Braid: Anniversary Edition has not met the sales expectations its creator, Jonathan Blow, had initially hoped for. This revelation comes from a series of comments Blow has made during his Twitch streams, each echoing a decline in his optimism about the game’s performance since its release in May.
Initial Optimism
In a video compiled by the YouTube channel ‘Blow Fan,’ Blow discussed his expectations for the remaster. On May 20, about a week after its launch, he appeared to be hopeful. Blow noted that games typically experience a significant sales spike at launch, followed by a sharp drop before stabilizing to a gradual decline. He acknowledged that while Braid: Anniversary Edition had not sold a million copies on day one, his team was not expecting the remaster to sell like a brand-new game. He said, ‘We just have to see where it lands.’
Declining Sales
However, by June 17, Blow’s tone had shifted considerably. When asked if the game had sold well, Blow candidly responded, ‘It has sold horribly.’ Compared to other nostalgic-themed games, such as those by Jeff Minter or the Atari 50, Blow indicated that Braid’s remaster had ‘sold like dogshit.’ The lack of sufficient revenue had significant repercussions, with Blow stating that the company’s survival was at stake.
Continued Struggles
The outlook remained grim as July approached its end. On July 21, Blow once again lamented the game’s poor sales, mentioning that despite some isolated purchases, the overall numbers remained dismal. He admitted that his team had not promoted the remaster at any conventions, citing minimal promotional value but acknowledged that conventions offer benefits by enabling development teams to engage with the public. By July 27, Blow’s stance was unchanged. He reiterated that sales were bad and noted that the entire gaming industry was experiencing a challenging period.
The disappointing sales have had a direct impact on Blow’s future projects. He revealed that his company could not afford to pay anyone to work full-time on the compiler for his Jai programming language due to the lack of income from Braid: Anniversary Edition.
