Sony partners with Quantic Dream on exclusive PS3 title

46 Comments by Ludwig Kietzmann Jul 3rd 2007 1:25PM
Filed under: Sony PlayStation 3

Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide Studios today announced a collaboration with Paris-based developer Quantic Dream, one which promises to "redefine cinematic real-time entertainment" with a new PlayStation-exclusive title. Judging by Quantic Dream's past efforts in David Bowie dystopia sim, Omikron: The Nomad Soul, or the multi-angle murder mystery Fahrenheit (dubbed Indigo Prophecy in America), cinematic presentation and integral narratives seem du jour on the developer's list of goals.

Quantic Dream President and CEO, David Cage commented on the choice of console and the sheer pleasantness of the folks at Sony. "We always believed that "next generation" meant more meaningful content based on players' emotional involvement. To us, PS3 is the only platform that can truly deliver on this promise, and SCE WWS is a group that is both inspiring and pleasant to work with."

Though the name of the upcoming PS3 game isn't specified and could very well be an entirely new game, Quantic Dream's website currently lists Heavy Rain as a "confidential next generation console game." The film-like poster above, which bears the subtitle "The Origami Killer," certainly seems to highlight the title's cinematic aspirations, if not the question of why anybody would want to murder folded pieces of paper. What did they ever do to you?

Venture into the Uncanny Valley after the break to see Heavy Rain's impressive and quietly disturbing E3 2006 Virtual Actor demonstration. If the announced collaboration turns out to be a different game entirely, we fully encourage the parties involved to step into the rain and scream, "Gotcha, suckas!"

[Via Sony press release]

Tags: David Cage, DavidCage, Fahrenheit, Heavy Rain, HeavyRain, Indigo Prophecy, IndigoProphecy, Omikron, PS3 exclusives, Ps3Exclusives, Quantic Dream, QuanticDream, SCE, Sony

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(Page 1) Reader Comments

vidGuy: Jul 3rd 2007; 1:31PM

I thought they'd changed the title to "Chubby Rain"?

jbc429: Jul 10th 2007; 3:11AM

chubby rain lmao, im so happy you know that.

JodyAnthony: Jul 3rd 2007; 1:31PM

its graphically impressive, but that video still freaks me out

JodyAnthony: Jul 3rd 2007; 1:32PM

off topic but did anything ever come of that one demonstration sony had last year (i think) where in the game you didn't control the actual characters, you just used the playstation eye thing and talked to the characters and gave them directions? anyone know what I'm talking about?

vidGuy: Jul 3rd 2007; 1:33PM

I swear I posted that before reading the last line.

arch: Jul 3rd 2007; 1:35PM

What's with every dev sony touches for an exclusive deal, they turn them into propaganda spewing morons. "YES thats right kids! ONLY possible on the PS3!" it was on the 360 until sony payed them to get it erxclusive. suddenly its the only console possible.

liqwid: Jul 3rd 2007; 1:36PM

Is the Origami Killer related to the Zodiac Killer?

Dopple Boppler: Jul 3rd 2007; 1:36PM

Gosh do I ever love Bowfinger.

baby sea tuna: Jul 3rd 2007; 1:37PM

"1. I thought they'd changed the title to "Chubby Rain"?

Posted at 1:31PM on Jul 3rd 2007 by vidGuy"

Dude, you totally beat me to it.

Shagittarius: Jul 3rd 2007; 1:37PM

Man that game would be so much better if I knew I was going to be flailing my arms around wildly while playing it.

vidGuy: Jul 3rd 2007; 1:39PM

BTW, HELLLOOOOO (Plastic) Dolly!

faceless coward: Jul 3rd 2007; 1:39PM

"It doesn't matter; she's too tall for the part."

Hah. I missed that when I watched this way back around E3.

Jacob P.: Jul 3rd 2007; 1:40PM

I loved Omikron...I may buy a PS3 just for this game...just to show support for the company that made that game...

Tony: Jul 3rd 2007; 1:40PM

I liked their last couple of games, so I'll be watching out for this. Omikron had its issues, but it was still pretty innovative for the time and, I felt, had a high level of immersion.

I'm left questioning why the PS3 is the only one that can offer such things to them, but I suppose that's what contracts do. Still I'm expecting good things.

