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mattnava.bsky.social
Matt Nava
@mattnava.bsky.social
3.9K followers 720 following 42 posts
Creative Director of Sword of the Sea, The Pathless, and ABZÛ. Art Director of Journey and Flower. Natural history/dinosaur enthusiast. mattnava.com
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mattnava.bsky.social
Matt Nava @mattnava.bsky.social · Nov 23
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.
The intro title shot from the PS3 game Journey. This is from the finished game. The title "Journey" is displayed above a distant mountain, with the player character seeing it from atop a sand dune. The intro title shot from a work in progress version of Journey. The title's font is different, the composition is asymmetrical, and the distant mountain is not as tall as the final version. My initial sketch for the title shot for the game Journey. A simple, small line drawing featuring the player character in the foreground and the mountain in the distance.
Reposted by Matt Nava
giantsquidstudios.com
Surf's up Saturday! 🤙

Experience Sword of the Sea the new adventure game from Giant Squid.
August 23, 2025 at 11:39 PM
Reposted by Matt Nava
giantsquidstudios.com
Want to be featured on the PlayStation Blog?

📸 Grab your camera and share moments restoring the sea using #PSshare #PSBlog on Instagram or Twitter/X for a chance to be featured.

SUBMIT BY: 11:59 PM PT on August 27, 2025
Sword of the Sea: Share of the Week #PSshare #PSBlog
August 23, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Reposted by Matt Nava
minnmax.com
What are you playing this weekend? Here's the MinnMax Discord's Top 10!

1. Sword of The Sea
2. Death Stranding 2: On The Beach
3. Hollow Knight
4. The Rogue Prince of Persia
5. UFO 50
6. Donkey Kong Bananza
7. Lies Of P: Overture
8. Marvel Rivals
9. Merge Maestro
10. Rematch
August 22, 2025 at 11:10 PM
Reposted by Matt Nava
awintory.bsky.social
This weekend (130pm PST) gonna hang in a Bandcamp listening party to stream SWORD OF THE SEA in case anyone wants to chill with me! Will share stories and BTS stuff and just overall have a nice chill time :)

(it's totally free)
austinwintory.bandcamp.com/merch/sword-...
Sword of the Sea Listening Party from Austin Wintory
Listening Party from Austin Wintory.
austinwintory.bandcamp.com
August 22, 2025 at 3:12 PM
Reposted by Matt Nava
eurogamer.bsky.social
Sword of the Sea knows the power of putting you at the top of a steep hill and showing you the world.

Our review: bit.ly/4fIb9kC
August 18, 2025 at 3:28 PM
mattnava.bsky.social
It was so fun talking to Kate about design ideas behind Sword of the Sea. Thanks so much for letting me geek out about some of my inspirations, and for the thoughtful, kind words about the game. Thanks Kate!
ohmymithrandir.bsky.social Kate Sánchez @ohmymithrandir.bsky.social · Aug 18
Thanks to @giantsquidstudios.com 's Matt Nava for taking the time to talk with me about Sword of the Sea!

We dive deep on the game's inspirations, mechanics, and design, but the thing that struck me was Nava's goal to leave the world better than he found it with his games:
Giant Squid's Matt Nava Talks Sword of the Sea And Leaving The World Better Than It Was
We spoke with Giant Squid's Creative Director, Matt Nava about Sword of the Sea's unique mechanics, exploration with no map, and more.
butwhytho.net
August 21, 2025 at 6:48 AM
mattnava.bsky.social
Check out this great article about Sword of the Sea! It was an absolute delight to chat with Lewis about the game-we talked about the thoughts behind it, and even about the crazy sand and water shader! Thank you!
August 20, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Reposted by Matt Nava
izzylizard.bsky.social
Best day! So wonderful seeing all the joy and love from our players today. So many thoughts I want to express, but don’t have the words tonight. Thank you for your support and enjoy #SwordOfTheSea !

💖🗡️🏄🌊💖
August 20, 2025 at 5:41 AM
mattnava.bsky.social
Finally- please enjoy Sword of the Sea!
giantsquidstudios.com Giant Squid 🦑 @giantsquidstudios.com · Aug 19
From the visionary artist behind #ABZÛ, #ThePathless, and #Journey comes a new adventure:

Sword of the Sea - OUT NOW 🌊
August 19, 2025 at 9:37 PM
Reposted by Matt Nava
awintory.bsky.social
It's SWORD OF THE SEA launch day! I'm SO happy to be sharing this one at long last! We started work on it 2021 & it's been a major labor of love that whole time. @giantsquidstudios.com @mattnava.bsky.social alway push to make something poignant, artful & unique and I only hope the music follows suit
August 19, 2025 at 3:54 PM
mattnava.bsky.social
Finished making a video game today!
August 19, 2025 at 3:54 AM
Reposted by Matt Nava
giantsquidstudios.com
3 Days until Sword of the Sea is out PS5 & PC 🐬
August 16, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Reposted by Matt Nava
eurogamer.bsky.social
Sword of the Sea is an expression of the joy of movement in video games - PS Plus subscribers are in for an absolute treat.

