thatgamecompany
thatgamecompany is a Los Angeles-based independent game studio founded in 2006 that develops emotionally resonant, artistically crafted video games — including Sky: Children of the Light, Journey, Flower, and flOw — for global, multi-generational audiences across mobile, console, and PC platforms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersSanta Monica, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What thatgamecompany does
thatgamecompany is a privately held, Los Angeles-based interactive entertainment studio founded in 2006 by Jenova Chen that develops artistically crafted video games designed to inspire human connection across ages and cultures. Its catalog spans four core titles — flOw (2007), Flower (2009), Journey (2012), and Sky: Children of the Light (2019) — each building on a consistent design philosophy of emotionally resonant, non-violent, accessible gameplay. The studio's flagship, Sky, is a live, cross-platform social adventure released across iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and PC, leveraging a proprietary large-scale multiplayer engine capable of supporting 10,000+ concurrent players in a single concert instance (Guinness World Record, Gamescom 2023) on AWS infrastructure.
thatgamecompany monetizes through a freemium model in Sky (free download with optional Adventure Pass at $9.99 and Adventure Pack at $14.99, plus cosmetic and seasonal content), supplemented by one-time iOS purchases of legacy titles (Journey at $4.99, Flower) and limited-edition merchandise. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer via Apple App Store, Google Play, Nintendo eShop, PlayStation Store, Steam, and dedicated Sky microsite, with publishing support from Annapurna Interactive on iOS ports and Sony Interactive Entertainment on PlayStation titles. The studio's customer base spans players of all ages, families, casual and non-gamer audiences, and core art-game enthusiasts across global markets, supported by ongoing seasonal content, virtual concerts, museum installations, and cause-marketing partnerships.
The studio operates with 101-250 employees and is led by Jenova Chen as Co-founder, CEO, and Creative Director, with Pixar co-founder Ed Catmull serving as principal advisor since the company's March 2022 $160 million minority growth round led by TPG with Sequoia participation. thatgamecompany has earned cultural distinctions unusual for a game studio, including permanent museum collections at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and MoMA, a Peabody Awards Legacy Winner honor, and over 100 industry awards for Journey. The studio is currently investing in ongoing Sky expansions and an unannounced next title described by leadership as its most ambitious project to date.
thatgamecompany firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- thatgamecompany
- Legal name
- thatgamecompany, Inc.
- Website
- https://thatgamecompany.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- thatgamecompany is a Los Angeles-based independent game studio founded in 2006 that develops emotionally resonant, artistically crafted video games — including Sky: Children of the Light, Journey, Flower, and flOw — for global, multi-generational audiences across mobile, console, and PC platforms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
thatgamecompany industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Video Games
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mobile & F2P Game Studios (MPAFAAAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Roleplay Communities & Frameworks (GTA RP, FiveM-like ecosystems) (MPAFAIAH), Community & Audience Engagement Tools (Chat, Moderation, Loyalty, Discord Bots) (MPAFAEAH), Subscription, Bundling & Membership Distribution (Game Pass-like, Humble-like) (MPAFABAI)
Keywords
Where thatgamecompany is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Monica
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
thatgamecompany business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Free-to-start with in-app purchases (Sky): Sky: Children of the Light is free-to-start with a Season Pass (Adventure Pass) available as an optional paid component (US$9.99) and Adventure Pack gift bundles (US$14.99) that accelerate Seasonal Candle earning and unlock additional cosmetics.
- One-time mobile game purchases (Journey, Flower): Premium mobile ports of Journey (e.g., US$4.99 on iOS) and Flower on iPhone/iPad, sold via the App Store as one-time purchases.
- Charity/tied in-game packs (Healing Pack, Days of Nature): Special cosmetic packs (e.g., Healing Pack at US$19.99) with 100% of revenue going to charitable partners such as Doctors Without Borders during COVID-19 relief.
