Founded in 2006 by University of Southern California students Jenova Chen and Kellee Santiago, Thatgamecompany received a $160 million investment. The company, which has been operating as an independent game developer for many years, includes popular games such as Sky: Children of the Light and Journey in its portfolio.
Thatgamecompany was especially appreciated for the art design of the Journey game. Many players appreciated the unique narrative and visual art of the game. The company’s other game, Sky: Children of the Light, has similar features, and Thatgamecompany plans to use the $160 million investment it received primarily for this game.
Sequoia and TPG made the $160 million investment. The company also announced that Ed Catmull, Co-Founder of Pixar, has joined them as Principal Advisor on Creative Culture and Strategic Growth. On the subject, Jenova Chen, Co-Founder, and CEO of Thatgamecompany said:
“Our mission is to elevate games as a legitimate form of art. We want to see a game that emotionally appeals to people of all ages, identities and backgrounds within a single experience. Animated feature films have had genre-defining moments with Snow White and Toy Story, and we will continue working toward this moment in the gaming world.”
Thatgamecompany’s emphasis on art design in its games is quite apparent. With this $160 million investment, the company is one step closer to Chen’s stated vision.
