That Dragon, Cancer is coming exclusively to Ouya in 2014, the creators announced today.
The adventure game is the artistic culmination of Ryan and Amy Green’s struggle to raise their 4-year-old son Joel, who's suffered from cancer for most of his life. Their experience is a difficult emotional one that players tap into through the game. It will only be available on Ouya, the Android-based microconsole.
"Additionally, Ouya has chosen to invest in the game to assist with development costs and ensure our game gets made," the team wrote on its blog.
The Greens made the decision with care. "If you’ve read about our game at all, it may come as a surprise to you that we’d choose to bring That Dragon, Cancer to the living room first," the blog post reads. "The living room is typically a gathering place. It is likely not the first place you’d choose to play a dramatic adventure game dealing with the subject of childhood cancer … and perhaps for many, this game may be too personal an experience in the presence of others.
"Our hope, however, is that while this may be a personal experience, that it will be a shared experience. "
The creators also admire the company. "They have the guts to make something they believe in, in an industry that is stacked against their success," the post continues. "They aren’t complaining about what the industry should be; instead, they’re making it in their image."
