Kathy Rain publisher vows to support one-man studio, despite poor sales

Kathy Rain, the point-and-click adventure game from Clifftop Games, has yet to turn a profit for publisher Raw Fury Games — but the company will continue to fund the developer because, it said in a blog post, Kathy Rain "simply needed to exist."

"When we partnered up with Joel Staaf Hästö, the one-man army we know as Clifftop Games, we didn't do so expecting to become insta-rich when the game launched," Raw Fury Games wrote on its website. Instead, the publisher saw Kathy Rain as a niche title, one that would do better over time and with increased awareness.

In the meantime, the publisher said it's happy with the reception the game's had on Steam and from many critics. (Read our review for our take.)

"Even though things have started off a bit slowly on the sales side, we know that eventually the game will turn a nice profit," Raw Fury said. "It will grow a long tail because of its critical acclaim, timeless looks, and a story that tackles taboo stuff not typically discussed in video games."

For that reason, Raw Fury will continue to fund Clifftop Games for at least the next year, or until it recoups its investment. The publisher does not have control over the intellectual property, instead allowing the developer complete creative freedom with the future of Kathy Rain.

Beyond citing Kathy Rain — a mystery adventure game about a young woman — as an important, unique title, Raw Fury said it's continuing to support the indie developer in order to challenge the status quo.

"Of course money is important, as an enabler, but sometimes you need help creating something that doesn't only serve commercial value, but an artistic need," the company said. "Not acknowledging that is to miss the point of making games."