Matt Nava
@mattnava.bsky.social
Creative Director of Sword of the Sea, The Pathless, and ABZÛ. Art Director of Journey and Flower. Natural history/dinosaur enthusiast. mattnava.com
Posting about Journey made me remember the origami Traveler I designed. If you want to try folding one, the instructions I drew are here!
Many people folded my design years ago, a truly wonderful thing to see. Now there are more really nice designs out there others have made.
Share if you make one!
Many people folded my design years ago, a truly wonderful thing to see. Now there are more really nice designs out there others have made.
Share if you make one!
December 7, 2024 at 3:14 AM
Posting about Journey made me remember the origami Traveler I designed. If you want to try folding one, the instructions I drew are here!
Many people folded my design years ago, a truly wonderful thing to see. Now there are more really nice designs out there others have made.
Share if you make one!
Many people folded my design years ago, a truly wonderful thing to see. Now there are more really nice designs out there others have made.
Share if you make one!
To greenlight the game, we animated a mock trailer. It featured the Ninja. The animation played a big role in getting Journey funded, so this character ended up being very important. Thank you, To-Chan. And thanks to all the fans who gave it more life over the years with their stories and art.
November 30, 2024 at 11:12 PM
To greenlight the game, we animated a mock trailer. It featured the Ninja. The animation played a big role in getting Journey funded, so this character ended up being very important. Thank you, To-Chan. And thanks to all the fans who gave it more life over the years with their stories and art.
In early tests, players expected to be able to use the Ninja's arms to climb walls, and even punch other players. Eventually I removed the arms of the character to give players a better expectation of their abilities in Journey. It took me several more design iterations to discover that solution.
November 30, 2024 at 11:12 PM
In early tests, players expected to be able to use the Ninja's arms to climb walls, and even punch other players. Eventually I removed the arms of the character to give players a better expectation of their abilities in Journey. It took me several more design iterations to discover that solution.
Internally we called it the "Ninja." Fans discovered the character after the game shipped and dubbed it "To-Chan," imagining it to be the "father" of final traveler character.
November 30, 2024 at 11:12 PM
Internally we called it the "Ninja." Fans discovered the character after the game shipped and dubbed it "To-Chan," imagining it to be the "father" of final traveler character.
We also decided early that cloth would be a tech-focus for Journey- This character was one of the first to explore how we could drape cloth on the character in an interesting and achievable way. Interestingly, it was the design of the face mask that survived most.
November 30, 2024 at 11:12 PM
We also decided early that cloth would be a tech-focus for Journey- This character was one of the first to explore how we could drape cloth on the character in an interesting and achievable way. Interestingly, it was the design of the face mask that survived most.
Our programmers we concerned about the cost and low-quality of realtime shadow rendering at the time. I was asked to design a visual style that wouldn't rely on it. I tried hand-painting the lighting, with a flat look- this character was designed to fit in these abstracted backgrounds.
November 30, 2024 at 11:12 PM
Our programmers we concerned about the cost and low-quality of realtime shadow rendering at the time. I was asked to design a visual style that wouldn't rely on it. I tried hand-painting the lighting, with a flat look- this character was designed to fit in these abstracted backgrounds.
This character was an important early step towards the final character design in Journey. I designed it before the game was greenlit, in the first weeks of the project. Elements of it stuck around until the end, and it helped define the art direction.
I'll share a bit about it in this thread.
I'll share a bit about it in this thread.
November 30, 2024 at 11:12 PM
This character was an important early step towards the final character design in Journey. I designed it before the game was greenlit, in the first weeks of the project. Elements of it stuck around until the end, and it helped define the art direction.
I'll share a bit about it in this thread.
I'll share a bit about it in this thread.
Currently, I am working on my next game: Sword of the Sea.
It will remind you of Journey, ABZÛ, The Pathless, and even nostalgic skating/snowboarding games- but it will take you to a new mysterious world made of moving waves. Please stay tuned to bsky.app/profile/gian... for updates. Thank you!
