Y

Sports Game of the Year
FIFA 14
Madden NFL 25
MLB 13 The Show
NBA 2K14
NHL 14

Racing Game of the Year
Forza Motorsport 5
Gran Turismo 6
Grid 2
Need for Speed Rivals
Real Racing 3

Fighting Game of the Year
Divekick
Injustice: Gods Among Us
Killer Instinct

Strategy/Simulation Game of the Year
Europa Universalis 4
Fire Emblem: Awakening
Sid Meier's Civilization V: Brave New World
StarCraft II: Heart of the Swarm
XCOM: Enemy Within

Family Game of the Year
Disney Infinity
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes
Rayman Legends
Skylanders Swap Force
Super Mario 3D World

Mobile Game of the Year
Fetch
Flick Kick Football Legends
Plants VS Zombies 2
Ridiculous Fishing
The Wolf Among Us

Handheld Game of the Year
Fire Emblem: Awakening
Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon
Pokémon X & Y
Tearaway
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

Outstanding Achievement in Animation
Assassin's Creed: IV Black Flag
Beyond: Two Souls
Puppeteer
Rayman Legends
The Last of Us

Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction
Bioshock Infinite
Puppeteer
Rayman Legends
Tearaway
The Last of Us

Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering
Assassin's Creed: IV Black Flag
Battlefield 4
Grand Theft Auto V
Ryse
The Last of Us

Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering
Assassin's Creed: IV Black Flag
Forza Motorsport 5
Grand Theft Auto V
Super Mario 3D World
The Last of Us

Game designer Eugene Jarvis (Defender, Robotron: 2084) will also? be receiving the Pioneer Award for his contributions from the golden age of the arcade and beyond.

The post T??he?? Last of Us leads D.I.C.E. Awards with 13 nominations appeared first on Destructoid.

Sony Santa Monica creative director teases potential releases

[Update: "Lots of people asking so I'll clarify. Was nostalgic playing the PS4 versions of the games so I busted out the PS3 to replay some others," Gary said in a follow-up on Twitter, adding he believes Journey and The Unfinished Swan still look "fantastic" on PS3.]

If a recent tease is any indication, The Unfinished Swan and Journey might just be migrating to PlayStation 4. Sony Santa Monica creative director Nathan Gary took to Twitter this weekend, posting a series of photographs fe?aturing the titles accompanied by cryptic messag??es.

The first set of images display the PlayStation 4 astride snapshots of Flower, Flow, and Escape Plan; a trio of Sony-published games confirmed to be r??eceiving enhanced editions on the?? soon-to-be released console.

The string of pictures concludes with shots of The Unfinished Swan and Journey alo?ngside the words "finished" and "I'm  finished." However, unlike the preceding ?photos, the PlayStation 4 isn't clearly visible in the frames.

Mind you, even if the machine appeared side by side with the acclaimed titles it would be a far cry from an official confirmation.??? That said, if Sony isn't planning to re-release the games in the near future, this seems like a long way to go just to needle fans and get people's hopes up.

[Photographs: Nathan Gary] [Illustration: AJ Hatley]

The post Journey, Unfinished Swan might be ?coming to PS4 (Update) appeared first on Destructoid.

Co-founder is both 'proud' of and 'worried' about new game

In a New Yorker piece covering Journey, Flower, and Flow developer thatgamecompany, the publication got a few more tidbits out of co-founder Jenova Chen regarding the team's next game. In line with his prior comments about it being a "natural evolution," Chen referred to the project as "the bastard child" of the aforementioned titles and compared it to seeing E.T. for t??he first time. Themes like self-reflection and nostalgia are? said to be present.

"A lot of people asked us why Journey didn't let them play with friends or family, and obviously we had a reason -- because that would have defeated the purpose of the game," said Chen. "But for a game to be truly be accessible, to both children and adults and to men and women, it has to allow people to play with the ones they love." The new game will do exact?ly that.

Conservati?vely, this is still two years off and thatgamecompany hasn't pinned down how players will interact?? with one another (though a system of non-verbal communication will be implemented). Regardless, I'm very much looking forward to it. After attending E3 2013, Chen said he was "proud to see that no one is doing what we're doing, but also worried because I know why. It's risky."

A Journey to Make Video Games Into Art [The New Yorker]

The post ‘No one is doing what we’re doing,’ says thatgamecompany appeared first on Destructoid.

What-If Machine: cool-looking alleged Gravity Rush & Journey PlayStation All-Stars stage surface

Some pictures of a seemingly cut Journey cross Gravity Rush stage of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale hit the web courtesy of designer Ky Bui's website. They were quickly taken down, but the internet is all-seeing, without end, so you can still look at them. According to the website, Bui worked on PlayStation All-Stars for two years,

Sony Santa Monica has gone on record saying there will be no more PlayStation All-Stars DLC, so it looks like this neat stage will be lost in the ether. Speaking of, a canned statement from Sony, via Polygon, noted, "a number of characters and environments that were being explored during the game's development phase, including Dart." Shame Legend of Dragoon's protagonist never made it in the game. Maybe Sony could've leveraged any popularity to make another JRPG, or even a successor to Legend of Dragoon. Right? Right?

