A talk with thatgamecompany's CEO and Creative Director, Jenova Chen

Transcript (by Youtube)

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606s	hello hello hello and welcome sky kids
609s	wait wait wait I I messed it up I messed
611s	it up honk honk sky kids and welcome to
613s	yet a another stream two in a week or
617s	three in a week what is this because we
618s	did have some exclusives steam love uh
621s	last evening uh two Alamar folks welcome
624s	the new uh steam players new and
626s	Veterans alike uh joining us on Steam
629s	and and thank you we are live right now
631s	on Twitch YouTube and I have to say you
634s	guys steam is actually uh blowing this
638s	out of the water we have nearly 700
640s	folks watching us on Steam right now and
643s	I can guess that is not to see me
647s	unfortunately I I'd love that to be me
649s	but this is to to have a talk with a
654s	very special guest you guys I am overly
658s	excited uh to have
660s	uh this time to to chat and to talk and
663s	to hang out with uh one of my personal
666s	Inspirations and the maker of uh
669s	beautiful games uh I would say that this
673s	person is that game company's CEO and
677s	creative director for Sky Children of
680s	the lights and uh though not an official
683s	title it's my personal title to him one
685s	of the greatest uh Visionaries of video
688s	game making uh J Chen welcome janova how
691s	are you thank you for having me here uh
695s	very very excited and also nervous
697s	usually I don't do live stream that's
699s	not my
700s	specialty uh but hey right now we
703s	cumulative we probably have over a
705s	thousand people watching it so I don't I
707s	don't think that helps but I I I felt
709s	the need of sharing those news with you
712s	uh thank you for finding time uh to do
714s	this with us I'm sure that everybody at
716s	the studio is super busy with the PC
718s	launch yeah yeah it it's uh you know sky
722s	has been a game we've developed since
725s	2012 so it's been 12 years in the making
728s	and finally we are on the PC platform
732s	and I can tell you that everybody who
734s	worked out on the PC Port are really
737s	really excited and pay attention to
738s	everything that's going on right now oh
740s	I'm sure and the chat right now is
743s	ecstatic to be talking to you Genova
745s	chat on all uh I have to get used with
747s	this multi uh stream platforms steam
751s	YouTube twitch if you can show your
752s	appreciation to janova Chan put a blue
755s	heart showing love to TGC in the chat
757s	I'm sure he's gonna appreciate that show
760s	your love I wish I would I'll give you a
762s	heart through the camera Genova I can
764s	see I can see any hearts flying here
767s	there you go that's what sky is all
769s	about right it is uh sharing that the
772s	sense of connection and that's why I
774s	really appreciate you being here with us
776s	Genova it's it's not very common to have
781s	you know the CEO of the studio to come
782s	in and have this time of connection uh
785s	with with fans alike SK Sky children
788s	alike and I'm sure that's really
790s	important a lot of these people have
792s	been really uh expecting a moment to to
795s	have a a live moment with you so my
799s	appreciations to you in their name and
802s	there you go Bunches of Hearts we're
804s	seeing all of those hearts thank thank
806s	you so much and uh you know I I
808s	mentioned this before but the company
810s	that game company started back in 2006
814s	because of uh you guys The Gamers who
817s	played our game and write the letter to
820s	encourage us to finded the company and
824s	ever since we've been making games for
826s	you and uh thank you for your support
829s	thank you for the hearts uh we survived
832s	for 18 years and uh we're going strong
836s	that's a a great seg wage NOA for us to
838s	get started uh so it's been oh while
842s	2006 uh of TGC as a as a gaming studio
846s	right and now here we are celebrating uh
849s	the steam launch uh with with you know
853s	the the the trailer the the steam launch
856s	trailer that we released that was very
857s	beautiful and nearly five years of Sky
860s	Children of the light so how has sky as
865s	a game and PGC as a studio evolved
869s	within this time uh especially from your
872s	original Vision right like when when you
875s	uh started this company and and when you
877s	started creating this game to what it
879s	has become now uh how how does it feel
882s	and how has both of these evolved
885s	throughout this
886s	time um you know we when I was um just a
892s	student um kind of studying in the The
896s	Graduate School uh that was 2003
901s	um at the Time video game was uh a
904s	Target uh by the mainstream media um the
908s	Congress uh has associate video game as
911s	the cause of the shootings in the
913s	society uh there's a Columbine shooting
915s	where two high school students uh
917s	bringed machine gun and and grenades
920s	into the school and caused you know many
923s	people di parish and at the time yeah
928s	video game was consider as the cause of
930s	such
931s	violence and uh when we were working in
935s	the school um and the school had a
938s	program to uh you know reward student to
942s	innovate uh on new ways to tell the
945s	stories um and we have this uh game
949s	Innovation Grant which asks us to pitch
951s	for ideas that could show you know games
955s	can be made in different ways um and so
958s	starting from that project we worked on
960s	this game that's not violent you know
964s	the the the reverse of violence um not
967s	addictive um and we focus on making the
