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It's not the destination: the story of 'Journey'

It's not the destination: the story of 'Journey'

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utopia waterfall jenova chen 560
utopia waterfall jenova chen 560

One doesn't usually associate abstract art pieces with video games, but Thatgamecompany (TGC) was a publishing house that aimed to change that perception. TGC's defining work, Journey, won a number of accolades since its release last spring, even though it utilized an anonymous style of cooperative gameplay that went against the grain of traditional multiplayer games. The New Yorker sat down with TGC co-founder Jenova Chen to talk about the multi-year journey that was making Journey, and his perspective on gaming and art as a whole. Though completing Journey ended up bankrupting the game studio, Chen has been able to gather new funding for future works, and he promises that his next project will be just as revolutionary as Journey was.