<s>
Originally	O
released	O
as	O
a	O
free	O
Flash	B-Protocol
game	I-Protocol
in	O
2006	O
to	O
accompany	O
Chen	O
's	O
master	O
's	O
thesis	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
reworked	O
into	O
a	O
2007	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
game	O
by	O
his	O
development	O
studio	O
,	O
Thatgamecompany	O
,	O
with	O
assistance	O
from	O
Santa	O
Monica	O
Studio	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
SuperVillain	O
Studios	O
developed	O
a	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
in	O
2008	O
,	O
and	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
versions	O
in	O
2013	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Flash	B-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Flow	O
received	O
100,000	O
downloads	O
within	O
its	O
first	O
two	O
weeks	O
of	O
release	O
,	O
and	O
had	O
been	O
played	O
over	O
3.5million	O
times	O
by	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
PlayStation3	B-Operating_System
re-release	O
was	O
the	O
most	O
downloaded	O
game	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
in	O
2007	O
and	O
won	O
the	O
Best	O
Downloadable	O
Game	O
award	O
at	O
the	O
2008	O
Game	O
Developers	O
Choice	O
Awards	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
Flash	B-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
can	O
replay	O
the	O
game	O
with	O
a	O
jellyfish-like	O
organism	O
by	O
defeating	O
an	O
aggressive	O
creature	O
on	O
the	O
bottom	O
plane	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Flow	O
features	O
enhanced	O
visuals	O
and	O
three	O
additional	O
playable	O
organisms	O
:	O
one	O
that	O
can	O
move	O
with	O
a	O
short	O
burst	O
of	O
speed	O
,	O
one	O
that	O
can	O
paralyze	O
other	O
creatures	O
,	O
and	O
one	O
that	O
lunges	O
toward	O
its	O
prey	O
's	O
weak	O
point	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation3	B-Operating_System
version	O
features	O
a	O
multiplayer	O
mode	O
for	O
up	O
to	O
four	O
players	O
;	O
a	O
game	O
in	O
progress	O
can	O
be	O
joined	O
at	O
any	O
time	O
,	O
players	O
may	O
play	O
different	O
creatures	O
if	O
they	O
desire	O
so	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
version	O
contains	O
all	O
the	O
features	O
introduced	O
by	O
the	O
PlayStation3	B-Operating_System
version	O
,	O
but	O
reduces	O
the	O
size	O
of	O
each	O
plane	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
November	O
20	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
the	O
PlayStation3	B-Operating_System
version	O
received	O
an	O
add-on	O
pack	O
that	O
allows	O
players	O
joining	O
a	O
multiplayer	O
game	O
to	O
select	O
their	O
creatures	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
March	O
2006	O
,	O
after	O
two	O
months	O
of	O
development	O
—	O
during	O
which	O
Chen	O
and	O
Clark	O
taught	O
themselves	O
Flash	B-Operating_System
programming	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
PlayStation3	B-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
announced	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	O
Store	O
in	O
May	O
of	O
that	O
year	O
,	O
and	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
February	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chen	O
had	O
graduated	O
by	O
that	O
point	O
,	O
and	O
had	O
founded	O
Thatgamecompany	O
,	O
which	O
handled	O
the	O
conversion	O
to	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
;	O
Nicholas	O
Clark	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
employees	O
and	O
served	O
as	O
the	O
game	O
version	O
's	O
designer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Impressed	O
by	O
Flow	O
,	O
Sony	O
provided	O
Thatgamecompany	O
with	O
finances	O
,	O
supplies	O
,	O
and	O
additional	O
staff	O
,	O
and	O
offered	O
them	O
a	O
three-game	O
contract	O
;	O
the	O
PlayStation3	B-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Flow	O
was	O
the	O
first	O
of	O
these	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chen	O
originally	O
believed	O
the	O
conversion	O
could	O
be	O
completed	O
in	O
four	O
months	O
and	O
that	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
ready	O
for	O
the	O
November	O
2006	O
launch	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
version	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
,	O
developed	O
by	O
SuperVillain	O
Studios	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
March	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
company	O
coded	O
it	O
from	O
scratch	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
PlayStation3	B-Operating_System
version	O
's	O
code	O
and	O
art	O
were	O
too	O
platform-specific	O
to	O
reuse	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
add-on	O
pack	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation3	B-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
also	O
developed	O
by	O
SuperVillain	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thatgamecompany	O
was	O
not	O
involved	O
in	O
the	O
development	O
of	O
either	O
project	O
beyond	O
a	O
design	O
influence	O
and	O
art	O
direction	O
role	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
were	O
creating	O
their	O
next	O
title	O
,	O
Flower	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
SuperVillain	O
Studios	O
later	O
created	O
ports	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
version	O
for	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation	I-Operating_System
4	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
,	O
which	O
were	O
published	O
in	O
November	O
2013	O
to	O
correspond	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	B-Operating_System
PlayStation4	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
no	O
album	O
of	O
music	O
specifically	O
for	O
Flow	O
has	O
been	O
released	O
,	O
in	O
2012	O
Austin	O
Wintory	O
released	O
Journey	B-Application
Bonus	O
Bundle	O
as	O
a	O
download-only	O
album	O
on	O
Bandcamp	O
,	O
containing	O
variations	O
on	O
themes	O
from	O
Flow	O
and	O
Journey	B-Application
,	O
a	O
2012	O
PlayStation3	B-Operating_System
game	O
by	O
Thatgamecompany	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Flash	B-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
Flow	O
received	O
100,000	O
downloads	O
within	O
its	O
first	O
two	O
weeks	O
of	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
PlayStation3	B-Operating_System
re-release	O
was	O
the	O
most	O
downloaded	O
game	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
in	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Flow	O
was	O
a	O
finalist	O
at	O
the	O
2007	O
Slamdance	O
Guerrilla	O
Games	O
Competition	O
,	O
but	O
withdrew	O
along	O
with	O
several	O
other	O
finalists	O
after	O
Super	B-Application
Columbine	I-Application
Massacre	I-Application
RPG	I-Application
!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
when	O
reviewing	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
Justin	O
Calvart	O
of	O
GameSpot	O
took	O
the	O
view	O
that	O
"	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
difficulty	O
masterfully	O
scales	O
to	O
match	O
your	O
skill	O
level	O
"	O
,	O
so	O
it	O
does	O
not	O
become	O
overly	O
"	O
frantic	O
or	O
frustrating	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Leadbetter	O
called	O
the	O
PlayStation3	B-Operating_System
version	O
's	O
multiplayer	O
"	O
little	O
more	O
than	O
an	O
afterthought	O
"	O
,	O
while	O
Navarro	O
said	O
it	O
"	O
does	O
n't	O
add	O
a	O
lick	O
of	O
depth	O
to	O
the	O
experience	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Freeman	O
called	O
it	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
's	O
"	O
first	O
art-house	O
title	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
