Thatgamecompany, the creative force behind titles such as Flow, Flower, Journey, and the widely acclaimed Sky: Children of the Light, has announced the creation of a new publishing division named Thatgamepublisher. This move follows a growing pattern in the indie sector where studios that have achieved breakout success leverage their newfound resources to back other independent developers.
Recent examples include Innersloth’s Outersloth, which in 2024 began supporting games like Clickolding and The Horror at Highrook; Kinetic Games’ Kinetic Publishing, home to titles such as Precognition from Sam Barlow; Pocketpair’s Pocketpair Publishing; and Landfall Games’ Evil Landfall label. The trend reflects a broader shift: once a small studio earns a sizable profit, the logical next step is to reinvest that capital into projects that share a similar creative vision. Jenova Chen, co‑founder of Thatgamecompany, explains the motivation behind the venture: “Successful indie games are often built on shoestring budgets.
When a title blows up, you suddenly have a cash surplus, but you don’t want to morph into a massive corporation overnight. The most sensible way to allocate that money is to support other indie creators whose work you understand and admire.” Chen recalls that the studio’s early hit, Journey, nearly drove the company to bankruptcy, forcing a wave of layoffs.
In contrast, Sky: Children of the Light, launched in 2019, has become a global phenomenon—especially in China—and even inspired a feature film. The revenue generated by Sky now gives Thatgamecompany the financial freedom to fund what it calls “emotionally ambitious” games. The publishing landscape has also evolved. Chen notes that in the era of Journey, distribution channels were dominated by platform owners like Sony.
Today, “the distribution network belongs to the players themselves, who act as influencers.” A successful indie title can amass millions of dedicated fans who effectively become the game’s most powerful marketing engine. Chen adds that the studio’s audience is unusually female‑heavy—about 70 % of Sky’s players are women—providing a unique demographic overlap for titles that aim to appeal to both genders.
Thatgamepublisher has already signed a few projects, though the specifics remain under wraps. In its launch statement, Chen articulated a vision rooted in the belief that interactive experiences can move people as profoundly as film, literature, or music. He highlighted how games have fostered lifelong friendships, helped players work through personal challenges, reconnected families, and restored hope. “We see countless creators exploring new emotional frontiers,” Chen said, “and we want to help them bring those visions to life.” SJ Xue, Thatgamecompany’s vice‑president of growth and corporate development and the head of the publishing effort, told GamesIndustry.biz that the studio is seeking games that "move people through play." He emphasized that genre, platform, or team size are not limiting factors.
"We are open to any concept, from early prototypes to near‑completion projects, as long as the experience reaches for meaningful emotional territory and stays with the player after the screen goes dark," Xue explained. While many indie publishers focus on sub‑million‑dollar budgets, Thatgamepublisher is prepared to support larger, AA‑level endeavors.
Xue said the company’s funding model is flexible, accommodating solo developers with big ideas as well as larger teams with more substantial budgets. The terms of each deal—such as revenue share and recoupment—will be tailored to the needs of the individual project, reflecting the studio’s own experience as developers who value fair, transparent, and developer‑friendly partnerships. Unlike some peers that operate purely as funding sources, Thatgamepublisher will function as a full‑service publisher. Its offering includes financing, production planning, platform strategy, launch support, marketing, community management, and long‑term IP development.
Xue noted that the industry is moving toward modular publishing arrangements, where developers can pick and choose the services they need. However, for emotionally driven projects, he believes a more integrated partnership is beneficial because creative development, production, positioning, marketing, and community engagement are tightly interwoven. The overarching philosophy behind the new label is that games can forge deep emotional connections and bring out the best in people. Chen reflected that this belief has guided every title Thatgamecompany has created, from the meditative Flow to the heartfelt Journey.
He added that the studio’s experience running Sky as a live‑service with over 300 million downloads across seven years has taught them how to scale emotionally resonant experiences without diluting their core impact. In summary, Thatgamepublisher aims to identify and nurture games that prioritize emotional resonance over conventional genre labels or market trends. By offering flexible financing, comprehensive publishing services, and a partnership mindset rooted in empathy and creative freedom, the label hopes to empower indie developers worldwide to craft experiences that linger in players’ minds long after the final frame fades.