Just off a wave of critical acclaim for Thatgamecompany’s newest PlayStation Network title, Journey, big changes are afoot at the studio: As the studio begins work on a new game, co-founder and president Kellee Santiago departs.

Gamasutra sources say that other key staff departures may be forthcoming as well. Santiago declined to confirm or to speak to her colleagues’ plans, but suggested future announcements are ‘likely.’ As for her own departure, it’s entirely amicable, Santiago tells us, explaining that it’s simply time to seek new challenges.

Santiago co-founded the studio six years ago with creative director Jenova Chen, but the two first teamed up even prior to Thatgamecompany. While they were University of Southern California students, Chen and Santiago worked together on an experimental game called Cloud, and launched the company based on a mutual vision to create new forms of expression through video games.

Thatgamecompany, which has enjoyed much support from Sony, has released PSN titles FlOw, Flower and Journey, and the most recent game is viewed by many critics and fans as the attainment of the style and vision for which the studio aimed through the first two.

“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,” Santiago tells Gamasutra.

In addition to the learning experience of founding a studio and gaining exposure to all its inherent roles and responsibilities, Santiago had the opportunity to take a leading role in establishing an oft-publicized unique internal creative process the studio applies to all its games.

“On top of that, founding a company whose explicit goal was to do new types of game development really allowed me to be able to try out new processes for game development, to try out new ideas,” she says. “So much of my work at Thatgamecompany was really supporting Jenova’s visions for the types of games he wanted to make, and I felt like I have done everything I needed to do there, and that he’s in a great place now to go on and continue with some of the other people at Thatgamecompany, to take that to a whole new height.”

Chen and the studio support that perspective, suggesting that their path alongside their longtime colleague holds parallels to the narrative of Journey, which sees players explore trials to reach a metaphorical enlightenment. “After the hard struggle behind FlOw, Flower and Journey, we’ve finally reached our goal,” says their statement. “Awaiting at the mountaintop are new enlightenments and new sets of milestones for our life.”

Santiago isn’t yet prepared to speak to her future plans beyond the fact that she wants broader challenges and opportunities: “My hope is that I can take what I’ve learned and use it to support more teams, more projects… and really, hopefully, help in accelerating the growth of video games as a medium,” she says.

She also hopes to have future opportunities to work with her Thatgamecompany colleagues: “There’s no way you can look at Journey and not see the value that every single person contributed to that project,” she says. “And I think that’s evidence in and of itself that I would be delighted to collaborate again with any of them.”

“When we play through Journey now, it has a special meaning for us,” Santiago reflects. “It makes me think about everything we’ve accomplished…. What I’ve appreciated about the way all of us at Thatgamecompany and the original team from FlOw has grown throughout the years is we’ve really grown in our own self awareness,” Santiago says.

But just like leaving a long relationship with a significant other can be empowering, making the right career moves at the right time is just as important. “Being able to express that and talk about that with one another can be scary… it takes a lot of courage to be honest about the things that you want and recognize that that’s okay. We can part amicably,” she concludes.

Says Chen and the studio in its statement: “While we want to continue the path of Thatgamecompany, Kellee has found a new direction in her career. Though our path in the future may be different, as TGC begins our next project, we wish Kellee a good journey and that our paths may cross again.”

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Amish’s Note:  Kellee has had a huge impact on my life.  I am eternally grateful for her asking a weird internet person to work for thatgamecompany.  Although it’s sad to see her leave, everyone who’s ever worked here is very, very excited to see what she does in the future.   Have a blast, Kellee!

We have received so many gleaming reviews from journalists all over the world, and thousands of tweets, hundreds of Facebook comments, and hundreds of e-mails that it is impossible for me to do justice with a keyboard and a bunch of letters. So, let’s start off with the reviews:

Joystiq | Journey review: I want to go there
“I bring this up, because I don’t want to be misconstrued as generic or uninspired when I say that Journey is an awesome game. In the most classical, archaic sense of the word, Journey is a beautiful, evocative and unequivocally transcendental experience.”

thesixthaxis | Review: Journey
“Never before has a game illustrated such tragic fragility with such humanity and character – Journey might live up to its name on many levels, but on the deepest, most personal level possible thatgamecompany manage to transcend all expectations.”

A.V. Club | Journey Review
“Journey wants players to press onward, but isn’t so insistent that they can’t take time to experience the delightful animation of sliding on sand, or swimming in wonderous air. “

The Escapist | Journey Review
“Journey is best experienced with someone at your side, but you might want to play a few times by yourself simply to stand around and gawk at the stunning imagery.”

G4TV | Journey Review for PS3 – (Video by Adam Sessler)
““Dammit,” was the first word out of my mouth after beating  Journey. I was unhappy because I knew this review would be the hardest review I’ve ever written. If I had my way, I would simply write three words, email them to my editor and push back from my desk.  Those words?  ‘Go play it.’”