JMD: Jul 3rd 2007; 1:43PM

Omikron and Fahrenheit were EXCELLENT games. This game is one of the reasons I will be picking up a PS3 :D

warioswoods: Jul 3rd 2007; 1:46PM

Ah, just remembered that I never finished Omikron. I need to dig that out again and get through the last section or two. I'll confess that I mainly purchased Omikron from a Bowie-fan perspective more than as a gamer, but it did indeed have some good ideas. Some parts were a bit repetitive, but others were great. As I recall, the early section in the first city was the most interesting - after going to the second, more sand-like sprawling town and working with the underground group I began to lose interest.

Tukulito-Zakayama: Jul 3rd 2007; 1:54PM

Sony please if you want playstation 3 to succes, talk developer`s to make more Western Style games a la Xbox360, thats way 360 its beating you all over the world with so bad ass games, at least this one look like one of them........

DBX00: Jul 3rd 2007; 1:56PM

Hmm...hopefully, it'll be something a little different than the traditional games that come out every week.

insane_cobra: Jul 3rd 2007; 1:59PM

"How far are you prepared to go to save someone you love?"

Sorry, Quantic Dream, not that far.

Rare Hare: Jul 3rd 2007; 2:01PM

Wow. After watching that video, I'm definitely intrigued.

Kinda hard to keep track of a game you don't even know the title of though, huh? Please keep us updated on this, Joystiq. I may have to buy this for my room mate's PS3 :).

Tukulito-Zakayama: Jul 3rd 2007; 2:05PM

Playstation 3 has the potential to have bad ass games, the problem with Sony is, EXCLUSIVES EXCLUSIVES EXCLUSIVES titles, look 360 it has many exlusive titles that are only avilable on PC, but if Sony keep playing the same role is going to lose a lot of market and fans, i havent see a game with awesome graphics in PS3, but i know and i know the potencial hardware is there, but for how long player are going to wait for the PS3 to wake up, but come on Sony wake up......

Viridium: Jul 3rd 2007; 2:08PM

This makes me sad. I loved Fahrenheit; I picked it up on PC as at the time I didn't have a non-portable console.

Is there any chance it will also receive a release on PC, even if it's delayed? Already having a Gamecube and 360 now, I don't have enough time for another full console - and it makes no sense to me to buy a $600US piece of equipment just for a single game.

Fingers crossed that it makes it to 360 or PC...

Not Tonight Dad: Jul 3rd 2007; 2:15PM

Hell. Yes. I loved Indigo Prophecy. When it was released I bought all 3 Xbox copies for myself and friends.

I'm glad they're making something else, and hell as an exclusive PS3 game too! Only people upset by this are the ones who poo-poo'd the PS3. Just buy all game systems. They'll all have AAA games. If you can't afford it then get a better job.

sheppy: Jul 3rd 2007; 2:21PM

Hmmm... impressed. I always loved the Heavy Rain demo just for the things it was doing in engine that games still haven't achieved (dynamic tears that cast reflections based on the curve of the water, actual reflections on the complex surfaces of the gun, not to mention, from my own estimations, a 46 bone facial skeleton). So I'm definately interested in this project.

@JodyAnthony

The game you are talking about is EyeDentify. Hopefully it'll reappear soon as I was quite interested in that one myself (Eye Of Judgement went underground for a while and resurrrected with concrete evidence so I remain hopeful on EyeDentify).

@arch

Ummm, 360 exclusive muppets are exactly the same way. Gears Of War immediately comes to mind. I don't mind those kinds of lies just as long as the developer doesn't make a complete ass of themselves when the game drops. Cue Lorne Lanning references.

Joe Smith: Jul 3rd 2007; 2:21PM

Since it is from Quantic Dream, expect it to ship sometime around 2010.

JodyAnthony: Jul 3rd 2007; 2:26PM

thanks for the name, sheppy! yeah, that eyedentify thing looked really cool, one of the most interesting things shown last year, imo, and one of the reasons I wanted a ps3 to begin with

sheppy: Jul 3rd 2007; 2:37PM

I just hope Identify picks up on actual phrases and such. The way they showed it is you took a bit of a mission commander to a Charlie's Angels style team. Frankly, that would rock if you had to guide them through missions purely through security came feeds.

mccomber: Jul 3rd 2007; 2:39PM

Viridium, it's being published by Sony. You can keep your fingers crossed, but that's going to make the rest of your life fairly difficult.
I've been intrigued by this title since I saw the Heavy Rain trailer, and since I liked Indigo Prophecy... uncanny valley is sort of a compliment, since it means they are getting close enough to cross that line between obviously animated and comfortable to eerily human.

Mr. Objectional: Jul 3rd 2007; 2:48PM

I realized why that video is such an example of uncanny valley, even if it's not as expressive as some of the Source engine stuff.

