MARCH 29, 2012 ● Los Angeles-based developer thatgamecompany has broken PlayStation Network and PlayStation Store records with its third title, Journey. In two weeks the game has become the fastest selling first- or third-party title in SCEA’s region. Journey is a fantasy that explores self-discovery in an artful environment often likened to a Japanese garden.
Impact: Not bad for a small team working on a modest budget, although a budget considered large by PSN-exclusive terms. The $15 Journey is the third title in thatgamecompany’s contract with Sony, which provided funding and some marketing. But with strong notices for the indie studio’s first two games, flOw and Flower, there already was sizable consumer interest in Journey. Yet the striking takeaway from Journey’s sales success is that there is a wider demand for intelligent content that taps emotions other than willful avarice and destruction.
