It appears that the developers of Journey, thatgamecompany, are working on a new project– and it has their trademark style all over it.
On their website, thatgamecompany has updated their background photo and posted three others. The initial post simply reads, “a game about giving”, and at the bottom of the post: “We hope you’ll enjoy our next game, and in the meantime we’re hiring.”
The pictures are cryptic, but seem to carry great import, and have been reposted on twitter. The first picture is two perfectly white, almost wispy candles, with the flame on one being passed to another. It’s accompanied by a hashtag: #thatnextgame
a game about giving – @thatnextgame pic.twitter.com/kQ9et5bj3T
— thatgamecompany (@thatgamecompany) November 1, 2016
The next picture is a decorated, Stonehenge-like ruin in a grassy field, with a shining crystal at its top. Above, a light appears to be trying to shine down from the heavens onto it, but a glorious cloud is in the way. It’s reminiscent of Studio Ghibli’s film Castle in the Sky.
– @thatnextgame pic.twitter.com/giePVQv24N
— thatgamecompany (@thatgamecompany) November 1, 2016
The last picture is four silhouettes of children, white, almost cloud-like, holding hands across a sky-blue background.
– @thatnextgame pic.twitter.com/W1LI3FL8A3
— thatgamecompany (@thatgamecompany) November 1, 2016
The final picture is a white hand reaching for the sky; it is their twitter profile picture and website background.
thatgamecompany is generally regarded to have improved with every release, their last being Journey, widely considered one of the most important indie games ever made. Journey released in 2012, and was ported to modern consoles in 2015. Only time will tell if #thatnextgame stands up to Journey, but if their prior trajectory and time to work on the project are any indication, #thatnextgame is going to wow.