Detroit: Become Human developer Quantic Dream may have become a household name due to its collaborations with Sony, but the French studio is now planning a future where it will self-publish. As part of a blog post celebrating its 23rd anniversary, the studio suggested that it’ll be looking to support other companies, in addition to continuing to create its own games.
It wrote: “This new venture will allow us to make decisions in total independence, and to address the technological and strategic opportunities of next-generation platforms. It will also allow us to help other developers, by providing investment and development support, so that they can fully express their talents. We want to support creators of original projects and help them, in turn, to achieve their vision and offer quality, ground-breaking experiences.”
The firm went on to say that it sees this as more of a “transformation” than an “evolution”, and that with its independence intact, it will continue “trusting in the idea of making games that are different”. Sounds like the future’s bright, and we can’t wait to see what its got in store for PlayStation 5.
[source blog.quanticdream.com]
Comments 19
It makes sense. They released their back catalogue on other platforms so I guess this way they’re aiming for simultaneous releases on all platforms.
Still think Sony should have bought them after they had released Detroit
If they want to release games of the quality of Detroit then I think they will struggle without a publisher. Their type of games tend to have a limited reach so I think it'll be tricky for them.
@AdamNovice To be fair, Detroit had sold 2 million copies as of 2 years ago and has been released on PC since then too. The PS4 version entered the UK charts at #1. It would probably be that success that encouraged them to self-publish so they don't have to give a big chunk of profits to anyone else.
Sony should have bought them. I like their games. Detroit was really the first such game where your choices would actually make differences.
I’m trying to decide if that quote is a subtle jab at Sony, implying that Sony stifled their “independence” and didn’t allow for their “full expression of their talents” and didn’t trust them to “create original products” and “achieve their vision.” Perhaps I’m reading too much into it.
I always considered Sony to be one of the best publishers to allow developers a lot of creative freedom.
@Matroska Maybe but without Sony's marketing and budget I think it would be tough for them to achieve that success again without a publisher, their games tend to max out at 3 to 4 million copies at best so will need to tread carefully financially.
I played all of their PS4 releases this year thanks to them being released on PS Plus. A lot of the game pundits on podcasts seem to rip on them a lot, but I really enjoyed my time with them. I'd really enjoy them delving back into the Detroit world. Doesn't seem like they are big on sequels though.
Sony should have bought these guys man....
@Neolit Glad to see another person who enjoyed Beyond as much as I did.
@DonJorginho What good would that do? Their games don't sell consoles and they barely break even as they appeal to a niche audience. It's better than they release them to as many platforms possible.
@naruball I can just imagine them with a huge Sony budget making something truly amazing.
Bring back Omikron: The Nomad Soul!
That is all.
Loved QD games, I wonder what kind of graphical fidelity they can bring on PS5... I just think about ray traced lighting and I'm already drooling. @Neolit yes, Beyond was so good...
I wonder what their next title is gonna be. I was never a big fan of QD's games - beautifully presented and technologically rich, but the stories always left me cold - but I would love seeing the studio expanding to include other creative minds and talented writers that can take the interactive storytelling elements of previous games and build upon them.
@AdamNovice For years, I’ve felt that this would be a developer who’s ambitions don’t match their sales, so at some point they would have to close their doors. Not saying that 2 million isn’t a big deal, but this isn’t a developer making indie games. Games and budgets are getting bigger and bigger.
They will go back to being irrelevant without Sony. Just look at Supermassive games. QD was only getting attention because of Sony and it was the same with Ninja Theory whose games failed after Heavenly Sword (which was exclusive).
I think it would have been a mistake for Sony to buy QD as their games were not selling 5-10 million like other exclusives. Spider-Man, GOW, HZD, Uncharted etc crushed QD's sales.
They are not a lost and they will not be able to push the hardware without the games being exclusive. Look at how Man of Medan turned out for Super Massive. Good for them though and I have no issue with them being independant.
I did not enjoy Detroit and would rather Sony publishes something better than QTE games. They have run their course now.
@Neolit
I skipped Detroit so that is interesting to know. Good to know I didn't really miss out there.
@Neolit
It's more the fact that we're coming to the end of a generation soon and there are a considerable amount of high quality games coming out, combined with so many top games in the backlog, I find a certain ruthlessness is required at this point, as there's no chance there will be enough time to play every game that looks interesting.
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