Flower dev doing third game for Sony

By Robert Purchese Published 15 July, 2009

"Something you've never experienced."

thatgamecompany is working on a third, unannounced game for Sony (and probably PS3) to follow in the footsteps of flOw and Flower.

Speaking at the Brighton Develop Conference, studio co-founder Jenova Chen said it will be "a totally different game" - albeit one that "feels like a natural progression" for the company.

And, he added: "[It's] definitely something you've never experienced before."

Chen dodged specifics, but revealed plenty about his "innovating on feeling" future direction during his talk.

Clad in salmon-pink, he said games need to have more mature content and appeal to a wider variety of emotions, because the audience has grown up - an intellectual move away from the "primal" core of extremes, and out to the subtle perimeter.

When talking about films, said Chen, critics use words like "magical", "passionate" and "captivating". You would never ask someone whether they watched films, he argued. But when addressing games, feelings are limited to: "this is really fun, this is really cool" - "as if they were describing a car".

"In the future there's a lot of feelings that videogames haven't explored that are open for us to find," he added. "Variety is a sign of a mature medium."

Chen dodging specifics may also be because they are not yet nailed in place. He talked about how the game mechanic for Flower - wind blowing petals - took two years to decide upon, and many prototypes.

There was the concept of landing a seed on soil to sprout a plant and let-fly another seed - a bit like golf. "Probably more fun than golf, actually," said Chen. There was a prototype about playing as a mind that Chen got very excited about but nobody else could understand. And even when the petal idea did blossom, Sony wanted "depth and challenge" to the game, which meant more work.

But Flower's development was "way better" than flOw before it. That was "50 per cent under feature" and "100 per cent over schedule", which Chen said totalled "400 per cent fail".

Inexperience was his biggest challenge, he said, although this represented "yummy pain" in the grand scheme of things.

That his company would look anywhere other than PS3 for this third game, then, seems unlikely. His admiration for Sony is gushing, too. "I really really appreciate what Sony has done for us," he said. "They still keep funding our project, and that's really, really nice. It's a really pleasant experience.

"They have this appreciation of games that are more interesting to adults. They prefer adult entertainment and the games we make are a good match for them."

After the third project, Chen said he would have to have a "rethink". "Seems the future is coming much faster than I expected," he admitted, referring to Project Natal and the PS3 wand.

And while thatgamecompany has targeted love and happy feelings, Chen said we may see "cool and dark" games in the future.

"I really like negative-feeling games. I played a lot of competition games when I was young," he revealed, not mentioning no names. Although, he added: "God of War is a really good game about hatred."

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (56) 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • MightyMouse #1 3 years ago

    Flower is the best game ever. That is all.

  • schachmatt #2 3 years ago

    Flowest?

  • Luckyjim #3 3 years ago

    Flower's definitely one of my favourite games of last year. A really unique experience.

  • Triggerhappytel #4 3 years ago

    I fucking love Flower, so anything they do in the future is of huge interest to me. It's probably a couple of years away, but I will follow any tidbits of news with this as I would a Team Ico game. ThatGameCompany are bloody great.

  • dr_shambles #5 3 years ago

    Still yet to play Flower, although I loved Flow.

  • Law07 #6 3 years ago

    "I fucking love Flower"

    LMFAO

  • Ducklord #7 3 years ago

    Oh piss off you uncultured little swine.

  • Triggerhappytel #8 3 years ago

    Will the retards please piss off and find a topic about a game where you shoot people?

    Thanks in advance.

  • Cloudane #9 3 years ago

    Flower is genuinely one of the best games of the year so far, if not one of the best downloadable experiences on any of the 'next generation' consoles to date.

    It may not be a game as such but it truly is an experience like no other.

    I'd quite like thatgamecompany to 'port' their web-browser based game 'Cloud' on the PSN too!

  • Triggerhappytel #10 3 years ago

    Or how about they bring Cloud to the PSP as an app, once Sony's store launches? That would be gravy.

  • Baranga #11 3 years ago

    "Something you've never experienced."

    Penetration.
    It'll sell millions.

  • peterfll #12 3 years ago

    My dad bought Flower. The only video game he's ever bought.

    Must be something in that.

  • makeamazing #13 3 years ago

    Dont worry about CountMuppet, he cant help himself.. little fanboy he is....

    Was they supposed to be making more levels for Flower or wsa the "other room" just the final endgame?

  • #14 3 years ago

    You can learn a lot about people from topics like this...

