14 DAY TRIAL // Two of the core leaders of Thatgamecompany, the developers of the recent PlayStation Network hit Journey, has announced that they are leaving the company just as it is starting work on another video game project.
Kellee Santiago, who served as president of the developer and was one of the co-founders, has stated, “After doing these three games, I think it was a really great opportunity for all of us to look at what we've learned and what I've taken from that experience, and go forth and take it into new arenas.”
The developer says that it has managed to help Thatgamecompany realize its ambition of creating an organization that can develop new and innovative titles quickly and without putting a strain on the development team.
Jenova Chen, the other co-founder and the creative director at the developer, has added, “After the hard struggle behind FlOw, Flower and Journey, we've finally reached our goal. Awaiting at the mountaintop are new enlightenments and new sets of milestones for our life.”
Santiago has not said what she plans to do next but has hinted that she is seeking for new opportunities to tackle bigger challenges and take advantage of new opportunities.
Robin Hunicke, who was the executive producer working on Journey developer at Thatgamecompany, is also set to the leave the studio, with plans to join the company Tiny Speck, which is led by Keita Takahash, best known for the development of Katamari Damacy.
Two other key developers, Chris Bell and John Nesky, also left in order to create their own development studio called The Wilderness.
Journey, the most recent title from Thatgamecompany, has only launched via the PlayStation Network and has quickly become the fastest selling title to appear on the service.
The game has captured the imagination of players with its simple gameplay mechanics and implied mythology.