Game developer thatgamecompany appeared on stage at the Apple Event yesterday with a title that will be launching exclusively on the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV soon, called Sky. The game is described as a "social adventure" where players navigate a world in the clouds alongside their friends, and marks thatgamecompany's first game in five years, since 2012's Journey.

a11 bionic iphone x
Journey was a game that automatically matched players with random other people online throughout the adventure, but it was impossible to join up with a specific friend. In its press release for the game, along with a new interview with president and creative director Jenova Chen, thatgamecompany explained that many fans wrote them after Journey and asked for "a game where they could play together" with friends and family members.

The idea of a wider audience playing the game on smartphones, not just video game consoles, led the developer to launch Sky mobile first and exclusively on Apple devices. This will make it easier to play the game with others, and thatgamecompany said it is "a game specially created to be played, and shared, among loved ones and family." During the keynote, the company confirmed that up to eight players from anywhere in the world can play together at a time.

We wanted as many people to love games, and so we were encouraged to explore this idea at thatgamecompany. Which brings our games, for the first time, to mobile – a platform that many have access to, the world over.

It’s hard to explain the game, but a good place would be to say that Sky is a game specially created to be played, and shared, among loved ones and family. If you can imagine the delight of visiting a theme park where lasting memories are made, we envision Sky will sometimes feel like that.

In a six-minute interview with Geoff Keighley, thatgamecompany president and creative director Jenova Chen -- who was on stage during Apple's keynote -- said that it's "difficult" to summarize the entire game, but many of its mechanics surround "giving" to and helping out other players. Sky is set in a "whimsical" world above the clouds, where a great civilization once resided but is currently in ruins. Chen mentioned that the idea behind this world and the game as a whole was to build a theme park of sorts, where players can return daily and spend minutes or hours discovering new lands alone or with friends.


He also hinted at frequent updates and changes coming to the world, stating that it is "constantly evolving" and when players return there might be new places and sections of the world that open up that weren't there before. Because of the consistent additions and new discoveries happening in the game, Chen compared Sky to a television series that players can return to and experience new chapters in the story and game environment.

A specific release date and price point for Sky have still not been revealed by thatgamecompany, but Chen mentioned that it should arrive on tvOS and iOS "this winter." The company encourages those interested to stay up-to-date on development through a newsletter sign-up than can be found on the game's webpage.

Related Roundup: Apple TV
Buyer's Guide: Apple TV (Neutral)

Top Rated Comments

RamGuy Avatar
81 months ago
I wonder how the A10X Fusion, and even the new A11Bionic, compares to the Nintendo Switch processor...
We already know as the Nintendo Switch uses a standard NVIDIA Tegra X1;

https://www.notebookcheck.net/Apple-A10X-Fusion-SoC-Processor-Benchmarks-and-Specs.227440.0.html
https://www.notebookcheck.net/NVIDIA-Tegra-X1-Maxwell-GPU.137006.0.html

As you can see the Apple A10X demolishes the Tegra X1 in terms of CPU performance in single-threaded and is also better in multi-threaded scenarios. On GPU the A10X is slightly behind the Tegra X1.


The Apple A11 has some impressive improvements over the A10(X) so single-threaded should be even better and multi-threaded is much better. The Tegra X1 isn't in the same league, not at all.

On GPU we don't really know. The "X" versions of the SoC's tend to have greater GPU so we don't know whether the regular non-X A11 will outperform the A10X on GPU performance. A11 is Apple's very first using their own in-house GPU, previous generations have used custom ones from PowerVR.
[doublepost=1505311242][/doublepost]
'Journey' Rip-off
It's from the same company..
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Schizoid Avatar
81 months ago
All I can see on any of these demos and examples is that bloody notch!
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
wolfshades Avatar
81 months ago
I'm intrigued enough by the game to want to try it out. Can't tell much from the demo, but the experience seems to mimimc some of my best dreams. Hope the reality matches the hype - but so far it looks impressive.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mookc1 Avatar
81 months ago
A game for snowflakes. Yawn......
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Aeolius Avatar
81 months ago
A game for snowflakes. Yawn......
Combat games are not everyone's cup of tea, you know. Personally I have not played a console game in years and I only step foot in GameStop when my kids want to go (they hate it when I go in because I like to ask for fictional games, Pan Flute Hero and Sweeney Todd for the Wii are favorites).

