thatgamecompany is a technology company.
thatgamecompany has raised $19.0M across 3 funding rounds.
thatgamecompany has raised $19.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
thatgamecompany is an independent American video game development studio specializing in artistic, emotional, and broadly accessible games that emphasize human connection, exploration, and non-competitive play.[1][3][5] It builds immersive titles like *flOw* (2006), *Flower* (2009), *Journey* (2012), and *Sky: Children of the Light* (2019), serving players worldwide across consoles, PC, and mobile who seek enriching experiences beyond traditional gameplay.[1][2][4][5] These games solve the problem of narrow emotional range in gaming by pioneering intuitive, cooperative designs that evoke wonder, empathy, and social bonds, with strong growth from Sony-backed PSN exclusives to multiplatform hits exhibited in museums like the Smithsonian.[1][3][4]
thatgamecompany was founded on May 15, 2006, by University of Southern California Interactive Media master's students Jenova Chen (a Chinese immigrant from Shanghai) and Kellee Santiago (Venezuelan-American), inspired by their student project *Cloud* (2005) and Chen's Flash game *flOw*.[1][2][4][6] As digital distribution rose, they seized the opportunity to bypass retail risks, signing a three-game deal with Sony shortly after graduating—Chen briefly worked at Maxis on *Spore* while Santiago led as president.[1][2] Early team included designer Nick Clark and engineer John Edwards; pivotal traction came from *flOw*'s PS3 release (2007), followed by *Flower* and *Journey*, which saved the studio financially amid departures like Santiago's in 2012.[1][2][4]
thatgamecompany rides the indie gaming wave and emotional entertainment trend, proving digital distribution enables artistic risk-taking without blockbuster budgets, influencing a shift toward empathetic, social experiences in a market dominated by competitive titles.[1][2][4] Timing aligned with PSN's 2006 launch and mobile boom post-2012, capitalizing on player demand for shareable, ubiquitous play amid rising online platforms.[1][4] It shapes the ecosystem by inspiring "games as art" discourse, with works in museums pioneering design that broadens gaming's audience and legitimacy beyond entertainment to cultural artifacts.[3][4]
Next for thatgamecompany likely involves expanding *Sky: Children of the Light*'s live-service model with seasonal content and crossovers, while exploring new multiplatform titles blending mobile accessibility with deep emotional narratives.[4][5] Trends like social VR, AI-driven personalization, and global co-op gaming will amplify its connection-focused ethos, potentially evolving influence toward metaverse-like experiences. As pioneers humanizing tech through play, it reaffirms games' power to inspire bonds in an increasingly digital world—much like its origins spotting digital distribution's promise.
thatgamecompany has raised $19.0M in total across 3 funding rounds.
thatgamecompany's investors include Benchmark, Moonshots Capital, Starbridge Venture Capital.
thatgamecompany has raised $19.0M across 3 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $6.0M Series C in July 2019.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 1, 2019 | $6.0M Series C | Benchmark, Moonshots Capital, Starbridge Venture Capital | |
| May 1, 2014 | $7.0M Series B | Benchmark, Moonshots Capital, Starbridge Venture Capital | |
| Jun 1, 2012 | $6.0M Series A | Benchmark, Moonshots Capital, Starbridge Venture Capital |