Braid and The Witness creator Jonathan Blow said sales of Braid’s anniversary edition were “shit” and “terrible,” even suggesting the company’s fate hangs in the balance.
The Braid Anniversary Edition launches in May. It’s a remaster of the original 2008 game, considered by many to be one of the best indie games of all time. The new version brings new features and even a 15-hour commentary track for fans to enjoy.
However, according to the game’s creators, sales weren’t great. The YouTube channel Blow Fan compiled short clips of Jonathan Blow responding to fans’ inquiries about the game’s success on Twitch.
In the first clip, which comes six days after the game’s release, Blow said it’s too early to tell, but “it’s not like we sold a million copies on day one or anything. You know, that’s what you mean” d expectations. It’s a remaster, right, so you wouldn’t expect it to get the same hype as a new game.
The next clip is from a livestream on June 17, 34 days after the launch of the Braid Anniversary Edition. An audience member asked Blow if it was selling well, and he said, “No, it’s selling badly.”
He went on to clarify the answer: “Well, it depends on what your criteria are. Like, compared to, uh, if you compare it to a retro game like a Jeff Minter game on Steam or an Atari 50, it sells It’s going great. Selling like dogs – shit compared to what we need for the company to survive. So, the future is uncertain, let’s put it that way.
In another video from July 21, 68 days after the game’s release, an audience member asked about Braid’s sales.
“No, they’re terrible,” Blow said. “They’re terrible”
The user said they did buy a copy, and Blow joked “Thank you.” Now the minus 1 situation is bad.
A day later, a viewer asked if Blow’s launch on PlayStation would make a difference. Blow responded: “It does make a difference, but the problem is that most platforms are dead now. So Steam is definitely our biggest platform, so if it’s not being ported to half of those platforms, there’s something to be said for it.
Blow went on to say that he’s still happy with the game he put out.
“We did a really interesting thing. You know, the way we did commentary was unprecedented, and in a way, you just have to know that what you’re doing is a good thing, even if the world doesn’t do it. I really Admit it, I think this is one of them.
In the final clip shot on July 27, Blow once again answered questions about Braid, calling them “terrible.” When asked how many people were working on the new programming language Blow was designing, he said “No, because sales are so bad we can’t pay anyone.”
This paints a pretty bad picture for Blow’s company. The Braid Anniversary Edition launched to good reviews, but it became clear that consumers had no interest in replaying the game after so many years. To be honest, I can’t blame them: Braid has seen better days and still looks beautiful even today. Indie games are bigger and more competitive now. Making a remaster is also an odd choice considering Blow has only released two games so far