- Official merchandise: Limited-edition, small-batch official Sky merchandise produced and sold in line with the studio's indie ethos.
- Venture funding / equity investment: $160M minority investment led by TPG with participation from Sequoia (March 2022), used to scale the studio and grow Sky.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Sky free-to-start with optional Adventure Pass / Pack purchases |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Journey iOS one-time purchase |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Flower iOS one-time purchase |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Charity Healing Pack (COVID-19 response) |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels11 records
thatgamecompany product offering
Product offeringCore offering
thatgamecompany develops and publishes artistically crafted, emotionally resonant interactive video games designed to inspire human connection across all ages and cultures. Its current lineup includes four released titles — flOw, Flower, Journey, and the flagship live-service social adventure Sky: Children of the Light — distributed globally across iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and PC. Revenue is generated primarily through free-to-start play with optional in-app purchases (Adventure Pass, Adventure Packs, cosmetics) in Sky, supplemented by one-time mobile purchases of legacy titles Journey and Flower.
Product overview
thatgamecompany is a single-studio game developer whose offering centers on a portfolio of emotionally resonant, artistically driven interactive experiences designed to inspire human connection across ages and cultures. The studio's core products are its four released titles — flOw (2007), Flower (2009), Journey (2012), and Sky: Children of the Light (2019) — each building on the previous one's design philosophy of accessible, emotionally intelligent gameplay. Sky: Children of the Light functions as a continuously evolving online social adventure that anchors the studio's current live operations and serves as the host for ongoing expansions such as the wordless animated feature Sky: The Two Embers – Part 1 and the in-game Dear Van Gogh interactive art experience. Beyond its titles, thatgamecompany runs community programs like thatgamejam and the thatgamecompany x COREBLAZER Game Jam to nurture new developers, and is working on an unannounced next game that is described internally as a theme park–like experience.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Sky: Children of the Light: Multiplayer social adventure game launched in 2019, expanded across iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and PC; flagship live-service title of thatgamecompany with over 300 million downloads.
- thatgamejam
Products and services
- Sky: Children of the Light A living social adventure game built on compassion, connection, and shared wonder. Players are Children of Light who restore a darkened world; the title functions as a continuously evolving global online theme park with cross-platform progression across iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and PC. Free-to-start with optional Adventure Pass and Adventure Pack in-app purchases.
- Journey An anonymous online adventure where players travel on a life's passage through a vast desert, with the chance to connect with companions along the way. Features stunning visuals, haunting music, and unique online gameplay; recognized as a Peabody Awards Legacy Winner and exhibited at Smithsonian and MoMA.
- Flower A poetic game in which players guide a floating petal through lush landscapes, spreading beauty and joy while connecting with nature. The game explores the tension between urban bustle and natural serenity; inducted into the Smithsonian American Art Museum's permanent collection.
- flOw thatgamecompany's debut title set in a hypnotic, deep blue abyss where bioluminescent creatures swim above and below players as they explore, evolve, and survive. Features Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment so players of differing skill levels can intuitively customize their experience.
- Sky: The Two Embers - Part 1 A wordless animated feature within the Sky: Children of the Light universe that reveals the origin story of Sky, expanding the franchise's narrative content for players.
- Dear Van Gogh An interactive art experience within Sky: Children of the Light that lets players explore Van Gogh's life, struggles, and iconic paintings through interactive worlds and his letters to his brother Theo.
- thatgamejam A biannual online game jam created as a gentle, welcoming space for developers of all backgrounds to create from the heart, exploring themes of emotional expression, human connection, and timeless play. Features a $10,000 prize pool.
- thatgamecompany x COREBLAZER Game Jam An online game jam in partnership with COREBLAZER championing emotional creativity and bold ideas, with cash prizes up to $4,000 and showcase opportunities at COREBLAZER Game Fest 2025 in Shanghai.
Companies that use thatgamecompany
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
thatgamecompany technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration7 records
Feature5 records
thatgamecompany partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
16 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.
