UPDATE (9/17/17): thatgamecompany has clarified that Sky will come to iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV “first,” and will not be permanently exclusive to Apple. This post has been update to reflect this news.
During Apple’s September 12, 2017 iPhone X Keynote Address—which saw the announcement of slew of new products—thatgamecompany made a surprise appearance and took to the stage to announce their newest game. It’s called Sky, it looks absolutely breathtaking, and it’s coming to Apple devices soon.
We knew that thatgamecompany has been working on a new game since the conclusion of Journey, but they’ve been tight-lipped about the project for years, giving us little more than cryptic images and teases. During the announcement on Tuesday, however, they finally broke their silence.
After announcing their new Apple TV with 4K and HDR capabilities, Eddie Cue, Apple’s Senior Vide-President of Internet Software and Services, welcomed thatgamecompany’s Founder and Creative Director, Jenova Chen, to the stage to break the news. Sky‘s Gameplay was the focus of the announcement, and it played on the screen behind Chen as he described the game’s concept and progression.
Visually, the game looks very similar to Flower and Journey, with heavy influences such as huge creatures that soar over the clouds beneath the game world, and rings of sound that emit from characters and creatures, as well as the mechanics of opening up new areas whenever the main character sits cross-legged in front of candle-lit stone structures. It’s set, as its name suggests, in the sky above the clouds, and revolves around connection with other players around the world, with which players can expect to play with up to eight. Among the features Chen highlighted, he noted that the game rewards players’ “kindness” and “compassion” by revealing secrets within the game world. Mountaintops jut out from beneath the clouds beneath a breathtaking view of what looks like a kingdom in the distance, with stone archways that sprinkle the landscape beneath it, the image of which have been teasing the game since thatgamecompany first revealed its existence almost five years ago.
The game looks absolutely gorgeous, we can’t wait to play it, and I, for one, am relieved to hear that it isn’t going to be a permanent exclusive for iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. I don’t know about you, but a game “specially created to be played, and shared, among loved ones and family” sounds like a perfect fit for the Nintendo Switch! Here’s hoping we won’t have to wait long for news about which platforms it will be coming to next!
Sky will ostensibly release sometime this winter. No price point has been announced as of yet.
Watch an interview with the developer below, and check game’s official website here.
Joy+Sticks Gaming 