Fine. Probably not. But I have to have hope. Otherwise, how will I get a MediEvil 3?

Shame this level never made it into PSABR. Gravity Rush and Journey are pretty much two of my favorite games ever. Would have been fun to play. Then again, I've still barely played Sony's mascot fighter, so I guess I'm part of the problem. I even made a point to download Kat for free, but still haven't touched the title since last year. Just give me Gravity Rush 2.

PlayStation All-Stars designer releases images of alleged J?ourney and Gravity Rush stage [Polygon]

The post Images of cut Gravity Rush/Jou?rney PS All-Stars stage appeared first on Destructoid.

'It's a natural evolution of everything we are doing'

Ah, Journey. I thought I was a total latecomer, having picked it up during a holiday sale late last year -- but thatgamecompany's thoughtful PlayStation 3 game continues to sell well. "We made the money back last year, then this year we see royalties coming in," company president Jenova Chen told The Telegraph. "It seems like the Journey sales are not going away."

Offering a few more hints about the team's next project, which can be "put on any platform we want" thanks to funding via venture capital and internal IP o??wnership, Chen said that "It's been almost a year now and we are still in a very pre, pre-production mode. It's always been the pattern ?of thatgamecompany that we spent 75 percent of time doing R&D and a smaller portion of time on production. When we go for a particular goal we have to do a lot of trial and error. It can feel like you are reaching out in the fog trying to find something."

Continuing: "The next game after Journey is like, ok we've done it with strangers on the internet, can this also happen among people who know each other. It's a natural evolution of everything we are doing," Chen commented?. "Our next game is going to be something that will relate to a wide audience on a human level. It is very exciting to see my own maturing and the team's mat?uring and I’m curious to see what this next game could be."

Without a clear source of funding post-Journey, the studio had to cut everybody but the founders. Now that it's been secured, "we hired?? people back, right now we are 14 people and still growing." Which is terrific news, as a fan of their games. My only real fe??ar had been that a lack of money would kill the dream. Glad that's not a concern for the time being.

Next ThatGameCompa??ny ??Game - Interview with Jenova Chen (2 of 5) [Family Gamer TV]
Life After Journey for ThatGameCompany [The Telegraph]

The post New thatgamecompany title wil?l relate to a wid??er audience appeared first on Destructoid.

Company co-founder Jenova Chen dishes out some details

The practically perfect Journey has received no shortage of compliments, awards and cold, hard sales. The latter, one might expect, should have ensured smooth sailing going forward at thatgamecompany, but according to thatgamecompany co-founder Jenova Chen, speaking to Edge, "The company was at the most dangerous time when we finished Journey." The Sony salary stopped flowing and Journey royalt?y checks were months ??out -- and there was no guarantee the game would sell as well as did.

"We didn’t know where the money was coming?? from, and we couldn’t afford everybody from that point on until we found the money &??ndash; we basically went into hibernate mode. We had vacation for everybody for a couple of weeks and then we just let go of most of the people, because we couldn’t pay salary."

Indeed, there seemed to be something of an exodus from thatgamecompany after Journey released and the three title deal with Sony formally ended, allowing team members to fly the coop, including co-founder Kellee Santiago. Chen didn't seem surprised that people would move on with diffe??rent goals, calling th?e end of the contract, "a very good point for people to move out."

Chen ultimately found funding for the company, which is now staffed with around 12 people, half of whom worked on Journey, when venture capitalist firm Benchmark Capital inves??ted.

thatgamecompany is working, tight lipped, on its next game. Journey designer Asher Vollmer, one of the former thatgamecompany staff that struck out to work on their own thing, raised some waves earlier this year when he talked about the studio's next game "chang[ing] the industry in a reall?y positive way," but Chen remains humb?le and grounded, stating, "I can’t make guarantees like that." He won't re??st on his laurels, either. "No matter how many awards we won, that??’s not going to make sure the next game is going to be great," Chen said.

In the piece, Chen also gave some vague ind?ications towards what their next game might entail, including a serious look at touch controls and a firmly consistent emphasis on unique multiplayer avenues. I'm sure it will be lovely.

Why Thatgamecompany nearly fell apart after releasing Journ??ey – and what’s n??ext for the studio [Edge]

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Keita Takahashi working on game with San Francisco-based indie devs

Kamatari creator Keita Takahashi is working a new game with Funomena, a fledgling indie studio founded earlier this year by former thatgamecompany developers. Announced at the Horizon conference in Los Angeles yesterday, the team also includes Robin Hunicke and Martin Middleton, both of whom previously worked on last year's acclaimed PlayStation Network release, Journey.

The project is rooted in an idea Takahasi conjured up whilst playing with his two-year-old son. Inspiration struck when he imagined toy blocks coming? to life. Little else is known about th??e game at present, but considering its pedigree, this is definitely something to keen an eye on.

Keita Takahashi?? teams with former Journey de??vs on new project [Edge]

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