- NPO UmisakuraminorCooperation with NPO Umisakura for the 'Sky: Light Weaving Beach Clean in Enoshima' player-participation beach cleanup event held April 11, 2026 at Katase Higashihama Beach, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. 200 participants recruited via lottery.
- COREBLAZERcoreCOREBLAZER partnered with thatgamecompany to launch the first ever online game jam ('thatgamecompany x COREBLAZER Game Jam'). Joint judging includes Jenova Chen, Light Zhong and Tracy Fullerton, with winning projects showcased at COREBLAZER Game Fest 2025 in Shanghai.
- Amazon Web Services (AWS)coreAWS provides back-end infrastructure for Sky: Children of the Light, supporting thatgamecompany's Guinness World Record-setting 10,000+ concurrent players during the Gamescom 2023 concert experience.
- Eurogamer (press partner)minorEurogamer covered and amplified the announcement of Sky: Children of the Light's PC release via an exclusive interview format.
- ArtScience Museum (Marina Bay Sands)coreCo-developed the UNITY realm installation 'Together: the distance between (us)' for the 'Virtual Realms: Videogames Transformed' exhibition (June 12, 2021 – January 9, 2022), with media partner FIELD.IO. Journey was later featured in 'Another World Is Possible' (2025).
- Barbican / Melbourne MuseumminorCo-producers of the 'Virtual Realms: Videogames Transformed' exhibition, organized by the Barbican in co-production with ArtScience Museum and Melbourne Museum.
- FIELD.IOminorMedia partner collaborating with thatgamecompany's Jenova Chen, Ritsu Mizutani and Vincent Diamante on the UNITY realm installation 'Together: the distance between (us)' at the Virtual Realms exhibition.
- The Ocean CleanupcoreOngoing partnership with The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit removing plastic from oceans and rivers. Together they have raised nearly $2.5 million and helped remove more than 1 million pounds of marine plastic, including over 450 tons supported by thatgamecompany since 2021.
- Nintendocorethatgamecompany partnered with Nintendo to release Sky: Children of the Light on Nintendo Switch in June 2020 — the first home console release for the title — with cross-play enabled across iOS, Android, Switch, PlayStation and PC.
- Doctors Without Borders / Médecins Sans FrontièresminorPartnered with Doctors Without Borders for the Sky 'Days of Healing' event during COVID-19: 100% of revenue from the in-game Healing Pack (US$19.99) was donated to support pandemic relief efforts.
- One Tree PlantedminorPartnered with One Tree Planted for the Earth Day 'Days of Nature' in-game event: a tree was planted in regions affected by wildfires for every Days of Nature cape purchased.
- AppleflagshipApple has been a key distribution and showcase partner — Sky: Children of the Light launched on the App Store in 2019 and was named iPhone Game of the Year 2019 at the App Store Best Of event; Sky was originally developed for Apple platforms (iPhone, iPad, Apple TV).
- Annapurna InteractivecoreAnnapurna Interactive partnered with Sony Interactive Entertainment and thatgamecompany to publish Flower (2017) and Journey (2019) on iPhone/iPad, handling publishing for the iOS ports.
- Smithsonian American Art MuseumcoreFlower acquired into the Smithsonian American Art Museum's permanent collection (alongside Halo 2600) in 2013, and Flower was featured in the Smithsonian's 'The Art of Video Games' exhibition (2012).
- Sony Interactive EntertainmentflagshipLong-standing publishing/licensing relationship — Sony published Journey (2012) and Flower (2009) on PlayStation, owns trademarks for both titles, and co-released the iOS ports through Annapurna Interactive.
- Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)coreflOw acquired as part of MoMA's inaugural 14-title video game collection, establishing a new category of artworks in the museum's collection.
Scale indicators13 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
thatgamecompany competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Playdead: Danish indie studio behind Limbo and Inside. Direct peer in the emotionally-driven, art-forward single-player game category thatgamecompany pioneered with Journey and Flower, sharing a similar minimalist, narrative-led design philosophy and award pedigree.