The short answer is that she seems marginally retarded. With that kind of lisp and the confused demeanor, that's sort of the vibe I got. And a lot of the time, the erratic, non-normal behavior of some mentally retarded persons also put people off in a similar way to the phenomenon known as Uncanny Valley. So the creators can mask the the imperfections in the digital recreation by recreating something that is already abnormal. I don't know if it was intentional, but that seems like as stroke of brilliance to me.

Marlos Hill: Jul 3rd 2007; 2:55PM

id never played indigo prophecy, but that trailer right there SOLD me on wanting to see what this game is about.

WOW.

Ska Oreo: Jul 3rd 2007; 2:55PM

Oh Man!!!! I loved Indigo Prophecy. shoot. I hope they make a sequal to that game.

Andy O.: Jul 3rd 2007; 3:26PM

noooo!! I'm sorry Quantic guys, as many have said above, I will not be buying a PS3 for your game, which is unfortunate because I loved Fahrenheit and Omicron, or whatever it was called.

Hell I don't even have a XBox, but if you release on xbox there are more reasons on xbox than PS3, you'd probably at least stand a chance of breaking even if you drop this whole PS3 exclusive bull.

Booo!

Andy O.: Jul 3rd 2007; 3:28PM

@29: Indigo is fun, see if you can get the PC version, switch USMode from 1 to 0 in the INI file to play the Fahrenheit (UK) version. More boobies in that version. ;)

sheppy: Jul 3rd 2007; 3:47PM

Or, Andy O, you can buy the AO rated director's cut from Dells website via digital distribution for $25 and see even more...

Rob Accomando: Jul 3rd 2007; 4:01PM

wft is up with her TEETH??

Pyronite: Jul 3rd 2007; 4:32PM

Aww, damn. Mark this as game #1 on the PS3 that I'll really miss playing.

Shagittarius: Jul 3rd 2007; 4:35PM

You guys need to play Omnikron : The nomad soul again. That game is a major piece of shit. Not a great adventure game, not a great shooter, total shit when combined. I remember this game very well, they even threw in a few mario platforming elements on some of the missions.

Omikron blew.

Tom: Jul 3rd 2007; 5:21PM

That chick is totally a re-animated corpse. Creeptacular!

Tom: Jul 3rd 2007; 5:21PM

[comments broken]

Mr Khan: Jul 3rd 2007; 5:52PM

Wierd, i thought JodyAnthony was talking about "Afrika" the "game that plays itself"

I'm honestly interested in that title

Brock: Jul 3rd 2007; 6:05PM

Dude... this video gets me every time i watch it! I love it! I can't wait to play this game!

(Maybe i should get a PS3 first eh? uhh... 600 dollars. This game adds another reason for me to get one tho... Better start saving. Here's to it dropping to 5 this Christmas!)

(And yes i said CHRISTMAS! Not happy holidays... CHRISTMAS)

Shagittarius: Jul 3rd 2007; 6:55PM

Hey JodyAnthony,

http://www.ebgames.com/product.asp?product%5Fid=T000330

I'm sure thats not a real date but the fact that EBgames has it up can't be a bad indicator.

octoberasian: Jul 3rd 2007; 10:32PM

Oh my, when I saw the older demo a year ago or so, I thought it wasn't going to be a game. I just thought it was nothing more than another PS3 tech demo. And, here we are a year later or more, and I find out that this is going to be a PS3 exclusive. The trailer is intriguing and creepy at the same time. I'm all the more curious at what kind of game this is and when it will be released. The graphics are... wow, I just can't believe it's real time. Realtime facial expressions, realistic human emotions reflected upon the mannerisms, actions and expression on the person is incredibly lifelike. Just imagine what games will be like years from now using this as the starting point. It'll probably soon to be too hard to determine what isn't real-time computer generated and what's actually real.

Life imitates art, and art imitates life.

t_m: Jul 4th 2007; 3:01AM

i thought sony didn't "buy exclusives" or fund development???

t_m: Jul 4th 2007; 3:06AM

Thats scary... the body and eyes are pretty cool.. but the mouth is horribly robotic.

Its not a huge step up over Fahrenheit graphically.. and maybe its the fanboy in me, but i always thought that what needed improving in Fahrenheit was the gaming controls, not the characters.. who were all great.

It was incredibly disjointing when Fahrenheit dropped into it's "quicktime event" mode and you had to start waggling analogue sticks.

(can't help but think it's be better on the wii, with more intuitive controls. actually pulling the body, or really brushing the blood).