971s	player feel a positive feeling rather
974s	than you know destroying things we're
976s	actually uh healing uh the world somehow
980s	um and that was an experiment project
984s	but many people who played our game told
987s	us that they cried for the game
990s	uh we were we were all very shocked
992s	because at that in 2004 2005 people
996s	don't associate video game as something
998s	that would make people cry for a good
1000s	reason and uh it was those player who's
1003s	touched by our game uh they they wrote
1006s	very heartfelt letter to us uh telling
1008s	us sharing a little bit about their life
1012s	and how our game is changing their
1015s	well-being and how we should really you
1018s	know start a a business uh to show as
1022s	through through like commercial games to
1023s	show the world that games doesn't have
1026s	to be always about fighting and
1028s	competition that it could be a force of
1031s	good and it could be considered as
1034s	literate liberal arts um and make
1037s	people's life better um that that was
1041s	just very inspiring and you know we we
1045s	pretty much dropped everything just to
1047s	follow the P you know the the request
1050s	from the players and try to start a
1053s	company before we even graduate and
1055s	that's how that g company started and
1058s	till this day I still feel we are you
1061s	know working hard on achieving what our
1063s	players asked us 18 years
1066s	ago yeah and and how about sky right uh
1071s	almost five years old across all major
1074s	gaming platforms right like has your
1077s	vision for Sky come to fruition how how
1081s	has that Vision evolved to what it is
1083s	now yeah so so honestly I you know I
1088s	grew up playing games um since very
1090s	young age and you know as a gamer I'm
1093s	also introverted person game is pretty
1097s	much the medium that create make me feel
1100s	not alone I made many friends through
1103s	video games uh I find my career with
1107s	video games and I learned most of my
1110s	English and my you know uh geology and
1114s	history through playing video games and
1117s	so to me game is like a childhood friend
1122s	you know and it's it's like family um
1125s	but as I grow up I start to see U you
1129s	know games are somewhat despised by the
1133s	rest of the society as particularly by
1135s	my parents generation and you know a big
1138s	portion of of my friends who don't play
1140s	games also see this as a a waste of time
1145s	um or a
1147s	distraction um and so I wanted to
1149s	legitimize this medium you know I love
1152s	this medium I want this medium to be
1153s	loved by more people and so what is the
1156s	best way to you know make more people
1159s	love games uh by making another game
1163s	that you already love to play probably
1165s	it wouldn't change the status quo right
1167s	and so the only way I can see to make
1170s	the way to make more people love games
1172s	is by innovate the games and creating
1175s	new types of experience particularly new
1178s	type of emotional experience so it will
1181s	attract the people who don't see game as
1184s	their entertainment medium or artistic
1187s	medium to consider you know uh come to
1191s	try games or you know consider using
1193s	game as a as a canvas to to paint their
1196s	own art um and so starting
1199s	from you know Cloud to flow to flower to
1203s	Journey what we're trying to prove is
1205s	that games can be an art piece you know
1208s	games can make
1210s	you think about life and think about you
1213s	know
1215s	humanity and it and it's not just like
1218s	make you feel differently it also need
1220s	to make you feel very strong emotion so
1224s	that you would remember and so from from
1227s	flower we start to experiment with you
1229s	know uh three act storytelling that we
1232s	learned from the film school but
1234s	reinterpret with game plays to use the
1237s	gaml to touch you uh and it was quite
1240s	successful and so when we moved from
1243s	flower to Journey we focus on whether we
1247s	can do the same emotional impact but
1250s	happening among multiple players um and
1254s	at the Time video game has a bad
1256s	reputation for playing games online like
1259s	nobody wants to turn on their microphone
1261s	or listen to toxic you know
1265s	Communications and so we were thinking
1267s	can we potentially you know not only
1270s	touch the players and let them have
1272s	emotional
1274s	uh experience shared together but also
1277s	you know create a positive connection
1279s	between people rather than a toxic
1281s	connection
1283s	um yeah and U so so that's like the
1287s	first half of the company we spent the
1289s	first six year just experiment with how
1293s	games can make you feel and impr proove
1294s	that on a commercial um platform like
1299s	PlayStation um yeah and and then what
1302s	happened after Journey till Skye there's
1304s	a huge gap of the rest of 12 Years A lot
1308s	of people thought we just disappeared or
1310s	maybe the company has go this you know
1313s	bankrupt or something right uh what
1316s	happened is it took us seven years to
1319s	develop Sky just to get it out onto the
1322s	market and we only made this version to
1325s	be on iOS and then you know eight year
1328s	in we we we shipped on the Android then
1332s	nine year in we shipped on the switch 10
1334s	years in we Shi on PlayStation and now
1337s	12 years we're on the PC finally um it's
1340s	a it's a very long process um but I'll
1343s	probably you know jump into Sky a bit
1347s	later yeah that's we are and that's
1351s	that's fascinating has has the
