Thatgamecompany's 20-year journey from anti-Columbine school project to a celebration of Van Gogh

June 16, 2026 - 20:01

As the studio behind the million-selling hit "Sky: Children of Light" prepares to elevate its work from arthouse curiosity to high art, CEO Jenova Chen is reflecting on a journey that began in the shadow of tragedy. Thatgamecompany, once a darling of PlayStation, started not in a boardroom, but as a university project created in the wake of the Columbine school shooting.

Chen recalls that the industry in the late 1990s was obsessed with violence and competition. He wanted to prove that games could evoke the opposite: connection, vulnerability, and beauty. That early student experiment eventually became "flOw," a meditative game about eating and evolving, which launched the studio's reputation for quiet, emotional experiences.

The studio's breakthrough came with "Journey," a game where strangers help each other across a desert without speaking a single word. It became a cultural phenomenon, proving that a game could be a shared emotional space rather than a battlefield.

Now, with "Sky: Children of Light," the studio has moved beyond the console niche. The game has attracted millions of players who dress their avatars in flowing capes and explore a kingdom of light. Chen sees this as a natural evolution. The studio's latest collaboration, a celebration of Vincent van Gogh's art within "Sky," represents the final step in a two-decade arc. "We started by trying to make games that didn't hurt," Chen says. "Now we are trying to make games that heal, that connect you to art and to other people." The Van Gogh event, which lets players walk through "Starry Night" and "Sunflowers," is the clearest sign yet that this former school project has become a bridge between interactive entertainment and the fine art world.