Journey

Journey is a 2012 adventure game developed by Thatgamecompany and originally released by Sony Computer Entertainment for PlayStation 3 through PlayStation Network. Directed by Jenova Chen, it places the player in control of a silent, red-robed traveler crossing a vast desert toward a luminous mountain. The game begins among dunes and ruins, then moves through underground passages, a wind-swept bridge, snowy slopes, and the mountain itself. There is no spoken dialogue, conventional combat, or written tutorial. Murals encountered in ruined spaces present the civilization's history visually, while the traveler’s scarf and a simple chime provide the central interaction system mechanic.

Collecting glowing symbols extends the scarf, allowing longer jumps when it is charged by nearby cloth creatures or floating fabric. Journey’s online component is deliberately limited: during most areas, a player may meet one anonymous companion, identified only by a distinctive symbol. The two travelers can assist each other by chirping, restoring scarf energy, and navigating spaces together, but cannot use voice chat, text chat, names, or friend requests inside the game. At the end of a completed journey, the game reveals the online companions met along the way. This design made chance encounters and wordless cooperation Journey’s discussed features.

The project followed Thatgamecompany’s Flow and Flower, and it became the studio’s third game. Development involved an extended production process and collaboration with Sony Santa Monica Studio. Composer Austin Wintory wrote Journey’s orchestral score around the idea of the player’s journey; cellist Tina Guo performed its prominent solo cello material. The soundtrack earned a nomination for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media at the 2013 Grammy Awards, making Wintory the first video-game composer nominated in that category. Journey received eight awards at D.I.C.E. Awards, among, notably, Game of the Year, Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, and Outstanding Achievement in Sound Design.

Journey was re-released for PlayStation 4 in 2015. Annapurna Interactive published a Windows version in 2019, and the game later arrived on iOS in 2019 as well. Its visual presentation was led by art director Matt Nava, whose desert environments use broad color fields and distant landmarks to guide movement. The traveler’s passage culminates at the summit before a closing sequence returns the player to the desert, allowing another pilgrimage. The end credits include a list of companions encountered online during that particular journey, preserving the game’s unusual emphasis on temporary shared travel rather than persistent multiplayer or social identity systems.