  • makeamazing #15 3 years ago

    See Countmuppet complains that the PS3 has crappy non AAA non man games like Flower, but I dont see him complaining about Milo, 1v100, and those wii avatars... double standards me thinks.

  • domoslaf #16 3 years ago

    "When talking about films, said Chen, critics use words like "magical", "passionate" and "captivating". You would never ask someone whether they watched films, he argued. But when addressing games, feelings are limited to: "this is really fun, this is really cool" - "as if they were describing a car".
    (...)
    And while thatgamecompany has targeted love and happy feelings, Chen said we may see "cool and dark" games in the future".

    Guess that "magical", "passionate" and "captivating" don't really sell after all.
    Gotta go for the "cool" then.

    Oh, and their next game just have to be called Flowest. :)
    Edited by 3 at 15/07/09 @ 22:26

  • VandelayIndustries #17 3 years ago

    More power to him, Flower is wonderful.

  • makeamazing #18 3 years ago

    ooooh backtracking... like it...haha

  • Doctor_What #19 3 years ago

    Flower really is an incredibly captivating experience and I'm very much looking forward to whatever they make next. I've converted more than a few doubtful people about the game just by giving the joypad for few minutes and saying 'give it a try'.

    And CountFap, those people work on FPS game and violent driving games for a living, so it's not about 'be[ing] a man and play[ing] real games'. These people play 'real' games all the time and make them too, but they appreciate the finely crafted experience and journey that Flower takes them on. I'm sorry to hear that you don't appreciate it. I have never once been transfixed by any Zelda game, but I don't call people 'pussies' for liking a game about a boy trying to save a princess. We all have different tastes.

    To put it another way, saying that people are stupid for their choice of game or gaming system is like saying that all tea drinkers are fools who can't see the superiority of coffee - it's blatantly untrue and just makes you look foolish. Please, stop trying to do the PS3 v.s 360 war. It's intensely tedious.

    Games like Flower benefit everyone, even Battlefield fans, because it broadens the definition of what can make a satisfying game. There will always be a market for blasting things, but if I want a tranquil game then I know I can boot up Flower and go away with a smile on my face rather than a scowl.

  • #20 3 years ago

    My dad bought Flower. The only video game he's ever bought.

    Must be something in that.

    Yeah, he has good taste.

  • EmiliasHorse #21 3 years ago

    I am suprised Countfapula bothers to edit his comments.

    Love Flower, Love Flow and I am sure I will love the third title.

  • chessboxer #22 3 years ago

    @ CountFapula,

    What will you do when the 3 year warranty ends and your 360 dies? Go out and buy another to last another 3 years?

  • Scimarad #23 3 years ago

    Flower is one of my favourite things I've played this generation - I really can't wait to see what they'll come up with next.

  • mrharvest #24 3 years ago

    To put it another way, saying that people are stupid for their choice of game or gaming system is like saying that all tea drinkers are fools who can't see the superiority of coffee - it's blatantly untrue and just makes you look foolish.
    What do you mean? All tea drinkers are fools who can't see the superiority of coffee! D:

    I only partially agree to Chen's point about the language used to describe films vs. language used to describe games. However I dare you to find a review that describes Star Trek or Terminator 4 as 'magical, captivating' or a review of ICO that doesn't use those terms. It's just a question of relative exposure. There are proportionally more shooty games than shooty films but that doesn't mean that there aren't shooty films or non-shooty games.

  • makeamazing #25 3 years ago

    yeah the funny thing is you dont wind me up at all...haha.

    Your just a muppet that likes to slate the PS3 at all times, but as no one gives a crap about your comments (as they are worthless here) your backtracking... nice one :)

    Its not my fault you have PS3 envy all the time.

  • reelbigkris #26 3 years ago

    As much as i enjoyed flower and flow, i do occasionally get the feeling that Chen is an arrogant git that feels his games are more important than anyone else. I guess he earned it, considering they've got a pretty good track record so far.

    Why is it that every time a PS3 related article gets posted, some random loser would rather spend his time posting negative comments in an attempt to upset the people who would visit this page? If I felt the ps3 had wronged me in anyway I'd find better things to do than to repeatedly hit the refresh button in order to spark off some sort of interaction with people i will never even meet. It is funny, and sad.

  • JayScott #27 3 years ago

    "Oh but ICO and Shadow of the Colossus are probably the most overrated games I ever have played in my life." - CountFlapula

    I thought you were a dick but now I KNOW you're a dick.

