Quantic Dream NetEase Collaboration Means Self-Publishing and More

With its Sony exclusivity deal expiring, Quantic Dream announced a few months ago that Chinese company NetEase had invested in the French developer. Going multiplatform is but one of the studio’s many goals, which has already come to fruition with the launch of Heavy Rain on the Epic Games Store. According to Quantic Dream Founder and CEO David Cage, these steps open the door for further expansion. What does that expansion entail exactly? Self-publishing and being able to develop more than on title at a time.

Cage addressed Quantic Dream’s plans for the future during a recent discussion at Gamelab Barcelona. Internet technology company NetEase’s involvement is already allowing the studio to advance towards its vision of self-publishing. The studio also aims to develop more than one game at a time and expand its horizons to the Asian market. The latter notion isn’t too surprising, considering how long Detroit: Become Human remained on the Japanese sales charts after its May 2018 launch.

During the Gamelab Barcelona talk, Cage noted the following:

We felt it was the right moment for the company, after 23 years and 12 years working exclusively with Sony, to follow our path and explore different directions. We wanted to create more than one game at a time; we wanted to become our publisher also, which we start with Heavy Rain on PC right now and then Beyond and Detroit that we self-publish.

It was about starting a new journey, I think, for us, and we felt ready for it. When we met the people at NetEase, we felt they were the right people, understanding the vision we had and being able to support us in accomplishing this vision, and so we’re interested in the Asian market, we look at the mobile market. We have many different ideas and crazy things that we want to do in the near future.

For now, the team at Quantic Dream remains quiet about what project is on the cards next. However, upon announcing the NetEase deal, the studio revealed plans to develop new IP, build a performance capture studio, and craft a proprietary game engine. As far as Quantic Dream’s other existing IP is concerned, both Beyond: Two Souls and Detroit: Become Human are headed to PC for the Epic Games Store this year.

[Source: Gamepur]