In an interview with Edge Magazine, the head of thatgamecompany shared that each of his games is connected to personal experiences. He described Flower as a project about longing for nature, and Journey as a reflection of loneliness after moving to the USA.
According to Chen, World of Warcraft became an important part of his life. He noted:
World of Warcraft was a salvation for me, but I couldn't communicate properly with people to form real, meaningful friendships.
He added that due to language and differences in perception, he was often perceived differently:
If I used voice chat, people would say my English wasn't very good then. And when my identity was revealed, I started to be treated differently.
At the same time, the developer recalls positive moments: accidental encounters between Horde and Alliance players without combat and "silent" interaction in contested zones. It was these episodes, he said, that created a sense of respect and connection between people.
These impressions later formed the basis of Sky: Children of the Light, a game with a cooperative experience without traditional communication. Chen describes it as a reflection of the gratitude he felt for the world of MMOs.