Here are some amazing fan responses to Journey:

YouTube | BROD3O: JOURNEY – An Emotional Review Of A PS3/PSN Exclusive Game
“There’s just so many amazing parts in the game.  Just please, do yourself a favor.  Play it, come back and tell me what you think.  But Journey is this generation’s Ico, if not better.  Well, in fact it is better.”

Twitter | @zackjewell
“I want to thank you guys/gals for making Journey. It is one the best and most moving games I have ever played.”

Twitter| @B_Sqred
“I just finished Journey. I can’t even describe how or WHY it moved me, but it’s changed my perception of what a game can be.”

Twitter| @EmilyClaireAfan
“Seriously. My jaw actually dropped a few times and there have been moments when I could almost literally feel my heart soaring.”

Facebook | Dennis Pena
“I just finished the game.  I got choked up at the ending.  The game seems like a parable to life.  I’m not sure if it was the big score or if it’s the heavenly kingdom that you eventually reach, but it was very spiritual.”

Facebook | Peder Bergenwall
“Never before has the gamepad felt less like a mechanical piece of equipment, and more like a direct extension of my mind to me in the “game,” than with Journey.  It was genuinely giggling to myself, feeling like a child, as I slid down the sandy dunes.”

Again, we’ve received thousands and thousands of messages from ecstatic fans, and wish to thank every single one of you!  Remember, we always love to hear your thoughts on our games!

How has Journey affected you?

It is an incredibly exciting time for PlayStation Network and PlayStation Plus. This week we not only saw a midnight launch of Mass Effect 3 on PlayStation Network, day and date with the retail release, but we offered access to one of the best games of the year and one of the best downloadable games ever—Journey—a whole week early to PlayStation Plus subscribers. Every month PlayStation Plus subscribers are getting more and more great content out of their subscriptions, and this week’s early access marked a new milestone.

PlayStation Plus now not only offers gamers early access to demos and betas but also to full downloadable games, in addition to the tons of free and discounted content and extra exclusive features like online storage for game saves and automatic updates. That’s why we are so excited to be able to deliver Journey, one of the most highly-anticipated games of the year, to our most die-hard fans, our PS Plus subscribers, a whole week early so they can experience it before everyone else.

Click the “Read More” button to see our latest Developer Diary.

Journey is blowing everyone away, journalists and the PlayStation Plus subscribers alike. With an average score of 92 and 12 perfect scores so far, Journey is the crowning achievement of thatgamecompany, one of our top-tier studios. Their games have grown in scale, quality, ambition and emotion, expanding from the relaxing, experimental flOw, to the accessible and award-winning ode to nature that was Flower, and now to Journey, a metaphorical representation of life, the people we meet and the connections we make during the courses of our lives.

Our fans know that PlayStation is about bringing authentic, innovative, and unique experiences to gamers that they can’t find anywhere else. Journey is exactly that, and represents what PSN is all about. With other exclusive games like Dead Nation, the PixelJunk series, Rochard and games like Tales From Space: Mutant Blobs Attack and Escape Plan for PS Vita, PlayStation Network is the ultimate online game platform and premier content destination for gamers looking for the most unique gaming experiences available.

We are just getting warmed up! PS Plus subscribers – you’ve still got a few more days to download Journey before everyone else, and I know you’re going to love it and remember your experience with it for years to come. So check it out today with your PlayStation Plus exclusive early access, or starting next Tuesday when it is released to the entire PlayStation Nation. And don’t forget to watch for more early, exclusive, free and discounted content coming to PS Plus month in and month out.

One last Journey note: later this morning, thatgamecompany will be chatting live with fans on PlayStation.com. Come armed with your questions; we begin at 10am Pacific right here.

If you have been following Journey, then you’re probably as excited as I am about its release next week on March 13, as the first game in our Spring Fever event this year. The reviews so far have been fantastic, and I can’t wait to get online and experience the game online with other Journey fans.

Click the “Read More” button to see the rest of the post:
If you caught Friday’s update from Kellee, the last line of her post about big news coming Monday probably had you wondering what sort of news might be coming. Well, earlier this morning I’m sure you saw this month’s PS Plus blog post revealing that Journey will be available this week for all PS Plus members, one week ahead of the normal release date. What’s more, this early access purchase comes with a bonus, an exclusive PS3 dynamic theme featuring some concept art from the game.

And if you’re not a Plus member, we are also launching a special pre-order program as well. You’ll be able to put your money down for the game and get hold of the same concept art dynamic theme as Plus members for doing so. Then when the game hits on March 13 during the normal Tuesday publish, just head to the store and download the game for free.

