Sony Announces First Chinese Developed Game for PS4

Apr 12, 2016

By: Max Cannon

Small Fish, Big Pond

In a recent blog post from PlayStation, Sony has announced that Koi will be coming to the PlayStation 4 on April 19^th. What makes this game interesting is the history it is making, as the first game from a Chinese developer in a long long time. Unbeknownst to many in the west, China has recently lifted a ban that was more than a decade old on video game consoles China's ban was initially intended to prevent the children from being lazy and too wrapped up in games, but that didn't stop everyone from hopping onto their PC's and gaming to their heart's content there.

This makes Koi one of the first legitimate games to make its way to the western console space since at least the year 2000. China's ban was initially intended to prevent the children from being lazy and too wrapped up in games, but that didn't stop everyone from hopping onto their PC's and gaming to their heart's content there.

Koi will hopefully be the first of many things to come from China's new game market.Courtesy of Sony

Koi has the player playing as a small red koi fish swimming through a small pond. You'll be opening flowers, moving branches, and interacting with other fish in a gorgeous world. The game features a cute 2D art style and a beautiful piano score, but with a small catch that may turn some people off. The game seems to be a port of an iOS and Android game called Koi: Journey of Purity. Whether it is a straight port or has some new added features, it's still an important game for China's new games market.

Regardless of historical importance though, Koi recieved poor reviews on its mobile release last year, with people claiming the game's poor controls, annoying enemies, and short length overshadowed its stellar score and music. The other concern raised is that the iOS port initally held a cheap price of $0.99. Judging by the importance made by Sony of this game's release I would be surprised if the price remained as cheap. Hopefully there is some supplemental content to add to the game and make it more than its original release or a weak port.