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Thatgamecompany announced today that its latest release, Sky: Children of the Light, has passed 20 million downloads. This happens just ahead of the free-to-play multiplayer mobile game’s first anniversary. Sky released for iOS on July 18, 2019. The Android version followed on April 7, 2020.
Thatgamecompany made its name with beautiful, creative games like Flower and Journey. Before Sky, it focused its efforts on consoles (specifically the PlayStation 3). Sky is the studio’s first project made for mobile. It has players exploring magical kingdoms together. Although mobile is a new platform for the studio, its reputation helped ensure Sky’s success.
Sky has a heavy emphasis on social features. The more time you spend with friends, the more features you can unlock, including the ability to chat with them. While Sky is free-to-play, players can spend money on cosmetics or gifts for their friends.
Thatgamecompany plans to launch Sky for Switch later this year, which should lead to another spike in downloads.
Few studios that focus on console or PC games develop for mobile. Sometimes they will bring their franchises to the platform but then hire another developer to actually make the game. Thatgamecompany shows that a studio with console expertise can make a mobile hit.
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