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There are a couple of refreshing things about Braid designer Jonathan Blow's presentation of his next game The Witness on Sony's stand at E3. The first is that it's happening at all. The second is that he's showing us the actual game. Such is the illusory nature of the great annual video game circus, where even virtual worlds aren't real.To tackle the first: whilst it's not all that rare to find an abstract and intellectually challenging indie game like The Witness at E3, it is rare for a platform holder to be dedicating hour-long slots in its media theatre to presenting it. Doubly so when you consider that Sony isn't even publishing The Witness, like it did thatgamecompany's Journey; Blow is self-publishing the game. Regardless, he's been selected as the poster child for indie gaming on PS4, having presented The Witness at the console's unveiling in New York in February. It will debut exclusively on PS4 (though it will most likely appear on other platforms, like Steam, later).
Blow is impressed by Sony's commitment to indie games: "Right downstairs, there's just a ton of them," he says, gesturing towards the door and Sony's vast presence on the show floor. "It's easy to go, 'Hey, we like indies,' but E3 floor space is not cheap." However, anxious not to present himself as a Sony spokesperson, he doesn't presume to explain what's behind it. That motivation is not that hard to read, though, especially in an experienced media distributor like Sony. Its film and music divisions wouldn't be seen dead without signings like Michael Haneke's Amour or Jack White's Blunderbuss; why should its games platform be any less rounded? Viewed from that angle, it's crazy that this hasn't happened sooner.
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