  • Domovoi #28 3 years ago

    Flower is genuinely one of the best games of the year
    It may not be a game

    Fail.

  • JayScott #29 3 years ago

    @ The Count

    Um...I'm not about to admit to something I don't think. I preferred ICO to SotC, but both are extraordinary accomplishments that transcend their traditional 'gameplay' elements. If you're approaching these games as though they are platform games and nothing else then you are missing the point. The relationship between Ico and Yorda is one of the most expertly realised in interactive entertainment imo.

    BTW, Pac-man is basic in terms of gameplay. Is that shit too? Oh, and Battlefield isn't so complicated either, seeing as that's your poison.
    Edited by 1 at 16/07/09 @ 08:52

  • SpyroViper #30 3 years ago

    "lmao flower

    no wonder ps3 owners suck ass at real games like battlefield 1943

    Pussies"

    No wonder console gamers suck ass at REAL games like Battlefield 2!

    n00b

  • Widge #31 3 years ago

    Critique MS my ASS.

    You just moan ON and ON and ON and ON and ON and ON about the SAME OLD PISS EVERY TIME.

  • kangarootoo #32 3 years ago

    @CountFapula

    You must know you are making yourself look foolish here. People clearly aren't bothered by your attempts to sleight their manliness, so repeating the same thing over and over just makes it look like you have no other "ammunition".

    Ever heard the term "the gentleman doth protest too much"? Some might ask why you feel the need to let everyone know just how manly you are by telling us you play manly games. I'm not sure anyone questioned your manliness until you opened your mouth on the subject.

    I played Flower and I loved it... LOVED it and wanted to kiss it... twice. And I could also probably bench press you, before going home and snogging my girlfriend for a WHOLE 20 minutes. Now one of those statements is relevant here, and the other isn't. Guess which I would have ommitted if I wasn't making a point?

  • SeesThroughAll #33 3 years ago

    @ CountFapula: Enjoy your masculinity. :D

  • Dop #34 3 years ago

    Flower was fantastic. It's great that Sony support things like this as they're a real breath of fresh air in a world of samey sequels.

  • kangarootoo #35 3 years ago

    "Kangaroo: only gay guys work out a lot"

    Jesus christ, way to miss the point. Or way to play into my trap perhaps ;)

    I was being sarcastic dude (I stay in shape, but I probably couldn't bench press you, my neck is a perfectly healthty diameter), and here you are writing two paragraphs about sweaty men working out in gyms, stating YET AGAIN how its not for you because you are too manly.

    Add to that the odd casual homophobic remark, and its yet another guranteed receipe to make people question your own closeted sexuality. Yet again, you still doth protest to much you see.

    "and I need pics of your girlfriend to see if your maniliness is all that"

    Well first off, I am clearly not sending pictures of my girlfriend to anyone on the internet (not for less than the standard fee at any rate) :).

    Secondly, you seem to assume that I got my girlfriend by "being manly". I actually like to think the process was rather more complex than that. If my girl friend liked me purely because I stay in shape, she wouldn't be my girl friend. But hey, you play to your strengths and I'll play to mine.

  • light&shadow #36 3 years ago

    I don't have to buy games anymore because these threads are so entertaining :p

  • kangarootoo #37 3 years ago

    @CountFapula

    I think that its actually a bit of both :)

    But I shall let you retire gracefully, 'cos I'm generous like that ;)

  • oupe #38 3 years ago

    @CountFapula. Welcome to the ignore list, number 65!

  • VicViper #39 3 years ago

    Flower was very very short but very good at the same time. I certainly enjoy what thatgamecompany have produced so far so I have high hopes that they will bring the goods again.

    I do agree with the comments that games do need to be break out of the only every being described as 'Cool' etc but then there not many ways of the describing chainsawing someone in half to another person other then using cool somewhere which is more a problems of the types of games that are the most prevalent.
    Edited by 1 at 16/07/09 @ 11:28

  • Singularity #40 3 years ago

    Wow, seeing all the love for Flower has inspired me to dl it tonight. Really enjoyed fl0w, but never got around to the second title.

  • SEVQA #41 3 years ago

    Flower is an amazing experience and a good game to boot that really gives massive feelings of achievement and progression. To fully master Flower you must be quite a competent gamer as the level of the challenge to collect every purple flower is certainly not for impatient noobs. The feeling of flying is superb and testament to what is achievable with the motion controls. My only reservation was that is was too short for it's cost and really wanted it to go on forever. To those who haven't yet downloaded it - do so ASAP as you will have a lot of fun. Fingers crossed that their 3rd game is as inspirational and playable as the last!

