How would you define the success of ThatGameCompany's Flower's environmental storytelling?

Introduction

Defining the success of ThatGameCompany's Flower's environmental storytelling requires a nuanced approach that considers both quantitative metrics and qualitative factors. To address this product success metrics challenge effectively, I'll follow a structured framework covering core metrics, supporting indicators, and risk factors while considering all key stakeholders.

Step 1

Product Context

Flower is an indie video game developed by ThatGameCompany, known for its unique, emotionally evocative experiences. The game uses environmental storytelling to convey its narrative, with players controlling the wind to guide flower petals through various landscapes.

Key stakeholders include:

• Players seeking a relaxing, meaningful gaming experience
• ThatGameCompany's development team
• Sony (as the original publisher for PlayStation)
• Environmental activists and educators

User flow:

1. Players start in a drab cityscape and progress through increasingly vibrant natural environments.
2. They use motion controls to guide flower petals, "awakening" the landscape.
3. Each level reveals more of the overarching environmental narrative through visual and audio cues.

Flower fits into ThatGameCompany's strategy of creating games that evoke emotional responses and challenge traditional gaming conventions. It's part of their "Sky" trilogy, alongside Flow and Journey.

Compared to traditional narrative-driven games, Flower relies entirely on visual and auditory cues to tell its story, without dialogue or text.

Product Lifecycle Stage: While Flower was released in 2009, its unique approach to storytelling and gameplay mechanics continue to influence game design. It's in a mature stage but maintains relevance through re-releases on new platforms.