thatgamecompany's Award-Winning Sky: Children Of The Light Soars Onto Switch In June

Free 2 Start game ?
No thanks.
It will have micro transactions on it.
I will not support practical business like that.
I want a paid game with all contents inside + physical release.

Also, that game won an award of best iPhone game ??
I don't think so.

@Anti-Matter wants physical release yet names himself antimatter lmao 💀

Looks interesting. I'll give it a try in June.

@Abweegee
Oh, my username based on DDR X2 song.
Well, nothing related with desire of anti-materials. 😅

@ThomasBW84
I'm not sure a walking simulator game can win an award. 😕
Graphically nice but when i watched the trailer, the gameplay looked empty, kinda like Journey PS3.

I've heard good things about Journey, definitely worth a try, nothing lost if it's not my thing.

@Anti-Matter in an ideal world perhaps we would have everything fully boxed and all-included, but I don't think that would be fair to expect that of every studio, especially small ones putting out their first games. Something small wouldn't warrant a box necessarily; look at the small pick-up-and-play games like Downwell that you can hop into, have a go, then leave for something bigger. Having to swap a disc/cartridge would make this a hassle, potentially dooming such studios and games from the start, and limited sales potential is gonna prevent games like this from getting made in the first place. People complain about the industry becoming stale enough as it is; let studios develop and innovate without the pressure to cover expensive cartridges and the distribution of them.

There's also no absolute indication that microtransactions are going to be horribly preying. I think there's no harm in letting people try something out for free; what's the difference between this and a demo? Except that here, you would (potentially, I'm talking more generally since I'm unfamiliar with the game in question) get more content than a demo. From a dev's perspective, it's so much easier for people to try out something they're unfamiliar with if it's free. Microtransactions provide a way for monetisation and a business for the devs to produce more content, while still enticing new customers with the sweet sweet price of free. Yeah, constant predatory pushes for purchases can eat away at the experience, and I'd imagine awards and reviews would reflect that, and I'm not defending Epic or Nintendo letting Little Timmy rack up 4 grand in debt on skins or costumes. But maturely implemented, I see no issue with their inclusion, and I feel its necessary to distinguish between the two (even if the line between them can be blurry, I admit).

If you're against these practices, good for you, but the way they enable start-up developers to get their games on the map and out to more people is, in my opinion, a lot more valuable than being able to put a games' case on a bookshelf.

Edit: wow, I did not anticipate this becoming such a big essay, until looking back on it. Hey, NL, you hiring?

@stinky_t
Well, that's why i don't play handphone games.
I don't like and will never like practical business of Free 2 Play, Micro transanctions, Digital only, Online only, Streaming only, etc.
I will not happy by those practical business like that.
I choose the Old style gaming, all in physical media with box, cover, manual inside because i am dinosaur when talking about video games.

@Anti-Matter Lol, I definitely admit there's a charm to having a tangible box, especially for something bigger with big file sizes (Doom Eternal, anyone...) but I think in general, depending on the implementation of course, these new practices can be beneficial for devs and consumers

This is a great mobile game, my main complaint was I wish I could play it on a bigger screen. I'm getting this day one, and it's even better if some proceeds go to charities.

Also Trails of Cold Steel 1 and 2 have been confirmed for Switch, but only in Japan yet. I hope not for long.

I'm not usually into F2P games, but this game looks so awesome! I also love that some of the proceeds go to charities (money even more well spent). I will most likely give this a go!

Looks interesting, and I loved Journey on PS3, but I don’t play “free”-with-caveats games.
No money paid, game not played.
Simple as that.

Exceptions are games with a price tag, that for various reasons, are free for the duration of a promotion, like what Epic Games does, and publishers occasionally do on Steam.

I played Journey on the PS3. It made me cry, multiple times. I forgot about this developer, after awhile. I’m down to try this.

@Anti-Matter I'm all for wanting a box and generally disagree with the concept of F2P, but it doesn't give developers a fair shake when they're all lumped together. Warframe devs show players respect for time and money by not being P2W. Sky is similar in that regard and the core game has a lot of content without needing to pay.

My issue with F2P is the concept of games as a service. Too many devs put out games for a quick penny and discontinue service in under a year - Square is notorious for this. However, for devs that show respect to gamers still deserve to be paid for their hard work even if it's F2P.