1353s	vision changed like is it more than you
1356s	thought it could have been from the
1358s	original sketching on your books how how
1360s	did that progress for
1364s	Skye so one of my biggest heroes in
1368s	gaming is fito wer who created um uh IO
1373s	and Shadow of the classes right and uh
1376s	so I'm you know I'm certainly if I'm a
1380s	fan of somebody I would just try to
1381s	study as much as how they make their
1383s	things so so with uh with a S and he he
1387s	talked about how uh when he started a
1391s	project he would look for that c um how
1394s	to say the the most important image uh
1398s	like he would do the concept art a
1400s	sketch to create an image that represent
1402s	the emotion he's going
1404s	for uh and then the game kind of evolve
1407s	around this image uh and that's why most
1410s	of his work his Works have this very
1413s	wellth Out World with culture and with
1417s	stories because he's a he's a visual
1420s	thinker um and so when when we approach
1423s	our games uh I also try to start a game
1426s	with a image uh with a sketch and a
1429s	feeling uh and then I would work with a
1432s	composer to come up a music uh like a
1436s	theme um so so the combination of the
1441s	music emotion and the visual emotion you
1443s	you you get the you know the central
1447s	seed of the look and feel and then you
1450s	evolve the mechanics and the story
1452s	around it um yeah that that's how I
1455s	usually start a
1457s	project and here we are uh to PC
1461s	millions and millions of downloads did
1464s	you have that in mind when when you were
1466s	uh working with the team and you guys
1468s	were still small 12 years ago uh to to
1472s	where we are right now for Sky it does
1474s	it blow your mind is my question does it
1475s	blow your mind that so many people uh
1478s	feel attached and feel connected uh to
1481s	the game and to one another through the
1483s	game yeah when we worked on the sky game
1488s	initially we thought we would just
1489s	simply a port Journey we take what we
1492s	learned from storytelling journey and
1494s	make a premium game on the phone uh and
1498s	so hopefully it would reach more people
1500s	like one of the lesson we learned from
1501s	Journey is that a lot of the players who
1504s	play Journey would write letters to us I
1507s	think we have about 1,600 emails from
1509s	players just want to reach out to us to
1512s	tell us their stories and uh many of
1515s	them said this is the first game they
1518s	shared with their wife and daughter uh
1521s	most of the owners of PlayStation like I
1523s	would say what what a 90% of PlayStation
1525s	owners are men so they said this is the
1528s	first game their notter finished uh you
1532s	know people don't finish game these days
1535s	um and I I and also heard from a friend
1538s	who went to Japan uh and did a meet up
1542s	with journey fans and uh he told me like
1545s	more than 60% of the fan are women uh so
1549s	that was very shocking to me because I I
1552s	you know I thought gamers are mostly
1553s	dudes like myself um but to realize that
1559s	you know when you make a fighting games
1562s	it probably will turn off a lot of a lot
1564s	of female players but when you make a
1566s	game about emotions and you know the
1569s	beauties of the world and life that that
1571s	is very uh how to say like emotionally
1575s	accessible um and so when we decide to
1578s	leave PlayStation and work on sky on a
1581s	mobile platform we really believe that
1583s	the games are meant to be played by
1585s	everybody not just hardcore Gamers but
1588s	you know people of all ages um and
1591s	particularly with the success of Journey
1593s	we know women would play our game and so
1596s	how can we essentially uh create a game
1600s	that would appeal to more than just
1602s	traditional games uh we know we can
1605s	attract more players than how many
1607s	player who play the journey we just
1609s	didn't expect to attract you know almost
1612s	uh 50 times more right that that's the
1614s	surprise um yeah yeah we have have
1618s	somebody saying here on Steam uh I've
1620s	been waiting for this experience for a
1622s	long time for the game to come to the PC
1625s	what were some of the big challenges
1627s	that the studio had to go through to
1629s	release Sky to PC
1632s	finally yeah so the the biggest
1635s	challenge to leave the PC at last is
1639s	unfortunately
1640s	hacking uh hacking and and also a very
1644s	wide range of graphics cards that may or
1648s	may not work uh when you try to push the
1652s	uh the limitation of of your Hardware uh
1656s	so our background is you know our engine
1659s	for Journey is a Playstation 3 engine um
1663s	and it's really good at maximizing the
1666s	cell processor and the graphics card to
1668s	to drive as much performance as we can
1671s	so all the sand the individual glitter
1673s	on the sand and the simulation of the
1675s	cloth and it's require a lot of Compu
1679s	ation when we uh move it to uh Sky uh
1684s	sky is a crossplatform game so the
1687s	hardware is not standardized like
1690s	PlayStation you only need to optimize
1692s	for one hard drive you know graphics
1694s	card but when it's on PC there's all
1697s	kinds of graphics card from integrated
1699s	graphics card that's come with your like
1702s	you know Chromebook or chip La laptops
1704s	basically two uh super Advanced Nvidia
1708s	card that is probably better than
1709s	PlayStation 5 um and so you have such a
1712s	wide range and you want to make sure
1714s	your game runs on all of them and so
