Jenova Chen Says Valve Passed on Cloud in 2005: "We Only Publish Games With Guns"

Chen shared the story in a new interview, tracing his game-making path back to 2005 when he needed tuition money. The University of Southern California was offering a gaming innovation grant for a pitch described as the opposite of what mainstream media was condemning after the Columbine shooting. That framing pointed Chen toward the polar opposite of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto series.

I was like, 'What is the opposite of Grand Theft Auto San Andreas?'

The answer was Cloud, a wholesome game built around a boy dreaming of flying while stuck in a hospital bed. Chen and fellow students aimed to turn that concept into a peaceful experience at a time when the market was dominated by heavier action titles such as Assassin's Creed, Half-Life, Halo, Resident Evil, and Grand Theft Auto.

Pitching Cloud to Valve

Cloud was not an easy sell. Chen says the team took the project to publishers across the industry, including Valve, the company behind Half-Life 2 and the Portal games.

We pitched to pretty much every publisher you can imagine, including Valve.

Valve's response, Chen recalls, reflected the shooter-focused identity the publisher was known for at the time.

Back in 2005, Valve was like, 'We only publish games with guns, our players like to shoot.'

Thatgamecompany has since become closely associated with more reflective games, including Journey and Sky: Children of the Light. Chen has long been tied to that more zen style of game design, and Cloud sits at the root of that creative direction even though it did not land with Valve.

Where Cloud and Valve Stand Now

Cloud did eventually reach the public. The game can still be downloaded for free online.

Valve remains best known for shooter franchises such as Counter-Strike and Half-Life. Games with a violent edge continue to draw major attention, with hype around Grand Theft Auto 6 and its upcoming launch as one current example of that trend.

At the same time, cozy and relaxing games have grown far beyond the niche Cloud occupied in 2005. Thatgamecompany's own lineup is part of a broader shift that has made peaceful experiences a much more visible part of the modern gaming landscape than they were when Chen was pitching against the GTA era.