Lackluster sales of Thekla Inc’s puzzle platformer, Braid Anniversary Edition, have put the salaries if its developers at risk.
During the latest video on his YouTube channel, Braid Anniversary Edition director Jonathan Blow discussed how the remaster performed in terms of sales. He mentioned that, on platforms like Steam, most revenue post-launch comes from sales, such as the summer sale, so he still needs to see how the game did in that respect. Though, he added that it didn’t sell a million copies on day one, which is expected for a remaster.
According to Blow, many people appreciated Braid Anniversary Edition, but that’s still not enough for the company to survive. He mentioned that the future is uncertain, as sales have been terrible. He thanked everyone who bought a copy, but overall, he described the game’s sales as “utterly terrible”.
Blow said that launching Braid Anniversary Edition on PlayStation platforms made a difference, but most of them are dead now, with Steam still being the biggest platform. He added that perhaps not porting to those platforms would have been better.
The Braid Anniversary Edition director highlighted the interesting things the development team did with the remaster, such as extensive commentary, but he feels that the world hasn’t acknowledged it. He mentioned that Thekla Inc didn’t promote the game at festivals or cons, as they aren’t very effective for promotion. He jokingly said that a Braid Skyrim Edition might have sold some more copies, but he might have ended up receiving a message from Bethesda lawyers.
As per Blow, YouTube interviews and podcasts mostly aren’t good for promotion, but a big platform like Joe Rogan’s might help. He believes that the game industry is struggling overall. Currently, there are no full-time workers on compiler right now because Thekla Inc can’t afford to pay anyone due to poor sales.
