Journey dev goes independent with $5m in funding

Thatgamecompany is to become an independent developer after raising $5.5m in its Series A funding round.

The journey developer received the large investment from Benchmark Capital, with general partner Mitch Lasky to join the studio’s board of directors.

Laskey said the firm would allow thatgamecompany the freedom to create new titles away from the pressures of working with a publisher.

"The intent of the investment is to provide the resources for TGC to remain independent, so they can innovate with complete autonomy from the pressures of platforms and publishers," he said.

"I am really excited about getting to work with Jenova and his team to help build TGC into a global entertainment company."

The studio was picked up by Sony Santa Monica in 2006 after co-founder Jenova Chen released his unique title, clouds, for PC.

The deal was for three games to be released exclusively on PSN, and resulted in some of the most iconic and successful titles on the platform.

Flow, Flower, and Journey defy conventional gameplay in favor of a more artistic and crafted experience, but this has not turned off customers, and a remarkable critical reception made Journey the fastest selling title in PSN history.

The news means that thatgamecompany will be able to release its games on more platforms, but whether that includes titles already released on PSN is unclear.