Watch the Blog and PS Store, because we’ll have a few more videos for Journey, an additional dynamic theme (free for Plus members) that will showcase some of the beautiful vistas in the game, and more. We’re also launching a dedicated tab for Journey on the PlayStation Facebook page where you can get an exclusive Journey PSN Avatar starting today, so head on over to check it out.

And don’t forget to head over to the Journey live dev chat page to sign up for a reminder, and come back this coming Friday at 10 AM PST to chat live with Jenova Chen (Creative Director) and Robin Hunicke (Executive Producer) from the Journey dev team.

We are just a few weeks away from launch and I’m here to unveil the Trophies that you can look forward to collecting during your Journey. In a few short weeks, you will be able to earn all 14 trophies, a few of which fans of thatgamecompany games will be sure to recognize. Be warned: the Trophy list below could contain spoilers!

As we venture closer to the game’s release on March 13th, we’ll be bringing more news and updates, as well as sharing the insights thatgamecompany had in creation this one-of-a-kind interactive experience. We hope you are as excited about the upcoming release as we are, and I look forward to seeing you online!

Journey: The Trophies

Threshold: Cross the broken bridge without completely rebuilding it.
Mirage: Find the hidden desert flower.
Explore: Discover all cloth creatures in the desert.
Adventure: Pass through 15 gates while surfing through the sunken city.
Trials: Sneak through the underground passage without tearing your scarf.
Ancestors: Find a mysterious creature hidden in the temple.
History: Uncover all 10 ancient glyphs.
Crossing: Reach the summit with a companion and return to the beginning.
Rebirth: Finish the game and return to the beginning.
Companion: Finish the game with the same partner for the majority of the journey and return to the beginning.
Reflection: Sit and meditate with another player for more than 20 seconds
Wonder: Meet 10 or more unique travelers.
Return: Start the journey again after a week long break.
Transcendence: Collect all unique glowing symbols across one or more journeys.

As you may know from my recent tweet, the development of our latest PlayStation Network game, Journey, is finally complete. And today, we’re very excited to announce the official release date for Journey. You will be able to download it from the PlayStation Store for $14.99 starting March 13th, 2012. Three years ago, our last game, Flower, was part of the Spring Fever event on PSN, and this year Journey will kick off this year’s Spring Fever. Look for more information on the highlight games and sales of this year’s Spring Fever event on the PlayStation.Blog in the coming weeks.

With each game we create, we want to bring something truly unique and authentic to the user. We want our players to experience something they have never felt before. Our first game for PSN was flOw in 2007, a meditative zen video game haiku. We followed that in 2009 with Flower, our video game version of a poem about the tension between urban bustle and natural serenity. Journey, our third game, is an interactive parable, an anonymous online adventure to experience a person’s life passage and their intersections with other’s.

You wake alone and surrounded by miles of burning, sprawling desert, and soon discover the looming mountaintop which is your goal. Faced with rolling sand dunes, age-old ruins, caves and howling winds, your passage will not be an easy one. The goal is to get to the mountaintop, but the experience along the way is discovering who you are, what this place is, and what your purpose is. Travel and explore this ancient, mysterious world alone, or with a stranger you meet along the way. Soar above ruins and glide across sands as you discover the secrets of a forgotten civilization. Featuring stunning visuals, haunting music, and unique online gameplay, Journey delivers an experience like no other.

This last Sunday, February 12th, was the anniversary of the launch of our previous game Flower. We started working on Journey right after Flower launched, and the past three years have flown by extremely fast. In these three years, we at thatgamecompany and our friends in SCEA Santa Monica Studio have faced many challenges together and emerged stronger. Much sweat and tears have been put into the development of the game, and many people have come and gone.

So for us, the Journey in the game has also become a metaphor for the development process of the game itself. Our team is very close to our own mountaintop; we are just a few short weeks away from letting the world experience what we’ve poured our hearts and souls into these last three years. I can’t describe how eager we are to let everyone finally play the game and hear about your experiences with it.

Stay tuned for more Journey news and updates in the coming weeks.

For those non-North American Journeyers, Journey will be released on March 14th in Europe, and March 15th in Japan.

Being a fan-focused event, PAX was the perfect place for our second official meetup. After enjoying lunch with these delightful folks, and chatting about all things TGC, fellow indie Kevin and I headed to the conference center, to see about handing out a few Journey t-shirts.

My first stop was to check out Warp and FEZ, who had a slick stand-up booth on the 2nd floor, just outside the main halls. Great to see kids and parents enjoying these fun puzzle games, together. Venturing further into the main hall, a quick peek inside confirmed that The Bohemoth’s booth (and everything nearby) was jammed with fans, so after a quick t-shirt drop, I jetted up to the 6th floor indie area.