I prefer games of pure exploration. Endless Ocean was a personal favorite, though Aquaria was also very enjoyable.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Vanilla35 Avatar
81 months ago
That was a very pleasant looking game to watch. I hope it's more engaging than he made it seem with the "you can do everything with one finger" line.

However that's kind of the lameness behind Apple TV. They seriously need a controller, or better remote.
[doublepost=1505310620][/doublepost]
All I can see on any of these demos and examples is that bloody notch!
Yeah worst design ever.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

iOS 17.2 Will Add These 12 New Features to Your iPhone

Friday December 1, 2023 12:19 pm PST by
iOS 17.2 has been in beta testing for over a month, and it should be released to all users in a few more weeks. The software update includes many new features and changes for iPhones, including the dozen that we have highlighted below. iOS 17.2 is expected to be released to the public in mid-December. To learn about even more features coming in the update, check out our full list. Journal ...
iOS 16 4 Web Push

Apple Confirms Governments Using Push Notifications to Surveil Users

Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:06 am PST by
Unidentified governments are surveilling smartphone users by tracking push notifications that move through Google's and Apple's servers, a US senator warned on Wednesday (via Reuters). In a letter to the Department of Justice, Senator Ron Wyden said foreign officials were demanding the data from the tech giants to track smartphones. The traffic flowing from apps that send push notifications...
airpods pro 2 pink

Apple Releases New AirPods Pro 2 Firmware

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:28 am PST by
Apple today released new firmware update for both the Lightning and USB-C versions of the AirPods Pro 2. The new firmware is version 6B34, up from the 6B32 firmware introduced in November. Apple does not provide details on what features might be included in the refreshed firmware beyond "bug fixes and other improvements," so it is unclear what's new in the update, but prior software releases ...
Beyond iPhone 13 Better Blue

'All-Screen' iPhone Under-Display Camera Enters Development

Wednesday December 6, 2023 2:03 am PST by
Apple's Korean suppliers have begun developing smartphone under-display cameras (UDC), paving the way for the first iPhone with a true "all-screen" appearance. According to The Elec, LG Innotek has entered the preliminary development of the UDC, which sits under the display and does not result in a visible hole in the panel when the camera is not in use. A UDC differs from a typical front ...
iphone se 4 modified flag edges

iPhone SE 4 May Reuse Existing iPhone 14 Battery

Wednesday December 6, 2023 1:17 pm PST by
Recently, MacRumors has received details on the battery currently being tested on the upcoming fourth-generation iPhone SE, and the information corroborates previous findings in relation to the device. The iPhone SE 4, known by its device identifier D59, is expected to use the exact same battery found in the base model iPhone 14. Partially assembled prototypes of the next iPhone SE have been ...
magsafe blue 2

iOS 17.2 Brings Qi2 Support to iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 Models

Tuesday December 5, 2023 11:04 am PST by
The iOS 17.2 update that Apple is set to release to the public in the near future will bring support for the next-generation Qi2 wireless charging standard to the iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models. Qi2 was mentioned in the release notes for the RC version of the update that came out today. With the addition of support for the new standard, iPhone 13 and iPhone 14 models will work with Qi2...
airpods pro bulbs

Black Friday Prices Return for AirPods Pro 2 With USB-C, iPad, and More

Tuesday December 5, 2023 7:30 am PST by
Today we're tracking a collection of deals that are matching - or nearly matching - the same all-time low discounts we saw during Black Friday. This includes the AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C, 9th generation iPad, and M1 MacBook Air. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the ...
12

Apple to Launch Two iPad Air and Two OLED iPad Pro Models Early Next Year

Wednesday December 6, 2023 9:53 am PST by
To boost falling iPad sales, Apple has a major refresh planned for the iPad lineup in early 2024, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple plans to debut new iPad Air and iPad Pro models, both of which will feature notable changes. The iPad Air will come in two sizes like the iPad Pro for the first time. The smaller model will continue to measure in at 10.9 inches, but the larger version...