- Giant Squid Studios: Independent studio founded by former thatgamecompany creative director Matt Nava, known for ABZÛ and The Pathless. Direct peer in contemplative, nature-themed art games with similar underwater/exploration aesthetics and accessible design.
- Heart Machine: Independent studio behind Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash. Direct peer in visually distinctive, emotionally resonant indie action-adventure titles targeting a similar art-game enthusiast audience that follows thatgamecompany's catalog.
- ustwo games: Studio behind Monument Valley and Monument Valley 2. Direct peer in accessible, artistic mobile games built around emotional design and premium/paid mobile distribution, sharing thatgamecompany's commitment to cross-generational and non-gamer-friendly experiences.
- Supergiant Games: Independent studio behind Bastion, Transistor, Hades and Pyre. Direct peer as a critically acclaimed, narrative-driven indie developer with comparable scale, cross-platform releases, and strong awards pedigree.
- Media Molecule: Sony-owned studio behind LittleBigPlanet and Dreams. Direct peer in fostering player creativity, accessibility and social connection, with a similar ethos of bringing non-traditional gamers into a creative shared world.
Broad incumbents
- miHoYo (HoYoverse): Developer of Genshin Impact and Honkai: Star Rail, which compete with Sky for cross-platform social adventure gaming time and spend. Comparable as a large-scale, art-forward, cross-platform live-service operator, though at far greater scale.
- Niantic: Developer of Pokémon GO and Ingress. Comparable as a mobile-first, persistent shared-world experience with social and real-world-event mechanics, and as a venue for live virtual/augmented experiences at scale.
- Supercell: Mobile live-service publisher behind Clash of Clans and Brawl Stars. Comparable as a long-running, mobile-first live-service operator with freemium IAP monetization on a global install base.
Emerging players
- Snowman (Snowman Studios): Canadian indie studio/publisher behind Alto's Odyssey and Where Cards Fall. Comparable as a creator of accessible, artistic, contemplative mobile games targeting a similar non-traditional, multi-generational gaming audience.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
thatgamecompany social profiles
Digital presencethatgamecompany financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
thatgamecompany leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
thatgamecompany funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors13 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
thatgamecompany M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about thatgamecompany
What does thatgamecompany do?
thatgamecompany develops and publishes artistically crafted, emotionally resonant interactive video games designed to inspire human connection across all ages and cultures. Its current lineup includes four released titles — flOw, Flower, Journey, and the flagship live-service social adventure Sky: Children of the Light — distributed globally across iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and PC. Revenue is generated primarily through free-to-start play with optional in-app purchases (Adventure Pass, Adventure Packs, cosmetics) in Sky, supplemented by one-time mobile purchases of legacy titles Journey and Flower.
Is thatgamecompany a public or private company?
thatgamecompany is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was thatgamecompany founded?
thatgamecompany was founded in 2006. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is thatgamecompany based?
thatgamecompany is headquartered in Santa Monica, United States, in the North America region.
How does thatgamecompany make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Free-to-start with in-app purchases (Sky) is the primary driver. The others are one-time mobile game purchases (Journey, Flower), charity/tied in-game packs (Healing Pack, Days of Nature), official merchandise and venture funding / equity investment.
Who are thatgamecompany's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Playdead, Giant Squid Studios, Heart Machine, ustwo games, Supergiant Games and Media Molecule. Broad incumbents are miHoYo (HoYoverse), Niantic and Supercell. Snowman (Snowman Studios) is listed as an emerging player.
Does thatgamecompany have an API?
No public API is recorded for thatgamecompany.
What industry is thatgamecompany in?
thatgamecompany's product category is Video Games. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAFAAAB, Mobile & F2P Game Studios, with a secondary code of MPAFAIAH, Roleplay Communities & Frameworks (GTA RP, FiveM-like ecosystems).