Initial Journey settings included forests, cities, mountain trails

Thatgamecompany was looking at other settings for Journey before it settled on the desert, studio co-founder Jenova Chen.

"Initially we thought, what if it's forest, mountain trail, or a city? The problem is the background is so complex, it doesn't help to see the players," said Chen, speaking in a recent press Q&A covered by Shack.

"If you put two players in a desert, they pop out. Visually it gives a much stronger sense of the relationship between the characters."

It goes without saying, but don't expect a sequel anytime soon.

"The world of Journey is somewhat complete, it's designed to be a Japanese garden. We've removed everything that could be removed, so what's left is what's most important," said Chen.

Journey launches today in the US and tomorrow in Europe for PlayStation Plus subs. It'll go live for all PS3 users next week.