1718s	that's quite quite a big challenge um
1720s	and uh and then again PC is the home of
1724s	the hacking community and you know when
1727s	we put the game on iOS it's very easy to
1730s	to keep it from being hacked but PC is
1733s	um yeah it's it's a different ball game
1736s	um we had to work with you know a whole
1739s	team of security Specialists to you know
1743s	kind of work on all kinds of um
1747s	essentially pluck the hole to to prevent
1750s	from hacking because sky is online game
1752s	and online game has economy and people
1755s	can cheat then you know if a lot of
1758s	people would feel unfair if their
1761s	friends are cheating so we took this
1764s	seriously and spent quite a long time
1766s	trying to make sure that the game can
1768s	run um most of the devices and also
1772s	support steam deck which is very
1774s	important you know um and you know then
1778s	ultimately to to prevent from uh being
1782s	hacked so so you see players we are
1786s	watching you and we will not hesitate in
1788s	cing you guys okay uh this is this is
1791s	not a ask for you to challenge it to to
1794s	to to hack us uh no please please no
1799s	uh Jova five years of sky right and the
1802s	game still feels so fresh and unique so
1805s	many people uh how does the team in the
1809s	studio uh work to keep things fresh to
1812s	things keep to keep things unique and
1815s	particularly for PC where we have games
1817s	coming up every minute of the day right
1820s	how how do we try to keep ourselves
1823s	different and and still loyal to the
1825s	tone of games that TGC has been putting
1828s	out
1829s	uh yeah to be honest I never thought I
1832s	would be working on this game five years
1834s	after the game is still uh just launched
1837s	you nobody expected to have a game that
1839s	will survive five years uh when we
1842s	launch the game we expect maybe it will
1844s	survive for six months uh if if if it
1847s	survived then maybe we'll do a little
1849s	bit more we put it we push it for two
1851s	years but now we're in the fifth year
1854s	it's crazy uh it's it's mainly because
1857s	of your support because the players
1859s	around the world who you know want to
1862s	come to this game and spend time here
1864s	and you know learning the stories
1867s	learning the characters but most
1869s	importantly to spend time with their
1871s	friends um we are not like a game where
1874s	it takes you like 3,000 hours to master
1877s	a you know like a mobile game or um
1881s	player underground you know the
1882s	Battleground Games there's not that much
1885s	things to learn so we were like why
1887s	would people stay for this loud um I've
1889s	seen players who played over 9,000 to
1892s	10,000 hours of this game and I was just
1895s	like what are they doing in this game
1897s	they're are they just wasting their life
1899s	away here um but then we we look at the
1903s	data they're just mostly spend time
1905s	chatting you know catching up with
1907s	friends and on average in Skype people
1910s	talk or 35 messagers per person per day
1914s	and that's basically what'sapp uh if you
1916s	use a messenger app so
1918s	and I I I realized you know over time
1921s	when we first launched Sky it was more
1923s	like a journey in Disguise of in a theme
1926s	park but today it's really just you know
1930s	like it's a park where you can come here
1932s	to handang out with friends and we're
1934s	trying to keep the the park fresh we're
1937s	making new content every three months
1940s	and we're trying to improve the systems
1941s	and introduce new um you know kind of
1944s	user generate content platforms but
1947s	ultimately play it's a place for people
1949s	to connect and you know I've never made
1954s	a game where I felt like now I'm like a
1956s	park keeper rather than uh just a
1958s	Storyteller so so I'm still trying to
1961s	trying to learn and adapt to this new
1963s	new way of making
1965s	games uh just want to share some stuff
1968s	that the chat is saying uh that they
1970s	love the wonderful interactive
1971s	storytelling that comes from Scott
1973s	stinker on YouTube so thank you for your
1976s	message and a friendly fox said says I'd
1978s	love to hear about Genova's process in
1981s	creating games and maybe an advice to
1983s	someone who wants to make games in the
1986s	future yeah a process well these days so
1990s	when we make Journey it's a very small
1993s	team um you know when we ship Journey
1995s	it's 12 people when we started at seven
1998s	uh these days walking on Sky uh we have
2002s	two teams working on seasonal content
2004s	they have to ship something every three
2007s	three to six months um and we have even
2011s	smaller team working on various events
2014s	and it I feel like when I work on indie
2018s	game like flow flower Journey um because
2021s	of the small scope it feels more like a
2024s	directorial experience where you are
2028s	coming up a concept and you prototype it
2031s	and you try all kinds of mechanics until
2034s	one things stick and then you kind of
2036s	into production to
2039s	you know essentially fill it with
2041s	content and the story and then you
2043s	polish it by polish multiple times until
2046s	the story start to touch people and then
2048s	you release it that's a that's like a
2050s	very much like a Indie movie director
2052s	making a
2053s	movie but with sky right now I feel I'm
2056s	more like a showrunner uh because you
2059s	have to plan for the whole season like
2061s	whole year and what happens in each
2063s	episode and then you work with multiple
