Well before games started taking cues from movies and were the cinematic blockbusters that they are now, things were simpler. It was a time when games were just about saving the princess, rather than the CG-animated cut-scene. But there's one company in today's world of AAA titles and inflated budgets that still believes in just playing; Thatgamecompany, which was founded in 2006 by Jenova Chen and Kellee Santiago. They initially began with a contract at Sony to develop three games for the PlayStation Network, which they fulfilled and are presumably developing their next title as we speak after receiving over seven million dollars in funding. Though they have only developed three commercially released games, Thatgamecompany is proof that it truly is about quality, not quantity. Thatgamecompany is all about artistic expression through game design, where they create beautiful innovations of sight and sound. Flower is one of the most relaxing games you'll ever play, with its simple yet wonderful gameplay that speaks to something deeper in the human mind. Their latest, 2012's Journey, was one of the most critically-acclaimed titles of the year and showed that you don't need a AAA-budget to make an experience that players will remember forever.
