Thatgamecompany said its Sky: Children of the Light mobile game has topped 35 million downloads, including 15 million in the past month thanks to its launch on Android as well as in China.
The soulful game from the makers of Flower and Journey launched in July 2019 on iOS. The team released the Android version in April, 2020, and it debuted on Android in China on July 9, 2020. While China provided a huge boost, the overall growth of the game is global.
The Santa Monica, California-based company headed by Jenova Chen also said that it is releasing the digital soundtrack for Sky today. Chen spoke at our GamesBeat Summit event in April about how the company created a positive community of fans for Sky, which was a fanciful journey into beautiful landscapes that players could undertake in a cooperative way with friends.
The speed of the downloads has accelerated. The company hit 20 million downloads around June 30. Between July 10 and July 30, Sky gained an additional 15 million new installs. The acceleration came from the July 9 launch in China as well as the launch of a new season of content worldwide on iOS and Android.
During the pandemic, Sky has been listed many times as “a must play game” thanks to its calming, socially connected, and positive nature, said Jennie Kong, narrative writer and head of communications for Thatgamecompany, in an email to GamesBeat.
Fans have played Sky as a way to stay in touch with friends as they are socially distanced. The latest Season of Sanctuary adventure was also promoted as a “virtual vacation” for players to relax together this summer as well.
Vincent Diamante, who previously scored the studio’s soundtrack for Flower, created the music for Sky, which the company describes as a social adventure set above the clouds in a forgotten and desolate kingdom. The music underscored the compassion at the heart of the game design, which encouraged players to work together. The big ideas behind Sky’s score were the beauty of flight, wonder of the world, and the joy of companionship.
Diamante began scoring music since the beginning of the project’s six year development. The results are in the 30-track first volume album. The soundtrack was performed by the Fame’s Macedonian Symphonic Orchestra with a 47-piece ensemble, incorporating both traditional orchestral and ethnic wind instruments to create the musical score as well as sound effects throughout the game.
Sky: Children of the Light is available on the App Store and Google Play, and it is coming soon on Nintendo Switch.
Sky Original Game Soundtrack Volume One will be available from today for digital download for $10.
Author: Dean Takahashi.
Source: Venturebeat