2066s	directors under each season and that
2068s	they are they're directing their the
2070s	story and you need to make sure all the
2072s	story lines up right and um yeah so
2076s	these days working on game is slightly
2078s	different for me uh but as a aspiring
2082s	game designer I think you know the core
2084s	is still you know to think about what
2087s	you want
2089s	to communicate to the to the players
2092s	that is that a particular emotion is
2095s	that a you know particular idea like
2099s	inspiration you want the players to feel
2101s	and you focus on that emotion first and
2103s	and then start with a
2105s	core of interactive prototype uh it has
2109s	to be interactive it cannot be a movie
2113s	um you know like a lot of people made a
2115s	great movie about something and
2117s	expecting that the game is going to work
2120s	it could actually be very boring just
2121s	watching it uh so it has to be a core
2124s	interactive prototype to capture what
2127s	you want to express um and start with
2130s	that
2131s	core then then you can like build it's
2135s	like the skeleton and you can build the
2137s	meat and skin around it uh once the
2139s	skeleton is solid a lot of the games
2141s	fail because they they spend they didn't
2144s	spend enough time working on a
2147s	skeleton and then because of that line
2150s	or because of budget then they have to
2151s	quickly put the meat and and ski on it
2154s	then it would just
2156s	collapse um so I I think that spending
2159s	as much time as you can on finding the
2162s	core is you know my advice um and now I
2167s	think mamoto who father of Mario also
2170s	recommend that is just work on the game
2172s	core gamep play until it is so fun that
2176s	you know before you work on anything
2179s	else thank you for that and I love your
2181s	analogy about uh being a director from
2185s	previous games now being a showrunner
2186s	because it's tangible it's something
2188s	that uh I can understand and if I can
2191s	understand anybody else can thank you
2193s	for that analogy Jova and uh our studio
2197s	TJC is really well known for pushing
2201s	Technical Innovations right and just
2203s	recently we we uh last year we we broke
2207s	a world record for the festival Tech
2209s	that we used for the Aurora concert
2211s	right is there still room to innovate
2214s	and is it important to keep creating new
2216s	tech and pushing Tech forward in order
2219s	to tell different stories or or more
2221s	interactive
2224s	stories yeah I I think a lot of the
2227s	times people associate video game
2230s	industry when you make sequels to an
2232s	original idea the sequel is less
2234s	creative right and and it's very rarely
2237s	the SQL is better than the
2239s	original um but uh when we work on Sky
2244s	our DNA is in Indies and we like to
2247s	innovate and we want to push the
2249s	boundary of what people will
2251s	feel with the medium of interactivity
2255s	right and uh so when we pushed for
2259s	Journey from uh flower we want to see if
2263s	something can be done uh never before
2267s	seen on a relationship between two
2270s	players and when we work on Sky we want
2273s	to expand that relationship from two
2276s	players to a group of players
2278s	and we want to see if we can create a
2281s	genuine emotional
2283s	bound between these people across
2286s	Nations and countries right I mean and
2290s	uh yeah that that was our our goal but
2294s	once we achieve that goal in
2297s	Sky we don't just want to keep making
2299s	content and that's not very exciting
2302s	right like we want to see if we can
2304s	bring something new to this industry um
2307s	and so was the concert you know that was
2311s	really uh you know like having a concert
2314s	in a video game is it's not an original
2316s	idea I me fortnite did it really really
2318s	well what what we do is we innovate on
2321s	the emotions right and we when we see
2323s	the concert format and I I I have these
2326s	dreams where went see the the fortnite
2329s	concert I was expecting to it's during
2332s	the pandemic so I was expecting to go
2333s	into the concert have this wonderful
2336s	time with a great artists and have this
2340s	bonding with the people around me that's
2342s	that's what why people go to the stadium
2344s	right is to feel like you're not alone
2346s	to to feel like you're connected to tens
2349s	of thousands of people who who love the
2352s	same thing you do um but the fortnite
2356s	experience didn't give me that um it's
2359s	more of a idol worshiping of something
2363s	Giant and and that's quite different
2365s	than what I was expecting so I I felt
2368s	like there's actually a potential
2370s	here
2372s	um and and this is during pandemic so
2375s	I've been staying at home for for almost
2378s	a year and my Social Circle was
2381s	basically just my immediate family and
2383s	that's it and so I thought it would be
2385s	great to connect everyone uh and let
2388s	them feel the the connection as if they
2391s	could go to attend a real uh event uh
2395s	with thousands of people and so so why I
2398s	approached our uh CTO Sam mcgr I said
2402s	you know our game only has eight people
2404s	in the room is there any way you can
2406s	connect 10,000 people in that's that's
2408s	the number 10,000 people um and I'm sure
2413s	he was happy with their
2414s	request right right he initially tell me
2417s	no but I was like you know there's got
2420s	to be a way like I you know like maybe
2422s	we can sacrifice on something but I just
2425s	want to build a connection we don't need
2427s	to to have everybody to be fully
