Known for:
Braid (2008), Braid, Anniversary Edition (2024), The Witness (2016).
Biography:
Jonathan Blow (born 1971) is an American video game designer and programmer, founder of Thekla, Inc. He rose to prominence with the independent hit Braid and later created the first-person puzzle game The Witness. He has also spearheaded work on the Jai programming language for game development. Wikipedia
Career beginnings:
Blow began building Braid in the mid-2000s, self-funding development and collaborating with artist David Hellman for the final art. After Braid’s success on Xbox Live Arcade in August 2008, he used its revenue to fund The Witness and establish Thekla, Inc.
Notable works and release dates:
- Braid — Aug 6, 2008 (Xbox Live Arcade); later on PC/PS3/Mac/Linux. Xbox page. Xbox.com
- Braid, Anniversary Edition — May 14, 2024 (Windows/PlayStation/Switch; also iOS/Android via Netflix). Official site • Steam. braid-game.comSteam Store
- The Witness — Jan 26, 2016 (PC/PS4; later on Xbox One/iOS). Official site • Steam. the-witness.netSteam Store
Style and design philosophy:
Blow’s games emphasize elegant, rule-driven puzzle design, minimal hand-holding, and player discovery over explicit tutorials — a philosophy widely noted in coverage of The Witness.
Recognition and awards (selected coverage):
Braid was celebrated as a landmark indie release on XBLA and featured in numerous “best of” lists and reviews; The Witness earned critical acclaim for its depth and purity of design.
Sources:
- Wikipedia — Jonathan Blow, Braid. Wikipedia+1
- Official — Braid, Anniversary Edition, The Witness site. braid-game.comthe-witness.net
- Store — Braid on Xbox, Braid AE on Steam, The Witness on Steam. Xbox.comSteam Store+1
- Reviews — TIME review of The Witness.