Post by Her Highness on Feb 3, 2016 23:20:59 GMT
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BY NICOLE CARPENTER The Witness grossed more than $5 million USD in revenue—and sold "substantially more" than 100,000 units—over its first week across all platforms, developer Jonathan Blow announced today. The developer hinted at the game's sales numbers last week, but posted a more detailed account on The Witness blog.
"This is a good chunk more revenue in one week than Braid made its entire first year, from August 2008 to September 2009," Blow wrote. Braid first launched on Xbox Live in August of 2008, but released on Steam in April 2009.
Comparing unit sales, Blow said that the first week of sales on each individual platform "handily [beat]" Braid's first week of sales. "This is great," Blow wrote, "because as price goes up, naturally the number of units sold goes down." Braid launched at just $15 USD, and The Witness at $40 USD, so these numbers show a "really nice success."
Blow went on to say neither platform dominated the sales numbers; both PC and PlayStation Network were "very strong." Blow is adamant that his team did not make this game just to make money. First and foremost, he said, he wanted to create something "beautiful," "interesting," and "intricate." The money earned, however, is essential in keeping the company alive to make new games.
Thekla Inc. is currently solving player issues with "PC graphics driver problems," and it'll also work on adding "configurable controls and rendering options" for both platforms. After those projects are finished, Thekla will start considering what it'll take to bring the game to other platforms, like iOS, OS X, Android, and Xbox One.
IGN gave The Witness a 10 out of 10, praising it for its "daunting and multilayered mysteries." The game boasts hours on hours of gameplay, but one speedrunner recently beat the game in under 26 minutes.