2429s	rendered and eventually he he didn't
2433s	turn me down he has he's an open-minded
2435s	person he likes a challenge and uh so he
2438s	Sam figured out a
2440s	way to compress the data because imagine
2444s	if the most expensive thing for the
2446s	online game is the server cost if you
2448s	send a packet of data that cost you sent
2451s	right that's that's easy and if you send
2454s	to seven people every minute that's
2456s	maybe seven cents but if you're sending
2458s	it to 10,000 people that's a lot of
2460s	money just for one account and so how
2463s	can you keep the the cost down for
2467s	10,000 people to send another n each
2470s	person have to send another
2472s	99,999 people data about where you
2477s	are it it's just not econ economically
2480s	possible and So eventually we figure out
2483s	a way to to compress it into a 3D
2486s	texture it's kind of like how J pack
2489s	of it is to a to a a bit map but this is
2492s	probably too too uh detailed um but yeah
2497s	once we figured out that it's possible
2499s	then the question is how do we even
2501s	render 10,000 people on the screen on a
2503s	crappy Android phone um that's you know
2507s	another major Challenge and then once we
2509s	figure out that then the question is how
2512s	do you design an experience where you
2514s	can guide 10,000 people you know who
2516s	were definitely now listen to you uh all
2519s	of them there's always rebels in the
2522s	society like how can we create an
2523s	experience where people don't compl
2525s	completely ruin the experience for
2527s	everybody
2528s	else yeah it was uh it was pretty much
2531s	hell we tried to
2532s	push uh lots of late nights uh crazy
2536s	stuff and and by the time we launched
2538s	the concert we also expect the concert
2541s	to move people and make people cry and
2543s	connect them and it's all kind of crazy
2547s	uh it all came together it felt it felt
2549s	very much like moon landing uh to be
2551s	honest uh when when we launched the
2553s	concert where we have one more than one
2556s	million concurrent players you know in
2560s	these stadiums um and none of them
2562s	crashed yeah that was that was kind of
2565s	like I can't believe we pulled it off um
2568s	yeah I can't believe you pulled it off
2571s	either in thank you because that concert
2573s	was one of the best gaming experiences I
2576s	have had and you I think you are super
2578s	right like having all of those people
2580s	together especially at the climax of the
2583s	concert it it hits it hits so special
2586s	right because at the end of the day I
2588s	think it's about vibing off each other's
2591s	uh each other and and that's why sky is
2593s	so exciting to play because you are in
2595s	constant bouncing off of other people
2597s	and how they uh reflect the world that
2600s	they experiencing along with you right
2603s	yeah I feel like very very grateful that
2606s	you know our players are here to
2609s	actually fill up this Stadium right and
2612s	to experience some brand new uh
2616s	experiments that we do I mean sometimes
2618s	our experiments fail I know quite a few
2621s	times we try something and people didn't
2623s	like it right and uh and then we take
2625s	those feedback seriously and uh you know
2628s	but I
2630s	I'm I guess you know I'm an Innovative
2634s	type of person so I I love to try new
2637s	things and and experience new things and
2641s	uh it's it's a very special place with
2644s	the sky Community because you know we
2647s	are we're we're doing a lot of things
2649s	that nobody else have done before and we
2652s	have yet some crazy stuff coming very
2655s	soon this year so hopefully you would
2658s	enjoy it I cannot wait yeah and speaking
2662s	of collecting feedback and and building
2666s	from what the community shares with us
2669s	uh the PC Community scene let me tell
2672s	you they are uh very well known for
2674s	being super hardcore and uh to have
2678s	strong ideas strong opinions per se
2681s	right do you think these players can
2683s	also find home within sky that has been
2685s	so contained for so long in our little
2688s	world and now we are out in the
2691s	ocean oh sorry my my son just jumped
2695s	above the floor so he's crying hopefully
2698s	the microphone doesn't pick
2701s	up uh and
2705s	uh yeah it's a it's an interesting thing
2708s	to finally come back to to PC um you
2711s	know for a long time our game has been
2713s	made for PlayStation which are you know
2716s	quote unquote core Poe Gamers right um
2719s	and we were very proud that we were able
2722s	to make the game look absolutely
2725s	beautiful and you know like every pixel
2728s	is pushed you know with with flower we
2731s	push the grass blades we were the first
2733s	company that get over 200,000 grass
2735s	blades moving and interacting and
2737s	responding to you um on the screen and
2742s	uh with journey we're pushing for the
2744s	the realistic glitter of the sand and
2746s	the the simulation and collision of the
2749s	cloth um and uh yeah that's that's our
2753s	DNA is we we we we are both we're
2756s	interested in both technology and also
2759s	the the art um but when we move it to
2763s	mobile at the time when we were working
2765s	on Sky it was the era of iPhone 4 I'm
2769s	I'm not sure if you still remember how
2772s	slow iPhone was back then um so a lot of
2776s	the the tech you know our instinct to
2779s	push the technology to do more actually
2783s	back files because the more you push for
2786s	computation the quicker LLY your battery
2788s	dies um and you know then we have to