  • makeamazing #42 3 years ago

    I could give a shit about flower, I just wanted to rile up Make amazing because I KNEW he would be reading this thread.

    Seems that I am winding you up, more than you are me :) - especially if you feel you have to post crap in every PS3 post just to try and get at me.... loser...lol.. .seems like another backtrack excuse to me :D

    I always love your comments, you talk crap and then try to turn it on everyone else... hey I'm still waiting for you to tell me what you do for a career, especially as you seem to have so much "knowledge" of the games industry, and consider everything on the PS3 to be crap... you must have some experience to be able to comment on this all the time.... oh thats right you dont even own a PS3... cant wait to find you work at MC D's or something.. or is it Job seekers?
    Edited by 1 at 16/07/09 @ 12:55

  • Doctor_What #43 3 years ago

    In fairness, I know plenty of people developers who dislike the PS3 because it's a bitch to get your head around the optimisation, but the 360 has its own optimisation issues, albeit slightly more familiar ones. From a user perspective it's all down to what you want. I prefer the PS3 for the overall capabilities plus some great exclusives, but I play plenty of games on my 360 too.

    Funnily enough, I think one of the real strong points for PS3 software is precisely games like Flower and the other odd titles on PSN. Outside of Braid, there's not anything exclusively on the 360 Marketplace that I'm interested in (though there are a few 360 and PC titles that are very good and would be nice to have on PSN). It probably doesn't help that I can only just fit two games onto my 360's launch-sized HDD, so I've not bought anything on there yet. I'm buggered if I'm paying MS prices for undersized HDDs!

  • Widge #44 3 years ago

    Great, two out of the games worth having you can't even get at the moment. Got any more paragraphs of awesome to spill out?
    I really liked your "I'm objectively criticising" disclaimer too, I'm completely convinced. Keep it up!

  • SeesThroughAll #45 3 years ago

    A lot of xbox fanboys in a thread about a PSN game O.o

    Just one. Remarkable how noisy a single fanboy can be... ;)

  • Bazfrag #46 3 years ago

    Yay my 1st ignore poster experience :) *Lights a cigarette

  • Bazfrag #47 3 years ago

    Haha doesnt work on Firefox!!

    On topic: i loved flower, but hav'nt played it for a while. This announcement gives me an excuse to go back.
    Edited by 1 at 16/07/09 @ 16:53

  • BritishBlue1 #48 3 years ago

    Hm, missed this one the first time round, think I'll go over to the PSN Store and check it out. A lot of people here seem to like it. It's quality and quirky titles like this that set PS3 apart from the competition.

  • Wyrm #49 3 years ago

    Flower is really good.

  • Triggerhappytel #50 3 years ago

    "A lot of xbox fanboys in a thread about a PSN game O.o"

    You seem surprised -- obviously don't visit PS3 comment threads a lot. In fairness though, it's only Fapula on his incessant little crusade to make everyone hate Sony and buy two 360s. It doesn't seem to be going very well so far, but I'm sure that won't put him off.

    I would put him on ignore, but it's like rubbernecking at a car crash - you don't really want to see what's there but can't help yourself all the same.

  • Doctor_What #51 3 years ago

    Here we go on the exclusives discussion again:

    PS3: "No good rpgs" - fair enough, but there have been bugger all good ones this gen anyway. The best 'true' RPG on the 360 is Lost Odyssey, which is decent but not spectacular. 360 wins, but by default.

    "generic shooters like killzone and resistance that have NO personality to them"
    Personally I enjoy the first Resistance a lot more than Halo 3. Halo 1 was a good game, but 2 and 3 have become progressively more dull (bear in mind that I only play single-player or same-room co-op). The campaigns were really tedious and don't even get me started on the terrible script. On a similar note Resistance 2 is pretty shoddy, a real disappointment after the first one. I enjoyed Killzone 2 a lot more by the end than my first impressions of it, and the story had a cool conclusion. I know most people will bang on about Halo being the most awesome multiplayer FPS, but that kind of thing isn't for me. Overall I'd say it's very close. For me it's a draw, but if you like being called gay by teens in America then I can see how the multiplayer would swing you to the 360.

