Jenova Chen thinks games are on track to replace cinema as the world’s premier art form.
Chen has been a household name in gaming since 2005, when he launched his career with the puzzle game Cloud, a student project that went viral. In 2006, Chen co-founded Thatcamecompany with his production partner Kellee Santiago, with the studio going on to develop critically lauded and emotionally charged titles like Flower and Journey. In May 2026, he took the stage at GamesBeat Summit, GamesBeat’s annual conference in Los Angeles, to celebrate and share lessons learned during his studio’s 20-year tenure. He also sat down to record an episode of the BIG Show, GamesBeat’s podcast.
“In the next decade, it’s going to cover all demographics, and I think that is about the time where games will replace cinema as the greatest form of art of all time,” Chen said during his podcast interview with GamesBeat lead news writer Alexander Lee (that’s me).
My 22-minute conversation with Chen covered a lot of ground, from his frustrations over the rise of “pseudo-gambling” mechanics like gacha and loot boxes to his interest in the so-called “friendslop” genre. We also discussed the similarities between elements of Chen’s life and the narrative of the popular fiction novel “Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow,” which is about two college students whose viral game design project empowers them to form a company that makes emotionally deep games.
“I heard they’re trying to make a movie about it, too,” Chen said. “I hope they get our games correctly.”
To listen to the show, click on the Spotify player above — or you can click here to watch the full video if you’re a GB MAX member. More episodes of the BIG Show are coming this summer, with regular episode drops every Monday between July 6 and August 3, as well as occasional bonus episode drops throughout the summer.