thatgamecompany's art director on meaning over mechanics in game design
Summary
Cecil Kim, Studio Art Director at thatgamecompany, reflects on a career spanning Square, Sony Santa Monica, and now indie-focused emotional game design
His trajectory - from Final Fantasy and God of War to Sky: Children of the Light - frames a shift from AAA craft to purpose-driven development
Key theme: technology serves the message, not the other way around
"At thatgamecompany, we focus less on tools and more on experience and message. Technology supports that vision, but it doesn't define it."
01
Career arc - from Square's boot camp to Sony's AAA machine
Cecil Kim entered the industry in the late 1990s at Square, working on Final Fantasy and Parasite Eve on PlayStation One
He had traditional art skills but no digital software experience - he learned on the job during a Hawaii-based production relocation
He describes it as "an art boot camp" - real production pressure combined with cross-cultural collaboration with Japanese staff
After Square, he spent ~12 years at Sony Santa Monica as a visual development concept artist on the God of War franchise
At Sony, he developed a broader view of production, direction, and cross-discipline collaboration beyond pure craft execution
02
Section Studios - the entrepreneurial detour
After Sony, Kim co-founded Section Studios in Los Angeles with Justin Yoon and Jimmy Yoon
The studio focused on art outsourcing for game studios and publishing art books
This eventually led to developing original games and collaborating with indie studios - a bridge toward thatgamecompany
03
Joining thatgamecompany - philosophy over polish
Kim joined thatgamecompany 5 years ago, seeking creative space beyond AAA constraints
His role covers art direction for new announced projects and supporting Sky as a live service title
He also handles talent acquisition to sustain the studio's creative vision
"I wanted to explore my full potential beyond AAA development. At thatgamecompany, I found a strong philosophy centered on meaningful experiences."
04
Sky's live service evolution - story, concerts, and shared moments
Sky: Children of the Light grew into a story-driven live service with seasonal content, new characters, and ongoing narratives
The team introduced social features like in-game concerts and shared viewing experiences
Planning these types of features requires years of lead time, reflecting the complexity of live service at this scale
The shift toward narrative-led seasons came as the player base expanded and demanded more meaningful content
05
Forward look - defining message as core design discipline
Kim's central thesis is that a game's message must be defined before mechanics and technology are layered on top
This positions thatgamecompany's approach as a potential reference model for studios seeking differentiation beyond graphical fidelity
As live service competition intensifies, emotionally resonant content and shared social experiences may become stronger retention levers than feature volume
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