Order of the Sinking Star puzzle game launches October with credit updates
Developing story first seen 56 minutes ago
Order of the Sinking Star, the latest puzzle game from The Witness developer Thekla Inc, has been given a release date of 8 October, alongside long-awaited clarity on how the game will credit the indie developers whose work inspired it. Led by Braid creator Jonathan Blow, the sprawling title builds on several indie Sokoban-style box-pushing games and matters partly for its ambitious scope, and partly because it has drawn scrutiny over how it acknowledges the creators it drew from, some of whom have publicly distanced themselves from Blow.
The game will launch on Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5 and Windows PC, structured across early, mid and late-game layers that gradually combine puzzle mechanics; Blow says full completion could take over 500 hours, though a satisfying ending is reachable after roughly 1,000 puzzles. Controversy has followed the project since developers such as Mirror Isles creator Alan Hazelden distanced themselves, partly due to Blow's past comments on COVID-19, and after confusion over a missing credits slab in a demo build. A PR representative has now confirmed the game will feature full credits for all licensed games' developers, delivered in an undisclosed stylised in-game manner and also listed on MobyGames and in press materials.
- Order of the Sinking Star launches 8 October on Switch 2, PS5 and PC
- Full puzzle completion could take over 500 hours
- Developers behind licensed games will get full, if secretive, in-game credits
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Order of the Sinking Star is a puzzle game from Thekla Inc, the studio behind The Witness, led by Jonathan Blow, who also created Braid. The game draws heavily on ideas from smaller, independently made puzzle games in the Sokoban style, where players push boxes around to solve levels, and it is notable for its unusually large scale and long playtime.
The game has attracted attention beyond its design because of how it credits the independent developers whose work it builds on. Some of those creators, including Alan Hazelden of Mirror Isles, have distanced themselves from the project, partly over past comments Blow made about COVID-19, and partly after confusion arose when an early demo build appeared to be missing a credits section. This raised questions about whether the smaller developers who inspired the game would be properly acknowledged.
The story matters both to puzzle-game fans anticipating a major, ambitious release and to the wider indie development community, where debates about crediting and attribution carry weight given the imbalance in resources and recognition between a well-known studio and smaller independent creators.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Those sympathetic to the critics argue that when a major studio builds an entire game around mechanics pioneered by small independent developers, transparent and prominent credit is not optional generosity but a basic professional obligation, and that a demo shipping without a credits slab, followed by vague assurances, understandably read as carelessness or reluctance rather than oversight. They see the developers who distanced themselves, including Alan Hazelden, as acting in good faith to protect their own reputations and the norms of a small, trust-dependent indie community, and view scrutiny of Blow's past public statements as a legitimate part of deciding whose projects to be associated with.
The case against
Those more sympathetic to Thekla and Blow would argue that licensing agreements were reportedly in place, that the studio has now confirmed full, stylised, multi-venue crediting for every contributing developer, and that judging a large, unfinished project by an early demo's rough edges risks mistaking incompleteness for bad faith. They would also caution against conflating a creator's unrelated personal opinions, however unpopular, with the separate question of whether collaborators and inspirations were properly acknowledged, arguing that ambitious creative works deserve to be judged on their own merits and stated commitments rather than by association.
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Originally published by Polygon as “Order of the Sinking Star Gets a Fall Release Date and Credits Update”.