Detroit maker Quantic Dream looks beyond PlayStation - Ars Technica

This scene fro, <em>Detroit</em> probably does not represent how the negotiations for a minority share in Quantic Dream went... — Enlarge / This scene fro, *Detroit* probably does not represent how the negotiations for a minority share in Quantic Dream went...

Since 2010, players who have wanted to experience Quantic Dream's unique brand of branching interactive storytelling have had to do so through PlayStation hardware. But now that the company has accepted investment from Chinese gaming giant NetEase, it says it is looking to develop for other platforms.

"We will continue to work on PlayStation, which is a platform we love and that we know very well," Quantic Dream co-founder and CEO Guillaume de Fondaumière said in an interview with Venturebeat. "But we will also consider other platforms as we want to make our creations accessible to as many gamers as possible worldwide, regardless of the platform."

While de Fondaumière didn't commit to any specific outside platforms, he did note that the company previously developed PC, Dreamcast, and Xbox versions of 2005's Fahrenheit (known as Indigo Prophecy in North America) before focusing exclusively on PlayStation for Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human. Quantic Dream co-founder David Cage noted in the interview that the company's next engine will be "will be cross-platform and even more impressive than anything we have done before."

"We learned a lot working with PlayStation for so long, and we now want to bring these learning[s] to other platforms," de Fondaumière added. "Our objective is to be present on all platforms where there is an audience that can enjoy our experiences," he offered in a similar interview with Variety.

Founded in 1997, NetEase is mainly known for operating localized Chinese versions of popular online games from Blizzard and other developers. But that doesn't mean Quantic Dream will be pivoting to fantasy MMOs or anything like that. Quantic Dream said in a statement that it would continue to operate independently following NetEase's investment, and Cage told VentureBeat, "we will always stay true to what we believe in and who we are."

NetEase General Manager for Investment and Strategy Simon Zhu also used the acquisition as a chance to address last year's public allegations of a toxic workplace culture at Quantic Dream from former employees. "We have been able to spend time with the Quantic Dream team, to learn to know the studio culture, and we have seen nothing that points to any of the allegations published by certain press," he said.

Quantic Dream continues to strenuously deny the allegations, going so far as to sue the French press outlets that originally reported them. "We don’t pretend to be a 'perfect' company," de Fondaumière said. "No company should—but we do work hard and will continue to do so to offer our team an enjoyable working environment and competitive compensation... Quantic Dream is a studio where everyone regardless of nationality, race, genre, sexual orientation or belief can express itself freely."

Detroit: Become Human is now closing in on 3 million sales on the PS4, Cage said.

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