Jenova Chen talks about flOwer and Sony's interest in 'grown up gamers'

by Andrew Yoon { May 9th 2008 at 6:30PM }

Not much is known about thatgamecompany's mysterious flOwer. The PSN downloadable was revealed at TGS as their big follow-up to the best-selling flOw, but few gameplay details have been unearthed. Jenova Chen talked to Gamasutra about developing another PSN title, and how the team has finally come to grips with the incredible power of the PS3.

"When we were working on flOw we didn't really use any SPUs, which is the biggest asset of PS3. Or, even if we used them, it was done by other programmers, not the programmers on our team," explained Chen. "But now, the team has caught up, and they've all started doing SPU programming. So that is really making a difference. We actually used the power of the PS3 this time."

After flOwer's release, thatgamecompany is still obliged to producing at least one more game for Sony. Thankfully, it appears that Sony has been incredibly respectful of the development process. "So far we have had a great relationship with Sony. They totally understand what we are doing, and they appreciate what we are doing." Sony's quest for artistic games is something that resonates with both parties: "I think Sony is much more interested in making games stylish and artistic; more appealing to adults. On that aspect, I think they are the same as we are. Because we are making games for people who are, I would say, like grown up gamers, who expect to see more out of a game than traditional actions."

Tags: flOwer, Jenova-Chen, thatgamecompany

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

kevin @ May 9th 2008 6:36PM

wow fl0wer looks amazing right now i have fl0w expansi0n and omg i love it how you evolve from a snake thingy to a dolphin and the awesome screenshots this is a must buy for me!

skech775 @ May 9th 2008 8:43PM

thats gibbirish garbage. a bunch of useless knowledge for a crappy game. next!

Lars @ May 12th 2008 1:54PM

^ Not a grown-up gamer ^

Lavane @ May 9th 2008 8:48PM

It's nice to see there are still companies in this industry that are pushing to be innovative and not just make "another FPS".

I'm definetly getting this.

jahd5000 @ May 10th 2008 3:18PM

i sooo agree with you? y so many fukin FPSs??? and what is worse, y if they all are the same? for me COD4 and well amybe Haze, but so may good ideas.
We need more nice RPGs, Action, Puzzles!
Every1 wants a RPG of:
DBZ
Marvel
DC Universe
Maybe LOTR, or Harry Potter, imagine building you own life as a warrior/wizard in the middle earth/wirzardring world!
Of cours,e more to action, not like tedious JRPGs

linebeginstoblur @ May 9th 2008 9:31PM

From the developers: "And it's Flower, not flOwer! Just a coincidence that it's flOw with an "er"."
http://www.thatgamecompany.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=613&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15

Amish Gramish @ May 9th 2008 11:57PM

Yeah, I still find it annoying how almost everyone still refers to it as flOwer.

I'm sure TGC will like how they are getting more exposure!
(Off to the thatgamecompany forums)

Vincent @ May 9th 2008 10:18PM

fl0w is still one of my top-3 PS3 experiences. I'm sure fl0wer will deliver too!

Mike @ May 9th 2008 10:45PM

Love how it shows the true power of the ps3 but so far as gameplay i didnt like flOw and i proboly wont like this either

Lars @ May 12th 2008 2:03PM

I kinda agree with you. I've only played the free computer version of flOw, and I thought: YAWN. Mildly entertaining, but also kinda boring.

However, lately I have been thinking of getting the PSN version and expansion because I just found out that it has 4-player action... now THAT I can get into!

I really do appreciate what they're trying to do though. I love the fact that the PS3 seems to be the console for indie-type games. I love Everyday Shooter. And Echochrome, PJ Monsters, etc. are all wonderful indie-style games.