Heavy Rain was turned down by Microsoft due to its child kidnapping story, it has been revealed.
Speaking at this year's BAFTA annual games lecture, Quantic Dream head of development David Cage said the publisher was "scared" of the controversy it could cause.
"We were pitching Heavy Rain to different publishers, including Sony, and we went to Microsoft," he told attendees including Digital Spy.
"We had a very long talk and they loved Fahrenheit, and they really wanted to do something with us.
"They got scared by the fact that Heavy Rain was about kids being kidnapped, and they said, 'This is an issue, we want to change it'." Well, we could have kidnapped cats, it would be a different experience!
"For me, that was a very interesting signal. It was like, you know what, I don't think we can work together, because you don't understand what I'm to achieve here.
"Many video games catch not only great commercial attention but remarkable critical attention as well. We have seen games like Heavy Rain, The Last of Us Part II, and even entries in the Metal Gear series described as fantastic interactive experiences, even heralded in the same way as Hollywood's greatest films.
I would suggest that not only is this an unfair comparison but also a harmful one. Video games, by their very nature, are an intricately different medium and should be weighed against one another rather than another form of media," Phillip writes for GF365.
I think Hollywood films will becoming increasingly more like video games in the future, especially as the world embraces the "new normal" from the pandemic. It makes sense, as games like Spider-Man: Miles Morales showcase just how realistically we're reaching in graphical capabilities, as well as showcase extreme action sequences in spectacular ways. And as time goes by, it'll get easier and cheaper to produce such "art", as well as create new star "actors" that never age, never die, never complain, never gets involved in scandals, etc. Technology is amazing and we're only just getting a taste of what it'll eventually be.
No. For the money spent, a quality game provides far more entertainment value than a quality movie. Especially when looking at what is going on in the world, and how a studio can attempt to pilfer from consumers by charging 30 dollars for Mulan via streaming. Ridiculous. There is no comparison....games all day.
What exactly is the David Cage experience, and is it of value? We examine two classics, Fahrenheit and Heavy Rain, to find the answer.
Quantic Dream has announced a new video series to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of Heavy Rain. Check out the first part here.
Have you played Detroit? While it’s my personal favorite, I fully understand many preferring Heavy Rain more. I’m glad you enjoyed Heavy Rain too.
Glad you enjoyed the game! Yes, Detroit is a masterpiece of a game, and their best work to date “in my opinion”
Wow, 10 years...and yet, still one of the best/most emotional/thrilling gaming experiences I’ve ever had.
So grateful to Sony for believing in Quantic Dream’s vision for this game, and giving them a chance. I’ll never forget David Cage saying “We want to challenge the player, but not with the controller, but mentally, with their decisions of “How far would you go to save someone you love” Well, they broke my emotional gamer heart lol.
My teenage son refuses to play this game, because I’ve told him in little detail the emotional impact it had on me all those years ago. Maybe one day he will.
Still have my origami crane they teach you how to make when you're installing for the first time.
it's been 10 years? wow, that was so fast, I feel like this console gen went fast as well although it hasn't. I really look forward to the PS5 this holiday season though.
Interesting, never thought for a second this would be the reason.
yet they allowed call of duty which included shooting up an airport filled with innocent civilians?
something doesnt add up
Wow, so as long as the subject matter is leave-your-brain-at-the-door it's okay, but if it deals with something serious then it's a no-go?
Interesting
Indigo prophecy did not sell close to well on Xbox. So to fund the same type of game would be a high risk move. It might have turned out well, but sill did not set the sales charts on fire. So Quantic Dreams owns Sony for letting them make their dream game. But I think they should not be doing business off of emotion. If they think their is a market base on xbox, they should jump at the opportunity to sell more copies. But that's just me.
Activision publishes COD. Quantic wanted MS to publish the game for them. No big loss, I picked it up, and games like this make me hope they do not become too realistic, they will stop feeling like video games. A video game has to feel like a video game, the reason I love playing them....