2792s	learn how to be efficient right like
2794s	what what type of magic is worth the
2796s	computation and and the the waste of
2799s	your energy of the
2801s	battery um but when it comes back to PC
2806s	the PC is forever powered to the wall it
2809s	has maximum um capacity and so we want
2814s	to make sure that our game would will
2817s	look better on the PC than any other
2820s	platform uh you can run this game at 4K
2823s	uh you can run at 120 frame uh Hertz per
2827s	second because the game is super
2829s	optimized so you know doing 120 Fram
2832s	second it should be very easy um we also
2836s	really push for HDR uh when it comes to
2839s	PC uh we actually optimized the
2842s	HDR uh display for the latest uh steam
2847s	deck
2848s	um and these things will make the sunset
2852s	looks way richer than you know anything
2854s	you've seen on conventional display uh
2858s	yeah I mean it this is kind of what what
2861s	I'm trying to say is that even though
2863s	the game was originally launched on a
2865s	mobile you know at our core our team is
2870s	a console develop team and we want to
2874s	bring that High Fidelity experience to
2877s	to the
2878s	PC and you will probably see more
2880s	optimizations to to the sky game in the
2883s	future um where the game would look even
2888s	better uh speaking of looking good it it
2892s	is looking fabulously good and uh by the
2895s	way guys we do have uh we are releasing
2897s	an art book that shows a lot of uh those
2900s	artistic changes and we had a a talk uh
2903s	with some of the creators of the art
2905s	book at WonderCon and one of the things
2907s	that they mentioned is about
2910s	allowing the the the visual art of the
2913s	game to push uh the story forward so how
2917s	does janova the game's artistic
2920s	Direction uh complements the overall
2922s	gaming
2927s	experience
2929s	uh I back then when we were working on
2932s	Console games uh there's this term of
2934s	Tria a and Tria a means it's hundreds of
2937s	people working on many years very
2939s	expensive games uh and what one thing we
2942s	noticed that is every year in the game
2945s	awards uh we will see who wins the best
2948s	uh visual who wins the best um art
2952s	Direction it's never the Triple A
2955s	games um and I think there there's a
2958s	reason right like if you think something
2960s	looks good it's not just the performance
2964s	it's it's how consistent uh
2968s	how
2969s	um something feel
2972s	so yeah coherent and and and simple uh
2977s	and memorable and our direction is about
2981s	everything working together so it felt
2983s	like it was done by one person it's
2985s	almost like they have their own
2987s	voice um where when you have a massive
2992s	team uh it's very hard for everybody to
2995s	be uh kind of choreographed and
2998s	rehearsed very well just like a like a
3000s	choir right a choir group if one person
3003s	sings a song you can
3006s	hear very clearly what they are singing
3009s	because each words is very crisp right
3013s	but if you have tens know 100 people
3016s	sing if two people sing slightly later
3020s	or see see slightly off beat of off tone
3024s	then the words become difficult to to
3027s	interpreted right and so uction
3030s	ultimately is is about if the audience
3033s	can actually understand or hear what
3036s	what the artist is trying to say and
3039s	so um when we work our much smaller
3042s	budget uh in order to make a visual that
3045s	looks better than you know say 300
3047s	people working on a super realistic
3050s	photo realistic rendering engine the
3053s	only way we can beat them is by beating
3056s	them uncons consistency and
3058s	choreographies and the you know
3060s	essentially rehearse rehearse and make
3062s	it feel like it's as if the 100 people
3066s	who's singing at the same time are the
3068s	same person um yeah that is ultimately
3074s	the most important thing uh while I was
3077s	in the film school we have this metaphor
3079s	called the barrel uh the barrel is made
3082s	up about by multiple wooden FX and and
3086s	uh our teacher would say the final
3089s	quality of the film is not how tall the
3092s	barrel is or how big the barrel is is
3094s	how much water the barrel can hold so
3097s	it's determined by the shortest side of
3099s	the the pl right if you have a wonderful
3102s	game play and uh amazing performance but
3107s	the the visual looks really terrible the
3111s	game would not be as successful compared
3113s	to a game that is you know
3117s	like 70% there on Art Direction and 70%
3120s	there on performance and 70% on gameplay
3123s	that it will actually feel like a better
3125s	be uh so that's how a smaller Studio A
3128s	Indie Studio can potentially beat a a
3131s	AAA company when it comes to the overall
3134s	quality and
3137s	experience awesome
3140s	and five years right all all uh major
3145s	platforms what's next what what what's
3147s	your vision for the future of Sky since
3150s	yesterday with the official launch
3155s	forward um so we are currently at a very
3159s	Frontier of building a game and making
3163s	an animation
3165s	theories uh and also kind of creating
3168s	this
3171s	um how to say it's
3173s	like matter it's like not face books
3177s	version of metaverse but it's like a
3179s	metaverse version of
3181s	Sky
3183s	um we wanted to create these never
3186s	beeseen experiences of people coming
3190s	together
3192s	uh I I think some one of the players I
3195s	talked to after they experienced the
3197s	concert they asked me they say hey you
3199s	know I've been thinking about what else