It will remind you of Journey, ABZÛ, The Pathless, and even nostalgic skating/snowboarding games- but it will take you to a new mysterious world made of moving waves. Please stay tuned to bsky.app/profile/gian... for updates. Thank you!
November 23, 2024 at 10:59 PM
Currently, I am working on my next game: Sword of the Sea.
It will remind you of Journey, ABZÛ, The Pathless, and even nostalgic skating/snowboarding games- but it will take you to a new mysterious world made of moving waves. Please stay tuned to bsky.app/profile/gian... for updates. Thank you!
It will remind you of Journey, ABZÛ, The Pathless, and even nostalgic skating/snowboarding games- but it will take you to a new mysterious world made of moving waves. Please stay tuned to bsky.app/profile/gian... for updates. Thank you!
Extra: Since shipping Journey, I started my own small game studio, Giant Squid. I created/directed ABZÛ and The Pathless, two more atmospheric adventure games. They wouldn't have been possible without the incredible team we managed to put together. If you liked Journey, you may like them as well.
November 23, 2024 at 10:59 PM
Extra: Since shipping Journey, I started my own small game studio, Giant Squid. I created/directed ABZÛ and The Pathless, two more atmospheric adventure games. They wouldn't have been possible without the incredible team we managed to put together. If you liked Journey, you may like them as well.
Final moment of the game vs a concept I created during one of the very first days of dev, years before. At the time, I didn't know what the ending would really be. I remember the moment right at the end when we got the timing just right for this. It made the game!
November 23, 2024 at 10:59 PM
Final moment of the game vs a concept I created during one of the very first days of dev, years before. At the time, I didn't know what the ending would really be. I remember the moment right at the end when we got the timing just right for this. It made the game!
Paintings and 3D mockups I made vs the final level of Journey. This level came in at the very last minute. I still can't believe we pulled it off. We scrapped an on-rails version we hacked in that didnt feel good and got a schedule extension to make it right. Thank goodness.
November 23, 2024 at 10:59 PM
Paintings and 3D mockups I made vs the final level of Journey. This level came in at the very last minute. I still can't believe we pulled it off. We scrapped an on-rails version we hacked in that didnt feel good and got a schedule extension to make it right. Thank goodness.
In early prototypes the bad guys were snake-like dragons before they turned into stone beings. The game was actually codenamed "Dragon" in the very early days.
November 23, 2024 at 10:59 PM
In early prototypes the bad guys were snake-like dragons before they turned into stone beings. The game was actually codenamed "Dragon" in the very early days.
The final entry to the mountain vs 3D mockups I did exploring the color palette.
November 23, 2024 at 10:59 PM
The final entry to the mountain vs 3D mockups I did exploring the color palette.
Later in the game you climb a ceremonial tower. My concepts were tinted with cool colors. Later in development I switched it to warm colors, to improve the bigger picture color script of the game. There needed to be a sense of warmth before you head to the cold mountain.
November 23, 2024 at 10:59 PM
Later in the game you climb a ceremonial tower. My concepts were tinted with cool colors. Later in development I switched it to warm colors, to improve the bigger picture color script of the game. There needed to be a sense of warmth before you head to the cold mountain.
The scary underground area vs the 3D mockup and concept I made for it. This scene almost got the game a Teen rating because reviewers thought there were blood effects. We changed the color of some particles to be less red to get an E rating. It was supposed to be cloth!
November 23, 2024 at 10:59 PM
The scary underground area vs the 3D mockup and concept I made for it. This scene almost got the game a Teen rating because reviewers thought there were blood effects. We changed the color of some particles to be less red to get an E rating. It was supposed to be cloth!
There was a time when the surfing canyon and the open desert were a single level in our concepts. This piece was done at that early time. Its a 3D visual mockup where I was thinking about the visual style of the game. We always tried to do the most with the least.