I'd argue that F2P makes games more accessible to the masses, but not all F2P games and devs are created equal so it's wise to choose which ones you invest time and money in.

@ThomasBW84 Do we know if Sky will be released on other consoles and PC as well or is it just mobile and Switch for now?

@Anti-Matter it’s obvious you haven’t played the game. They mostly have buyable cosmetics for charities and this game has the quality of a game you would pay for anyway.

Definitely get this game! Will be great on switch

Well, if it's anything like Journey, I'd gladly play it. And if it's "free to start", whatever that means (isn't that what they used to call "a demo"?), I can try it for free, so no reason not to.

@Anti-Matter I think the line between "demo", "free to play",... all those concepts, isn't that everything or nothing. I'm all for limiting the maximum amount you can pay (like, for example, standard price for a full game unlocks the full game, and no money made from arbitrary artificial real time waiting and "time savers", that's blatant robbery of and disrespect to the consumer), and I'm all for physical releases too, but that's probably more a personal preference (with obvious benefits and obvious negative sides).
But free to play with microtransactions for small portions of the game, that add up and at a certain amount just unlock the full game, that would be a good concept I think. Better than €60 games that you may or may not enjoy, may or may not finish, may or may not offer enough value for that price,... Something like episodic game releases for example, that is not that bad of an idea, both for consumers and producers, if all goes well. Or digital rentals, even streaming maybe, with full offline purchase options that detract the rental price. Now, if all goes well, you have a good game for a high price. If you're unlucky though, you've spent full price on something that wasn't worth it for you.
Anyway, I understand what you're saying, or I think I do, but it's not all bad.
What IS all bad though, is the total lack of manuals with standard physical releases. I loved them, and when I see a game has one, I'm instantly interested in that game, even if I don't think I'll like it that much. Doesn't mean I'll buy it, but it always catches my attention when I see it.

It is actually a beautiful and fun game, hindered entirely by touch screen controls. I am looking forward to playing it with physical controls.

I dabble with it on mobile and whilst I kind of enjoy it I really don't know what it's about how what I'm meant to be doing. I hope I'd get more out of it on a console because you're more committed to a play session, which translates to more of an understanding of it. Not exactly hyped but quietly looking forward to it, I'd say

@Anti-Matter Damn I'm completely with you. Of course mobile games will never be physical but I can't stand micro transaction, free to play etc. I have a good sized physical collection of many games & consoles going back to the SNES and think the idea of the inevitable all-digital future is a little sad.

Yesssssss! I've wanted to play this game the moment it was announced in Japan! Very reminiscent of Journey and japanese players online seem to LOVE it! Gameplay looks engaging too! Very much looking forward to this

I've been waiting very patiently for this release. I've enjoyed the mobile version and can't wait, it's going to be a great addition to the Switch lineup.

@Anti-Matter The game says "free to start" but the entire full game is completely free. You can pay for seasonal "Adventure Passes" which allow you to unlock some special seasonal items earlier than others. These items eventually return and can be obtained without the adventure pass by all players. Additionally these "premium" seasonal items only represent a fraction of the special new items added as a part of each season, as many of these items can be obtained without said adventure pass. In game purchase items are extremely rare, and many times the profits are donated to a charity, such as with the upcoming "days of Nature" event raising money to clean the oceans. Many games do abuse micro transactions but after playing Sky for over a year I really don't believe Sky is one of those games. I never felt pressured into any purchases, and never felt as though my enjoyment of the game was hindered by not making purchases. When I did decide to make purchases it really felt as though I was simply making a purchase that I really wanted, not because I needed to do it to enjoy the game.

@TurtleCat314 Your post is 100% accurate and is the way I feel about the game too. I don't know why it's considered free to start, because the whole game is free aside from cosmetic items you can purchase and the season passes which also only give extra cosmetic items (and around half of the season rewards don't even require the paid season pass to earn). When I do make real money purchases, it feels rewarding because I know part of my purchase goes to charity. I don't understand the hate towards this game as it's one of the most wholesome games I've played and the community is very friendly and kind. I've made a ton of friends from across the world in this game.