Journey (2012 video game)

A wordless journey through a desert toward a distant mountain.

Journey is an adventure game developed by Thatgamecompany and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. Released on the PlayStation Network in March 2012, it was later ported to PlayStation 4, Windows, and iOS. The game has been listed as one of the greatest video games of all time and won several game of the year awards.

Quick Facts

Developer

Thatgamecompany

Publisher

Sony Computer Entertainment, Annapurna Interactive

Director

Jenova Chen

Producer

Robin Hunicke

Designer

Nicholas Clark
Bryan Singh
Chris Bell

Artist

Matt Nava; Aaron Jessie

Programmer

John Edwards; Martin Middleton

Composer

Austin Wintory

Facts from the source article.

Story

Journey tells a wordless story through gameplay and visual-only cutscenes. The nameless character begins near a sand dune in a vast desert and sees a distant mountain with a glowing crevice at its peak. Approaching the mountain, the character finds remnants of a once-thriving civilization eroded by sand. At stone shrines in each area, the traveler rests and has visions of meeting a large, white-cloaked figure in an ethereal environment.

Wall art describes the civilization's rise and fall, mirroring the player's journey. At the base of the mountain, the traveler encounters ancient hostile automaton weapons left from a war over the civilization's power source—a chargeable cloth like the traveler's scarf—which caused the civilization's destruction. A vision shows the traveler crumbling before reaching the destination, but the traveler continues. Reaching the mountain, the traveler struggles upward in cold and snow, unable to charge the scarf, and collapses.

Six white-cloaked figures appear and grant new energy, allowing flight to the summit. The player walks into the crevice as the screen fills with white. The credits play over an ending cinematic: a shooting star from the crevice retraces the traveler's path, showing glimpses of other cloaked travelers heading toward the mountain. The star rests at the starting dune, and the player can begin again. After the credits, usernames of other travelers encountered appear.

Development

Journey was the last game under a three-game contract between Thatgamecompany and Sony Computer Entertainment, following ports of Flow and Flower. Development began in 2009 after Flower's release. The 18-person team consisted mainly of creators from previous games; co-founder Jenova Chen was creative director, Nick Clark lead designer, and Robin Hunicke replaced producer Kellee Santiago. Sony expected completion in one year, but Thatgamecompany considered that unrealistic.

Development took over three years, with the team growing from seven to eighteen. Difficulties included paring down ideas and maintaining communication. After two years, the game did not evoke the intended emotions; Sony granted a one-year extension, which was also exceeded. Stress from limited time and money caused arguments over design.

The team reduced overtime to avoid burnout, causing further delays and risking the company's finances. Chen stated at the 2013 D.I.C.E. Awards that the company was driven to bankruptcy in the final months and some developers went unpaid. Hunicke said the solution was letting go of tensions and ideas that could not be included and being kind to each other.

Reception

Journey was a hit with both critics and buyers, quickly becoming the fastest-selling game on the PlayStation Store in North America and Europe. Even before its release, it picked up awards for best downloadable game at E3 2011 from 1UP.com, GameSpy, and GameTrailers. After launch, it was named game of the year by outlets like IGN and GameSpot, and in 2021 it earned a Peabody Award for Interactive Narrative and Game + Play. Its soundtrack made history as the first video game score nominated for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media at the 2013 Grammys, though it didn't win.

IGN gave it best music and a graphics nomination, while GameSpot called it the best PlayStation Network game. At the Spike Video Game Awards, Journey won for best PlayStation 3 game, best indie game, and best music, with additional nominations for game of the year, best downloadable game, best graphics, and best song for "I Was Born For This." It also took home the 2013 Annie Award for video game animation. At the 2013 BAFTA awards, it won five prizes: Artistic Achievement, Audio Achievement, Game Design, Online Multiplayer, and Original Music, and was up for Best Game, Game Innovation, and Story.

The Game Developers Choice Awards gave it six wins, including Best Audio, Best Game Design, Best Visual Arts, Best Downloadable Game, the Innovation Award, and Game of the Year. At the 16th D.I.C.E. Awards, Journey won eight awards—the most of any game that year—including Game of the Year, Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, Casual Game of the Year, and outstanding achievement in Game Direction, Art Direction, Online Gameplay, Original Music Composition, and Sound Design, with additional nominations for Downloadable Game of the Year, Gameplay Engineering, and Story.

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