Quantic Dream
Encyclopedia
Quantic Dream is a French
video game developer
based in Paris
, France
, founded in 1997. The company also supplies motion capture
services to the film
and video game industries.
, in 1999 for PC
and Dreamcast, which also featured original music and acts by musician
David Bowie
. Quantic Dream was next due to develop Quark, a game which was later cancelled. For the next two years, the developers
at Quantic Dream worked hard to advance their production infrastructure
, which they had first begun using in Quark. In 2002, they officially began development of Fahrenheit
(known as Indigo Prophecy in North America
), the first game to use their sophisticated interactive cinema technology which allows gamers to play through multiple worldlines based on the decisions made rather than a one-dimensional
story.
Fahrenheit was launched to worldwide critical acclaim, receiving multiple awards and nominations prior to its release, with high ratings from all major gaming publications. According to the official Quantic Dream website, Fahrenheit has sold over 800,000 units worldwide since it was released. In 2005, Quantic Dream's next announced titles was a new franchise called Heavy Rain
and Omikron 2, both of which were aimed at current-generation consoles, particularly the PlayStation 3
. Heavy Rain received positive previews in 2006 due to the stunning graphics
of an early technology demo. Released in February 2010, Heavy Rain was well received and has sold over 2 million copies worldwide.
David Cage stated that Quantic Dream owns the interactive storytelling genre; "We want to build on what we have discovered with Heavy Rain. We created the genre. We own the genre, and we want to show that Heavy Rain was not a coincidence or a lucky shot - that it was really something that makes sense and that we can build on. At the BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards, in which Quantic Dream won 3 awards for Heavy Rain, Cage stated that "games always explore the same things. They're about being powerful, being the good guys against the bad guys – that's a very tiny part of what can be done. There are so many other stories to tell, so many other emotions to trigger – this is a fantastic new medium, we can do much more than we currently do with it."
has been released for Heavy Rain, David Cage has stated that he does not plan to release a Heavy Rain 2, saying that all he would be doing is "milking the franchise". On June 1, 2010, rumors speculated that Quantic Dream was starting to cast for a new science-fiction game entitled "Horizon". Cage confirmed that these rumors are not true. Quantic Dream is working on two new projects for the future. Cage confirmed that the next project will focus on emotions, not serial killer
s. Quantic Dream are considering making a game based on war.
"I don't know where this information comes from but there is no project called Horizon featuring a couple in a science-fiction world currently in development at Quantic Dream," studio head David Cage confirmed to Eurogamer. "Though if the script is available it sounds like a good idea." "I hope this will inspire people – it should! I want competition in this field. I don't want to be alone on my flagship shouting, 'Hey! Emotional storytelling!' There should be more games trying this. But very few developers have the luxury of having a great publisher trusting them. We did an indie game with the financial support of a Triple A title. I don't see Heavy Rain as an achievement, I see it as a first step. I know we can do much better, we can go further. I know there are many people out there to convince. I mean, look at how many people played Heavy Rain in comparison to Call of Duty – we want as many players as that. And even that is nothing – look at how many people watched Avatar. That is where we want to go."
As of March 2011, news suggest that one of Quantic Dream's next projects will be called Fiv5. On August 4, 2011, Sony Computer Entertainment
Europe filed a trademark for Infraworld, which was a project once in development at Quantic Dream, but was cancelled during the early stages of development. An easter egg inside of Heavy Rain showed a poster for Infraworld with Quantic Dream's logo at the bottom of the poster, which hints that Infraworld may be back in development and could be one of Quantic Dream's future projects.
studio of 64 Vicon camera set (blend of T160 and Mx40 systems). The Studio has more than 10 years of experience in this technology. They worked on the French-produced science fiction film, 'Immortal' which was shot entirely on a "digital backlot
", blending live actors with computer generated surroundings.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
video game developer
Video game developer
A video game developer is a software developer that creates video games. A developer may specialize in a certain video game console, such as Nintendo's Wii, Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3, or may develop for a variety of systems, including personal computers.Most developers also...
based in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, founded in 1997. The company also supplies motion capture
Motion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
services to the film
Film industry
The film industry consists of the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking: i.e. film production companies, film studios, cinematography, film production, screenwriting, pre-production, post production, film festivals, distribution; and actors, film directors and other film crew...
and video game industries.
History
They launched their first title, Omikron: The Nomad SoulOmikron: The Nomad Soul
Omikron: The Nomad Soul is a Microsoft Windows and Dreamcast 3D adventure game developed by French developer Quantic Dream and published in 1999 by Eidos Interactive. It was released on October 31, 1999 for PC and on June 21, 2000 for Dreamcast...
, in 1999 for PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
and Dreamcast, which also featured original music and acts by musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
. Quantic Dream was next due to develop Quark, a game which was later cancelled. For the next two years, the developers
Software developer
A software developer is a person concerned with facets of the software development process. Their work includes researching, designing, developing, and testing software. A software developer may take part in design, computer programming, or software project management...
at Quantic Dream worked hard to advance their production infrastructure
Infrastructure
Infrastructure is basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society or enterprise, or the services and facilities necessary for an economy to function...
, which they had first begun using in Quark. In 2002, they officially began development of Fahrenheit
Fahrenheit (video game)
Fahrenheit, also known as Indigo Prophecy in North America, is a cinematic adventure video game developed by Quantic Dream and manufactured and marketed by Atari Europe SAS...
(known as Indigo Prophecy in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
), the first game to use their sophisticated interactive cinema technology which allows gamers to play through multiple worldlines based on the decisions made rather than a one-dimensional
Line (geometry)
The notion of line or straight line was introduced by the ancient mathematicians to represent straight objects with negligible width and depth. Lines are an idealization of such objects...
story.
