THATGAMEJAM IS BACK! thatgamejam #02 Invites Developers To Turn Sound Into Play

THATGAMEJAM IS BACK! thatgamejam #02 Invites Developers To Turn Sound Into Play

Hear it. Feel it. Turn it into play. thatgamecompany’s independently organized global game jam opens October 24 with an audio-inspired theme

LOS ANGELES – October 15, 2026 – thatgamecompany, the acclaimed studio behind the legendary video games Journey, Flower and Sky: Children of the Light, today announced thatgamejam #02, the second edition of its independently organized game jam, will be running October 24 to November 7, 2026. This year, the creative prompt will arrive not as a word or an image, but as a sound, a short audio track meant to stir something in every developer who hears it.Developers of all skill levels are invited to listen closely and translate how they respond to the sound into gameplay and worlds of their own. The audio track will be revealed on opening day, October 24, and is meant to inspire the creative process. Participants are not required to create rhythm or music games.

“The first thatgamejam showed us how much heart developers bring when they’re given the inspiration and space to let their creativity and skills shine,” said Jenova Chen, CEO and Creative Director of thatgamecompany. “We chose a theme you hear because we thought it would be an intriguing prompt that challenges developers in a new way. Sound doesn’t need translating, and the games we make at TGC, from Journey to Sky, are about feeling something together without anyone having to explain it. We’re excited to see what creative heights developers reach when they take that feeling and turn it into play.”

About thatgamejam #02

Rules, guidelines and submissions are on the official itch.io page: https://itch.io/jam/thatgamejam02. A parallel portal on TapTap is available for developers based in China. thatgamejam #02 is open to developers of all backgrounds. Key details include:

Dates: Submissions open October 24, 2026 at 00:00 PT and close November 7, 2026 at 23:59 PT.
Theme: A short audio track, revealed on opening day, serves as the creative prompt. It is intended as inspiration rather than a required soundtrack, and participants are not expected to make rhythm or music games.
Eligibility: Students, hobbyists and professionals are welcome to enter, solo or in teams of up to five. Games must run on Windows or Mac and use English as the default language.
Awards and prizes: Five cash awards will be presented: Best Overall (USD 3,000), Best Gameplay (USD 2,000), Best Visual Design (USD 2,000), Community’s Voice (USD 2,000) and Taptap’s Choice (USD 1,00).
Judging: thatgamecompany team members will review all entries, with finalists evaluated by Jenova Chen.
Developers in China via TapTap: Those without itch.io access can submit through the parallel TapTap portal. It runs at the same time, with the same theme release and deadlines, and entries from both portals are judged together for prize consideration.
Winners: Winners will be announced on December 22, 2026.
Community: the thatgamejam Discord is open for team-forming, Q&A and feedback throughout the jam: https://discord.com/invite/2ETx33tWt

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About thatgamecompany

thatgamecompany is the visionary studio behind the critically acclaimed award-winning titles Flow, Flower, Journey, and Sky: Children of the Light. Since its founding in 2006, thatgamecompany has been committed to developing broadly accessible, artistic, emotional, and enriching experiences that inspire human connection between all ages and cultures. The studio’s work is now featured in the Smithsonian permanent collection and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, along with countless awards and nominations from industry groups. Led by co-founder and creative director Jenova Chen, thatgamecompany is currently supporting its latest title, Sky: Children of the Light, which broke the Guinness World Record for “most users in a concert-themed virtual world” and achieved over 300 million downloads since its launch in 2019.