Axiom Verge is a stunning achievement, a Metroid-style adventure that was actually worked on by one man, developer Tom Happ. And it’s looking to be a big hit this holiday season, especially with the retail versions arriving today for Nintendo Switch and other platforms.
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But in an effort to spread a little holiday cheer where Happ needs it the most, the publishers at BadLand Games have announced that it will donate 75 percent of earnings from the game to a special fund that will help Happ’s son, who is currently in the hospital.
Speaking on the Axiom Verge blog, Happ noted, “As you may have seen elsewhere on my blog and Twitter, I’ve tried to be pretty open about my son Alastair’s health situation. In short, he was born healthy, but the doctors failed to treat a routine case of jaundice during a critical period when he was just days old. The result was a life-long condition called Kernicterus that is characterized by severe neurological damage which robbed Alastair of much of his motor control and hearing.”
When BadLand offered the portion of sales to help Happ’s son out, he actually kept it a secret so it didn’t affect the game’s marketing. He did, however, note the publisher’s generosity in the blog.
“They didn’t want to publicize it, since none of us wanted to be seen as trying to use my son’s suffering as a marketing tool for the game,” Happ said. “I hope this doesn’t come off that way. I just wanted to thank them for their generosity in offering that up, since it was definitely something they didn’t have to do.”
The game is available digitally across a number of platforms, but you can get it physically as well for Nintendo Switch, PS Vita and PlayStation 4, in either standard or Multiverse editions. No matter which way you go, you’re getting a great game for your money, and helping out a worthwhile cause.
Kudos to BadLand for showing its good will during the holiday season. We certainly wish Happ’s son a speedy recovery.
Axiom Verge is available now for various platforms.
