A social odyssey where friendship is the primary currency
In short: Sky: Children of the Light isn't just a game; it is a social experiment in connection. Developed over seven years, it uses a custom engine to create a world where players fly through realms representing life's stages, trading light and gifts to build bonds with strangers.
Released first on iOS in July 2019, Sky: Children of the Light was built by Thatgamecompany using a custom engine derived from their previous PlayStation titles. The game's architecture is designed for massive scale, utilizing Amazon Web Services infrastructure and a backend partially written in Erlang. It focuses on a 'socially-heavy' experience where players explore seven unique realms, using capes to fly and interacting with 'spirits' and other 'children of light' to progress.
The game's economy is multi-layered. 'Candles' serve as the primary currency for items and abilities, while 'Hearts' act as a social currency gained through gifting. A rarer 'Ascended candle' is earned by completing the game's narrative, allowing for 'wing buffs' and spells. To ensure fairness, a specific 'Event Currency' was introduced in update 0.21.5 to provide newer players with equitable access to limited-time content. This structure supports a freemium model involving seasonal passes and microtransactions.
Beyond mechanics, Sky has become a platform for cultural and charitable impact. It has hosted virtual concerts featuring Norwegian singer Aurora, setting Guinness World Records for simultaneous player emotes. More than $794,000 was gathered for the Global Fund for Women and The Trevor Project via the game, while 40,576 trees were put in the ground alongside OneTreePlanted. The franchise has expanded into animation with 'Sky: The Two Embers,' a series debuting in-game in July 2025.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Sky: Children of the Light
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