    "Uncharted is a whole sale tomb raider rip off"
    Not really: the combat is better, the presentation is better, and the story, characters, performances, and graphics are miles better. Uncharted is rated by many people as one of the highlights of this generation of consoles, and I wholeheartedly agree with them. I enjoyed the latest Tomb Raider, but I've played through it once and not felt much need to go back. It doesn't help that the story is utter tosh. I couldn't put down Uncharted, then played through all again in a solid marathon the next weekend.

    "even infamous is like crackdown or prototype with less variety."
    It's a solid game, flawed in places, and really quite different from those you mention. The climbing and navigation is more interesting than the other two (Crackdown: jump jump jump, miss ledge, fall, jump jump jump, Prototype: point in the right direction, hold the right shoulder button), and the 'gunplay' is better. Crackdown was great when it came out, a real highlight, but it's aging really fast and the lack of variety is marring it. Prototype has a nice range of missions, but the feeling of weight is terrible, precise movement is hair-rippingly irritating. They're all flawed. I really enjoyed them all. It's a no score draw on that one.

    "...I don't see whats so great about those games. I really dont."
    The wonderful thing about the world is that you don't have to, you just have to be tolerant of people who think they are good, just like I'm tolerant of people who think Halo is the Da Vinci of FPS games.

    "Fable 2"
    Great game, thoroughly enjoyed that one.

    "Left 4 Dead"
    Very good on PC and 360.

    "Crackdown"
    Very good, but aging weirdly badly I think.

    "Alan Wake"
    When it gets here...

    "Halo ODST"
    I've completed the previous three, I could not be less excited about a fourth if I had actually been sedated.

    "Dead Rising"
    The marmite of games, I think it's one of the most poor pieces of design I've bothered to try playing. Again and again and again. I've friends who love it, I think it's poop.

    "...imo those are all games actually worth having and all have distinct personalities, something I don't think anyone can honestly say about sony's games."
    Wipeout HD, Singstar, Buzz, Super Stardust HD (I prefer it to Geometry Wars, but both are good in their own ways), Flower, yes I like Resistance 1 a lot, and Infamous too. I really adore the quirky things to download like Echochrome and even the weird semi-interactive tech thing Linger In Shadows. Sadly the appeal of Noby Noby Boy is lost on me, but the PS3 seems to have a lot more strange games, or social games, that I love.

    Seriously, are you telling me that Singstar and Buzz don't have personality? Try telling that to my neighbours when my house is full of mates belting out Bon Jovi at three in the morning!

    Both platforms are great and have loads of great games. You don't have to like them, but saying that the PS3 has nothing is demonstrably false.

  • Doctor_What #52 3 years ago

    Dammit... I could have just written: "Pixeljunk" and not bothered with anything else. :D

  • kwesleyb #53 3 years ago

    "thatgamecompany is working on a third, unannounced game for Sony (and probably PS3) to follow in the footsteps of flOw and Flower"

    So they've gone from:

    "flOw" to
    "Flower" perhaps
    Flowerages is the next name?

    Just a thought :)

  • Triggerhappytel #54 3 years ago

    I'm thinking maybe 'Flowing' - something to do with water, perhaps?

    Looking forward to it, either way.

  • Triggerhappytel #55 3 years ago

    Also, @ Doctor_What:

    Good response, but with Fapula it's literally a waste of breath.


    EDIT - and yes; merely saying 'PixelJunk' would have sufficed! ;)
    Edited by 1 at 16/07/09 @ 22:17

  • SeesThroughAll #56 3 years ago

    Whatever they call it, I think it's probably safe to assume that the controls will be something like "tilt controller to move, hold any button to boost". :D
    Edited by 1 at 16/07/09 @ 22:17

  • man.the.king #57 3 years ago

    @Triggerhappytel

    "Good response, but with Fapula it's literally a waste of breath. "

    Exactly. I don't try to explain complex things like preferences & tolerance to my 1 year-old son. In a similar vein, it seems pointless to attempt to try to teach that to a kid like Fapula. Then again, him apparently being a 360-only "gamer", if he is really using his time to try to get PS3 users riled up, then I find his actions pathetically sad.

    "I would put him on ignore, but it's like rubbernecking at a car crash - you don't really want to see what's there but can't help yourself all the same."

    Same with me. That's the reason I haven't ignored posters like CF, farty and donnie..xxx so far.
    Edited by 1 at 17/07/09 @ 03:40

  • menschenfracht #58 3 years ago

    and then Sony said 'Bring us a shrubbery'.
    and thatgamecompany delivered.