Upstairs was definitely hopping! In addition to visiting with Alexander Bruce (developer of Anti-Chamber) and other teams of the Pax 10, I had the chance to stop and stop in at the booths for Retro/Grade, Monaco, Minecraft and Skulls of the Shogun. Hooray, t-shirt swaps! Even bumped in to Amir Rao of SuperGiant Games, and congratulated him on shipping their very first title, Bastion – featured in last year’s PAX 10.

With so many great people and games to see, the day really flew by. But it was great to get out and remember just how vibrant and exciting the game community is these days. It’s probably our last trip for a while… but we’ll keep you posted on future meetups and Journey events, including my upcoming trip to Game City in Nottingham this fall.  Till then!  - r

Robin Hunicke and Kellee Santiago went to Germany to speak at GDC Europe and Gamescom and to present Journey to the European press and fans.  At Gamescom, Kellee spoke about the next ten years of gaming on a panel with Sony executives and other famous developers and Robin spoke about the history of Journey.

One of the highlights of the trip was the TGC Community Meetup held during Gamescom.  With just a few days’ notice of the event, about a dozen people came to the event.  You can see most of the attendees in the picture above.

Click the “More” button to check out some links from the week:

Gamasutra | Gamescom: Sony Panel Charts The Next 10 Years In Games
“Following its press conference at Gamescom in Cologne, Germany this week, Sony hosted a panel discussion between its execs and developers such as Kellee Santiago and Mark Cerny to peer into their visions of the next 10 years of gaming. “ [Overview of the Panel]

Develop | PlayStation: The next ten years
“Distinguished Sony panel discusses wild technologies, once unimaginable possibilities, and oncoming obstacles” [Full Transcript of the Panel]

IGN | Gamescom: Journey — From Flash to Finale
“On February 12, 2009 the team at thatgamecompany released the critically acclaimed PS3 downloadable game Flower. After sitting back and watching the positive reviews pour in, it was time think about their next game.” [Robin's Panel on Journey]

Desconsolados | “The journey of Journey” – sobre el desarrollo y emociones de Journey
“El desierto. El viento sopla con fuerza levantando arena en las dunas. Tras una estructura que vivió tiempos mejores, una figura envuelta en tela se refugia ante el azote de los elementos. “

Videogame.it | Il viaggio verso Journey Una presentazione un po’ speciale per un gioco molto speciale.
“L’appuntamento legato a Journey alla Gamescom 2011 si è rivelato un evento molto particolare, in cui si respirava aria da Game Developers Conference. Il team thatgamecompany, nel corso dell’ultimo anno e mezzo, ha mostrato più e più volte il gioco, facendolo anche provare all’E3 2011 e a questa stessa Gamescom, e ha comprensibilmente deciso che non c’era altro da mostrare senza rischiare di svelare troppo.”

We’ll have another Community Meetup in Seattle this Saturday during PAX, so stay tuned to our Facebook, Twitter, and Forums for more information on that in the coming days.

The Golden State Pops Orchestra played an arrangement of Journey’s music called “Woven Variations.” Journey composer Austin Wintory wrote the piece specifically for the concert.  Tina Guo, the cellist for the game, is also featured in the orchestra rocking the cello.  This was the first ever live performance of music from Journey, and it couldn’t have been any better!  Four different camera angles of the orchestra make up this video, and it has amazing audio, so we hope you’ll like it!

Sound Byte, the music blog over at GameSpot.com, has the video exclusively, together with a brand new interview of Austin Wintory about composing for Journey and the specific arrangement made for the Golden State Pops Orchestra performance.

Click on the image to read the interview and watch the video, or click this link:

http://www.gamespot.com/features/6326086/sound-byte-journey

The Golden State Pops Orchestra’s website

Tina Guo’s website

Keep checking on our blog, Facebook page, Forums, and Twitter account for more info on Journey in the future!

Well folks, it’s hard to believe a month has passed since E3!

We had a lot of fun at the show speaking with fans,  game developers and journalists about Journey.  It was a busy week, packed with many great interviews. We really enjoyed getting the game into people’s hands, and were truly amazed by the overall response.

In addition to many nominations, here are the awards Journey won at E3 2011:

• GameTrailers: Best Downloadable Game  (Video)
• G4TV/X-Play: Best Downloadable Game (Article)
• Machinima: Best Downlodable Game (Article)
• Examiner: Living Art (Article)
• VGChartz: Best Downloadable Game (Article)
• GameSpy: Downloadable Game of Show (Article)
• IncGamers: Best New IP; Best Game (of E3); Best Downloadable Game: (Article)
• 1UP: Best Downloadable Game (Article)
• Blistered Thumbs: Best Adventure Game (Article)
• PlayStation: The Official Magazine: Most Valuable Game
• Boy’s Life: Best Downloadable Game

Thanks to everyone who came out to support us at E3!