Fahrenheit was launched to worldwide critical acclaim, receiving multiple awards and nominations prior to its release, with high ratings from all major gaming publications. According to the official Quantic Dream website, Fahrenheit has sold over 800,000 units worldwide since it was released. In 2005, Quantic Dream's next announced titles was a new franchise called Heavy Rain
Heavy Rain
Heavy Rain is an interactive drama psychological thriller video game created by Quantic Dream exclusively for the PlayStation 3. The game is written and directed by Quantic Dream's founder and CEO David Cage....
and Omikron 2, both of which were aimed at current-generation consoles, particularly the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. Heavy Rain received positive previews in 2006 due to the stunning graphics
Graphics
Graphics are visual presentations on some surface, such as a wall, canvas, computer screen, paper, or stone to brand, inform, illustrate, or entertain. Examples are photographs, drawings, Line Art, graphs, diagrams, typography, numbers, symbols, geometric designs, maps, engineering drawings,or...
of an early technology demo. Released in February 2010, Heavy Rain was well received and has sold over 2 million copies worldwide.
David Cage stated that Quantic Dream owns the interactive storytelling genre; "We want to build on what we have discovered with Heavy Rain. We created the genre. We own the genre, and we want to show that Heavy Rain was not a coincidence or a lucky shot - that it was really something that makes sense and that we can build on. At the BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards, in which Quantic Dream won 3 awards for Heavy Rain, Cage stated that "games always explore the same things. They're about being powerful, being the good guys against the bad guys – that's a very tiny part of what can be done. There are so many other stories to tell, so many other emotions to trigger – this is a fantastic new medium, we can do much more than we currently do with it."
Upcoming projects
After the success of Heavy Rain, critics became curious as to what Quantic Dream plans to release in the future. Although a DLCDownloadable content
Downloadable content is official additional content for a video game distributed through the Internet. Downloadable content can be of several types, ranging from a single in-game outfit to an entirely new, extensive storyline, similarly to an expansion pack. As such, DLC may add new game modes,...
has been released for Heavy Rain, David Cage has stated that he does not plan to release a Heavy Rain 2, saying that all he would be doing is "milking the franchise". On June 1, 2010, rumors speculated that Quantic Dream was starting to cast for a new science-fiction game entitled "Horizon". Cage confirmed that these rumors are not true. Quantic Dream is working on two new projects for the future. Cage confirmed that the next project will focus on emotions, not serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
s. Quantic Dream are considering making a game based on war.
"I don't know where this information comes from but there is no project called Horizon featuring a couple in a science-fiction world currently in development at Quantic Dream," studio head David Cage confirmed to Eurogamer. "Though if the script is available it sounds like a good idea." "I hope this will inspire people – it should! I want competition in this field. I don't want to be alone on my flagship shouting, 'Hey! Emotional storytelling!' There should be more games trying this. But very few developers have the luxury of having a great publisher trusting them. We did an indie game with the financial support of a Triple A title. I don't see Heavy Rain as an achievement, I see it as a first step. I know we can do much better, we can go further. I know there are many people out there to convince. I mean, look at how many people played Heavy Rain in comparison to Call of Duty – we want as many players as that. And even that is nothing – look at how many people watched Avatar. That is where we want to go."
As of March 2011, news suggest that one of Quantic Dream's next projects will be called Fiv5. On August 4, 2011, Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
Europe filed a trademark for Infraworld, which was a project once in development at Quantic Dream, but was cancelled during the early stages of development. An easter egg inside of Heavy Rain showed a poster for Infraworld with Quantic Dream's logo at the bottom of the poster, which hints that Infraworld may be back in development and could be one of Quantic Dream's future projects.
Games
| Game title | Release date | Platform(s) |
|---|---|---|
| Omikron: The Nomad Soul Omikron: The Nomad Soul Omikron: The Nomad Soul is a Microsoft Windows and Dreamcast 3D adventure game developed by French developer Quantic Dream and published in 1999 by Eidos Interactive. It was released on October 31, 1999 for PC and on June 21, 2000 for Dreamcast... |
1999 | Windows Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal... |
| 2000 | Dreamcast | |
| Fahrenheit/Indigo Prophecy Fahrenheit (video game) Fahrenheit, also known as Indigo Prophecy in North America, is a cinematic adventure video game developed by Quantic Dream and manufactured and marketed by Atari Europe SAS... |
2005 | Windows Microsoft Windows Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal... , PlayStation 2 PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan... , Xbox Xbox The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console... |
| 2007 | Xbox 360 Xbox 360 The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... (Xbox Originals) |
|
| Heavy Rain Heavy Rain Heavy Rain is an interactive drama psychological thriller video game created by Quantic Dream exclusively for the PlayStation 3. The game is written and directed by Quantic Dream's founder and CEO David Cage.... |
2010 | PlayStation 3 PlayStation 3 The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles... |
Motion Capture
Quantic Dream has its own Motion CaptureMotion capture
Motion capture, motion tracking, or mocap are terms used to describe the process of recording movement and translating that movement on to a digital model. It is used in military, entertainment, sports, and medical applications, and for validation of computer vision and robotics...
studio of 64 Vicon camera set (blend of T160 and Mx40 systems). The Studio has more than 10 years of experience in this technology. They worked on the French-produced science fiction film, 'Immortal' which was shot entirely on a "digital backlot
Digital backlot
Digital backlot is a term used to describe motion picture sets that have neither genuine location shoots nor practical sets on the soundstages; the shooting takes place entirely on a stage with a blank background that will have an artificial environment put in during post-production...
", blending live actors with computer generated surroundings.