Thatgamecompany Announces Second ‘thatgamejam’ Event

Thatgamecompany, the developers behind Journey and Sky: Children of the Light, have announced a second iteration of its “thatgamejam” event. The event will start on October 24. 

On October 24, thatgamecompany will launch the prompt, which it describes as “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.” It notes that participants are not required to create rhythm or music games. More details will be available via the itch.io page.

The guidelines are as follows:

• • 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.

Jenova Chen, CEO and Creative Director of thatgamecompany, comments on the new event: “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.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.”