November 23, 2024 at 10:59 PM
There was a time when the surfing canyon and the open desert were a single level in our concepts. This piece was done at that early time. Its a 3D visual mockup where I was thinking about the visual style of the game. We always tried to do the most with the least.
Sliding through the canyon ruins. One of my pencil drawings, a colored concept piece and the final area in the game.
November 23, 2024 at 10:59 PM
Sliding through the canyon ruins. One of my pencil drawings, a colored concept piece and the final area in the game.
Funny story: Journey had no automatic shadows. I painted them all by hand. The shadow texture was not hi-res. To get the iconic sunset columns to cast sharp shadows, I made sure that they aligned with the pixel grid of the texture. Here you can see the shadow map I painted.
November 23, 2024 at 10:59 PM
Funny story: Journey had no automatic shadows. I painted them all by hand. The shadow texture was not hi-res. To get the iconic sunset columns to cast sharp shadows, I made sure that they aligned with the pixel grid of the texture. Here you can see the shadow map I painted.
Here is how the surfing level looked in our editor. This was one of the most complex levels to build. I spent so much time tweaking the angle, position, and shape of every ramp and gully.
November 23, 2024 at 10:59 PM
Here is how the surfing level looked in our editor. This was one of the most complex levels to build. I spent so much time tweaking the angle, position, and shape of every ramp and gully.
Rock arch concept I painted vs the location in the surfing game level.
November 23, 2024 at 10:59 PM
Rock arch concept I painted vs the location in the surfing game level.
Here's the desert scene vs a painting and 3D prototype I made. I wanted to save bright blue skies for the ending of the game as a reward, so I put a green sky in this earlier scene.
November 23, 2024 at 10:59 PM
Here's the desert scene vs a painting and 3D prototype I made. I wanted to save bright blue skies for the ending of the game as a reward, so I put a green sky in this earlier scene.
Every character here was playable at one point in an early version of the game. I went from humanoid to very detailed, and back to as minimal as possible. Each iteration was an important step in finding the final design.
November 23, 2024 at 10:59 PM
Every character here was playable at one point in an early version of the game. I went from humanoid to very detailed, and back to as minimal as possible. Each iteration was an important step in finding the final design.
10th anniversary Journey thread, recreated:
I was the art director of thatgamecompany's Journey. It set the course of my career and my art. I'm forever thankful to the community of players and their incredible love for the game. This is a thread comparing early dev images and how things shipped.
I was the art director of thatgamecompany's Journey. It set the course of my career and my art. I'm forever thankful to the community of players and their incredible love for the game. This is a thread comparing early dev images and how things shipped.
November 23, 2024 at 10:59 PM
10th anniversary Journey thread, recreated:
I was the art director of thatgamecompany's Journey. It set the course of my career and my art. I'm forever thankful to the community of players and their incredible love for the game. This is a thread comparing early dev images and how things shipped.
I was the art director of thatgamecompany's Journey. It set the course of my career and my art. I'm forever thankful to the community of players and their incredible love for the game. This is a thread comparing early dev images and how things shipped.
I havent posted anything in a long time. This is a drawing I did years ago on a trip to Japan. Todaiji Temple in Nara.
I used a water brush to create a wash from the pen drawing. When drawing outside, selecting just a portion of the scene can constrain the scope and somtimes enhance the piece.
I used a water brush to create a wash from the pen drawing. When drawing outside, selecting just a portion of the scene can constrain the scope and somtimes enhance the piece.
November 23, 2024 at 7:12 PM
I havent posted anything in a long time. This is a drawing I did years ago on a trip to Japan. Todaiji Temple in Nara.
I used a water brush to create a wash from the pen drawing. When drawing outside, selecting just a portion of the scene can constrain the scope and somtimes enhance the piece.
I used a water brush to create a wash from the pen drawing. When drawing outside, selecting just a portion of the scene can constrain the scope and somtimes enhance the piece.