The creator of Braid, Jonathan Blow, said that sales for the game's anniversary edition went "utterly terrible," adding that the franchise's future is now uncertain.
The developer noted that the situation has left him struggling to employ staff full-time. Blow became one of the most popular indie game developers after Braid received critical acclaim when it launched on Xbox Live Arcade in 2008.
Braid: Anniversary Edition's Sales Performance
Since then, the game has been known as one of the greatest indie games of all time and has received several perfect review scores from various critics. The developer released in May 2024, a remaster with fully repainted artwork, new puzzles, and in-depth commentary.
It was made available on various platforms, including PC via Steam, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Android, and iOS.
Additionally, Netflix released the mobile version to people who have an active subscription, according to IGN.
Braid: Anniversary Edition was first announced during Sony's State of Play event that was held in August 2020. A compilation of commentary from Blow on Braid: Anniversary Edition's sales performance was published by the YouTube channel "Blow Fan."
These commentaries were made during a number of different livestreams that happened in the months since the game's launch. While the developer failed to confirm an exact sales figure, the picture that he painted suggested that Braid: Anniversary Edition flopped hard.
Not Meeting Expectations
In a stream on June 17, 2024, Blow said that Brad: Anniversary Edition sold "horribly," adding that it sold like "dogsh*t" compared to what they needed to keep the company going. He continued to say that the future has become uncertain because of the circumstances.
The developer also said that Steam was undeniably the biggest platform for the studio to take advantage of.
However, if a decision was made to save on porting costs and forego a release on Switch and other consoles, the same situation would have still happened, said NintendoLife.
While sales for Braid: Anniversary Edition have not met expectations, Blow seems to be satisfied with the game that they released.
He said that at some point, "You just have to know that what you did was a good thing even if the world doesn't really acknowledge it and this is one of those cases I think."
The original Braid was released in 2008 and was a critically acclaimed puzzle platformer and gave players the ability to manipulate time, according to Rock Paper Shotgun.
