How Journey Was Made and Why The Developer Went Bankrupt

Sadly, the sand transitions look completely messed up after uploading to YouTube. They look crystal clear on the source file. My apologies and hopefully the video is still enjoyable to watch. I will look into this for future videos. What indie game would you like to see me cover next? Leave a suggestion in the comments below! Also, if you enjoyed the video, please consider subscribing to stay up to date on future “How Games Were Made” episodes. Leaving a like and sharing the video also helps out! Support me on Patreon and get exclusive content like Q&A sessions, ad-free content, access to my Discord server and more: www.patreon.com/ThatGuyGlen

I just love how they weren’t trying to make a hit, they were just trying to make a good game

The sand transition: exists Youtube's compression algorithm: AAAAAAAAAA

When you said that game acutally sold well I cried. For most of my life I was convinced that the game performed poorly since we never saw any successor. This video put it in much needed perspective, thank you.

I actually bought PS3 mostly because of Journey. I remember I took a day off and finished the game in one sitting. I was crying until the end of the credits. One of the greatest experience I had as a gamer. I am still in contact with the guy who played the game with me over PSN. A big "Thank you" to development team. Journe was really worth the delays. Sometimes, even now, when I am working, I doodle desert landscapes with cloth creatures flapping around.

Definitely the most affecting game I've ever played, and a design philosophy that's really worthwhile. Nice breakdown.

"3 out of 25 play testers cried..." "3 out of 25 people watching their journey to make journey also cried."

I played the game in 2012 when it just released. it inspired me to go on my own journey. I backpacked over 9000km across Asia overland because of a game

I remember buying the game when it first launched on PS3, I was so excited to see what the game was about. I remember my first playthrough. I first wandered around the starting desert area figuring out the game. Finally when I had reached into the larger space I had found someone and I was curious and tried to follow them to see where they were going. Soon after they left, then I found another and I tried to join them but they left too. And it made me feel so sad and isolated so I just went through most of the game alone. By then I was starting to internalize why I was alone all the time, as I tend to keep to myself IRL. Until I reached the mountain, I had found someone! We stuck to each other like glue and reached the peak together. I was so happy, they were happy too and they drew a heart in the snow. I was so elated to have reached the summit with someone and I was overwhelmed with emotion that I cried. This game was such a profound experience that I cherish this game still to this day. I tried to send a friend request to that player but I didn't know how. I've only fully played the game once, I don't think I can feel the same way as I did that first time. I have gone back and done the trophies though, but this game is nothing short of a masterpiece as far as videogames being art goes.

7:48 /never played Journey before, (never touched a PS in fact), but I have played Sky (same company) the ping system is the best thing they've ever created. I went to last and hardest area of the game ( no spoilers), I was so scared and started ping-ing non-stop, I was in an empty server mind you, when suddenly another player started to ping back. It just feels , idk, relieved. Like there's someone there. The person was up on the top and probably was afraid to go down, but they ping-ed like crazy once I reached them. I spent all my candles just to unlock the hug emote with them once we reached the top.

I only played Journey once, but I’ll never forget that person I played the game with. I didn’t even try to find that person back, we honestly shared so much in those few hours, helping each other finding our ways, hiding from the monster, all the way to that ending in the snow. I consider myself a grownup but I cried sooo much there. And genuinely felt so happy for the real ending. Played so many good games but this is the only game that made me feel that way

I remember playing portal 2 with a friend, the most fun part wasn't working together, it was when we'd both accidentally bash into each other and fall into the pool below, or when he was trying to solve the puzzle but I ran off with the cube and we chased each other. Eventually I broke the puzzle and we had to break it even further to solve it. It makes me think that rather than forcing people to work together, having them choose to work together is so much more fulfilling. I haven't played Journey, but this video makes it sound like they transitioned from the former to the latter over time.

"And the last game they made was Journey" Sky: Am i a joke to you?

Wonderful documentary about Journey and "it's journey" xD ! I was surprised there was no mention of their Mobile Game "Sky: Children of the Light" (which is set to come out for the Switch this Summer, although, I personally think it might come out later, due to the World's current state...) - both have similar looks, and both plays beautifully with your emotions! Though, Sky focuses more on friendship than Journey.

I want to cry just because of your explanation of the game 🥺

...I still have no idea how many players I had been playing with. It felt like an MMO, and I frequently found myself led by a more experienced player who was acting as a sort of objective marker. I remember being wholly alone in the serpent level by pure coincidence which I think deepened the tension in that level, and the final level felt amazing, both from gameplay and from narrative standpoints. The other player and I were oppressed by those treacherous frozen winds, and I am certain I felt something with that final cutscene. Journey will still be sending ripples across the waters of the industry for years to come.

Who played sky children of light? 🙋‍♂️

They made journey, Now they made Sky. This company it's small, but powerfull.

It's one of my top 5 games of all time, and if I'm being honest, simply my favorite game of all time, and yet I didn't know any of the things that were in your documentary. Thanks for putting that together. Brilliant work.

I'm glad ThatGameCompany made another game. I can see how they used their experience with working on Journey to make Sky and it makes me so happy to see how popular they became.