3201s	can I do with a lot of people
3203s	together and uh he said have you thought
3206s	about
3208s	Marathon uh you know like I he think
3212s	Marathon would be really fun to to run
3213s	through the sky with you know thousands
3216s	of players and it was like that's a
3219s	great idea how do we do that we're
3222s	trying to figure that out right um and
3226s	and other people say I I wish I could
3229s	you
3230s	know uh when Aurora came on stage uh
3234s	only one Stadium
3237s	worth of players about 10,000 people can
3240s	actually interact with this real person
3242s	somewhere that is broadcasting into the
3245s	stadium but everybody else could not
3247s	interact with her and so there are
3251s	players asking us if if we could create
3253s	a situation where if we have a real
3256s	singer or performer that she could
3259s	interact with the entire server and so
3261s	we're we're looking into how to make
3264s	that possible right um but just imagine
3267s	the possibility And the emotions you can
3270s	feel if someone who is really there that
3273s	can interact with you um is is not a c
3277s	preann animation but a real person
3282s	um yeah there there there there's just
3285s	so many things that we have not tried
3287s	with online games before but now it
3289s	becomes possible today um yeah I really
3293s	want Sky to be this kind of you know a
3298s	Frontier where where human connections
3301s	and larger social interactivity can be
3305s	experienced and the protype here janova
3309s	I just have to say that I love that as
3311s	you say that we are expanding technology
3314s	the the soundtrack of days of Fortune
3316s	starts playing and it just makes this
3319s	wonderful like we are ready for an
3322s	adventure I love it uh we are coming
3325s	close to an end guys thank you so much
3327s	everybody in chat for uh hanging out
3330s	with us and janov I cannot say how
3333s	exciting the chat has been both on
3335s	YouTube twitch uh as well as on Steam so
3339s	thank you for your time is there
3340s	anything you would like to to share with
3344s	nearly 2,000 Sky children whether new
3347s	mods or or veterans alike uh yeah is
3351s	there anything that You' like to tell
3353s	them uh to celebrate this
3355s	release
3357s	um we have a anniversary coming um and
3362s	this year the anniversary will be quite
3364s	unique um I I have you know never
3369s	thought we will be able to do these
3370s	things uh in in the past 18 years
3376s	um I I want to just withhold that but
3379s	just hope you would enjoy by the time we
3381s	enter the summer uh around around the
3384s	end of June and July uh um yeah and I I
3389s	just want to say thank you so much for
3390s	supporting our game and keeping this
3392s	community you know wholesome and live
3395s	and that's what allowed us to make all
3398s	these new ideas into
3400s	reality um and we would do our best to
3404s	to amaze
3405s	you awesome so thank you so much uh
3408s	everybody before we uh head out you guys
3411s	I'm going to play the official steam
3414s	release trailer that we released uh just
3416s	so you guys can see it because I cannot
3418s	get enough of that trailer it's so
3419s	beautiful it is but janova thank you for
3421s	your time thank you for creating this
3424s	wonderful pieces of gaming that that we
3427s	all love and for allowing us to connect
3430s	in different levels with people who we
3432s	may never even see in in in real life
3435s	but that that doesn't make it any less
3438s	real uh it's a great platform and
3440s	something beautiful that you have made
3442s	for for sky kids and and Gamers alike
3446s	everything thank you for your time thank
3448s	you thank you TI and thank you for all
3451s	of you who come to this stream and
3452s	listen to me and you know just thank you
3455s	for the love that that yeah that's
3458s	totally why we're making games and uh in
3461s	the most difficult time when we
3463s	struggles when we make games it's your
3465s	support that really keep us going so
3468s	thank
3469s	you all right thank you very much Genova
3472s	I'm going to play that trailer for you
3473s	guys check this out if you haven't yet
3475s	I'm sure you have cuz it looks
3500s	[Music]
3505s	good
3512s	[Music]
3527s	[Music]
3535s	yeah
3538s	[Music]
3554s	[Music]
3565s	w
3584s	here we go you guys Jova Chen I I do not
3587s	get enough of uh listening to this man
3590s	speak it's so inspiring and uh to have
3593s	an opportunity to to have this chat with
3596s	him it's something that my journey and
3599s	flower self would have never thought
3601s	true so you guys are witnessing dreams
3604s	come live thank you for being part of
3606s	this all nearly 2,000 of you I
3608s	appreciate your time thank you for
3609s	hanging out with me uh and yeah I mean
3612s	it it was an incredible opportunity to
3615s	to interview goova so don't you dare
3618s	give up on your dreams because they may
3620s	just happen on the meanwhile we have
3623s	beautiful games and and beautiful
3625s	opportunities for you to with others
3627s	thank you so much just calling some
3629s	folks here Mom uh The Moth Man on Steam
3634s	thank you so much uh moonil uh thank you
3637s	so much Bubba a friendly Fox uh shant
3641s	mushroom blood the graves thank you so
3644s	much everybody for joining us on this
3646s	stream today and I'll see you guys at a
3648s	later stream some other time thank you
3650s	for being here with
3655s	m
3657s	[Music]
3693s	[Music]
3711s	[Music]
3745s	for
3775s	for
3805s	for

Transcript (by Youtube)

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