Giant Squid, the developer behind Abzû and The Pathless, talks mindfulness and motion in our preview before it launches next week: www.eurogamer.net/sword-of-the...
Sword of the Sea official screenshot showing the Wraith surfing on their sword through the golden desert and its scenic ruins
August 15, 2025 at 8:34 AM
Reposted by Matt Nava
playstation.com
Your PlayStation Plus Game Catalog lineup for August:

🐉 Mortal Kombat 1
🕸️ Marvel’s Spider-Man
🏄 Sword of the Sea
👾 Earth Defense Force 6

…and more, all available Aug 19. Full details: play.st/4mEVt3N
Game library varies over time, country/region and plan. PS Plus is subject to a recurring subscription fee taken automatically until cancellation. Terms apply: play.st/psplus-usageterms
August 13, 2025 at 3:31 PM
Reposted by Matt Nava
giantsquidstudios.com
Join the Wraith on a quest to bring life back to a barren world in Sword of the Sea 🌊 Arriving August 19
August 10, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Reposted by Matt Nava
giantsquidstudios.com
Launching this month 🛹

#SwordoftheSea
#PlayStation5
#PC
August 5, 2025 at 9:51 PM
Reposted by Matt Nava
giantsquidstudios.com
Get ready to surf across glistening emerald waters and uncover stunning secrets with your hoversword.

🏄 Sword of the Sea launches on August 19!
A screenshot from the upcoming game Sword of the Sea showing a vista of sparkling waves tiered into the distance with a pyramid structure standing tall above the rest of the landscape. The Wraith tears across the oceanscape at high speeds while upon a hoversword.
August 3, 2025 at 2:02 PM
Reposted by Matt Nava
giantsquidstudios.com
Don’t miss this exclusive interview with @mattnava.bsky.social about Sword of the Sea at Summer Game Fest!
remapradio.bsky.social Remap Radio @remapradio.bsky.social · Jun 16
Patrick spent a few days in Los Angeles at this year’s Summer Game Fest, and in-between equal parts beer and coffee, he found time to chat with a bunch of game developers at the show about their games (and fascism). remapradio.com/podcasts/epi...
Remap Interviews – Summer Game Fest Interviews (Part 1)
Patrick spent a few days in Los Angeles at this year’s Summer Game Fest, and in-between equal parts beer and coffee, he found time to chat with a bunch of game developers at the show about their games...
remapradio.com
June 26, 2025 at 1:57 PM
Reposted by Matt Nava
giantsquidstudios.com
"I expected this studio’s next game to be an engrossing adventure, but I didn’t expect it to rip this hard."
June 21, 2025 at 8:34 PM
Reposted by Matt Nava
gameinformer.com
We went hands-on with Sword of the Sea at Summer Game Fest and came away viscerally refreshed and excited to play Giant Squid's upcoming game when it releases this August. Our impressions: gameinformer.com/preview/2025...
In the middle of a desert with ruins in the background, the Wraith makes a sharp turn on their hovering sword.
June 13, 2025 at 5:13 PM
Reposted by Matt Nava
giantsquidstudios.com
Former PlayStation president @yosp-jp.bsky.social hails upcoming PS Plus day-one release Sword of the Sea as their “favorite game”

www.videogamer.com/news/former-...

@mattnava.bsky.social @tinaheartgames.bsky.social
A photograph of Shuhei, Matt Nava, and Tina Kowalewski at the demo for Sword of the Sea at IGN Live.
June 11, 2025 at 7:10 PM
Reposted by Matt Nava
giantsquidstudios.com
Join us today for an in-depth look at Sword of the Sea with Creative Director Matt Nava during @dayofthedevs.org: Summer Game Fest Edition 2025.

#SwordoftheSea
Day of the Devs Summer Game Fest Edition Featuring Sword of the Sea
June 6, 2025 at 6:45 PM
Reposted by Matt Nava
izzylizard.bsky.social
There's some more gameplay footage in here 👀

So proud of our team!

#SwordoftheSea
giantsquidstudios.com Giant Squid 🦑 @giantsquidstudios.com · Jun 5
Sword of the Sea: Hands-on Report!
ㅤ
Read the full article here written by Sony Interactive Entertainment's O'Dell Harmon Jr.:
blog.playstation.com/2025/06/05/s...

Sword of the Sea is launching August 19th, 2025.
Sword of the Sea: hands-on report
A spiritual quest to bring the ocean back comes to PlayStation Plus Game Catalog day one on August 19.
blog.playstation.com
June 5, 2025 at 5:29 PM
Reposted by Matt Nava
jacquicollins.bsky.social
if only a pr person with incredible foresight saved three (3) whole sgf play days appointment slots in case anyone would want to come see us after seeing state of play. hit me up if you’re interested.
giantsquidstudios.com Giant Squid 🦑 @giantsquidstudios.com · Jun 4
We're excited to reveal that Sword of the Sea will officially launch on August 19th this year!

Get ready to ride the waves on PlayStation 5, Steam, and Epic Games Store.

Wishlist links below!

#SwordoftheSea
June 4, 2025 at 10:15 PM
Reposted by Matt Nava
awintory.bsky.social
Forever grateful for my ongoing partnership with @giantsquidstudios.com and @mattnava.bsky.social - I adore this game and am lucky to be part of it. 🙏🙏🙏🙏

See you August 19!!
giantsquidstudios.com Giant Squid 🦑 @giantsquidstudios.com · Jun 4
We're excited to reveal that Sword of the Sea will officially launch on August 19th this year!

Get ready to ride the waves on PlayStation 5, Steam, and Epic Games Store.

Wishlist links below!

#SwordoftheSea
June 4, 2025 at 9:52 PM