February 2023's State of Play didn't feature too many AAA games, though it did reveal many indie and VR games. One of the smaller titles that were allowed to get some much-needed attention was Tchia, which sports a beautiful tropical theme inspired by the islands of New Caledonia. PlayStation fans will have a bigger opportunity to try out this promising title, as it will be available for free for PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers at launch.
This is a good move for developer Awaceb to make. Other smaller titles that have taken the same strategy have been incredibly successful, and it could help Tchia find a bigger audience. It is also a beneficial move for Sony, as it gives gamers more reasons to consider its subscription service. While PS Plus may not offer as many day one releases as its competitors, games like Tchia are proving that it has something unique to offer.
PlayStation Plus Can Boost Tchia's Popularity
Tchia is a third-person action-adventure game developed by Awaceb. The titular protagonist explores new lands as she attempts to rescue her kidnapped father. Trailers have shown that the game will be a colorful one with tropical environments, which should make exploration in Tchia a thrill. The journey is perilous, but fortunately, the protagonist can soul-jump into various inanimate objects and animals. Though the concept is interesting, it is often difficult to convince players of a new concept, especially when they come from relatively unknown studios.
One of the ways to overcome this hurdle is to make the game easily accessible at launch. This is a strategy that publisher Annapurna went with for Stray, the hit 2022 game that follows the adventures of a lost cat in a cyberpunk city. The game was available for PS Plus subscribers at launch, which greatly helped to increase its popularity. The plan worked, as Stray was the most downloaded PS4 and PS5 game in July 2022. This popularity continued after July, and since its launch over four million gamers have played Stray on PlayStation. Provided Tchia has the gameplay and storyline to match its beautiful visuals, a day one release on PS Plus could help it find the same success that Stray did.
PS Plus Also Benefits From Tchia's Day One Availability
PS Plus is far from the only subscription service on the market, which forces Sony to ensure that what it offers is competitive. When PS Plus and Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass are compared, one of the points often brought up is that Game Pass subscribers gain access to several games on launch day, while PS Plus subscribers don't. Sony has already stated that it won't be pursuing this strategy for its first-party titles, though it appears that third-party studios are launching their titles on Sony's subscription service. Sony benefits from this, as it gives gamers more reasons to consider PS Plus. While it might not feature the AAA day one launches that Game Pass has, gamers can still expect stellar indie titles to appear on the service, and if they are as good as Stray, that may be worth it.
Tchia is a very curious game. According to developers, the protagonist will be able to jump into over 30 animals and hundreds of objects. It has colorful, Pixar-style visuals like Kena: Bridge of Spirits, and it is following Stray's release strategy. Only time will tell whether it manages to make a success of itself.
Tchia is scheduled to release on March 21 on PC, PS4, and PS5.
