The concept of the clandestine “source” is one of the many delusions that permeates the gaming industry. In reality, sources rarely meet us in decrepit alleyways dressed in trenchcoats, bleeding profusely from a fatal wound, their dark, troubled conscience demanding they divulge earth-shattering secrets before succumbing to a painful demise. It’s seldom that melodramatic. (Though when this does happen, man, it’s so awesome.)
Sometimes when we run a story here at TheSixthAxis people behind the scenes get in touch and just shoot the breeze. Sometimes they also tell us something that hasn’t officially been announced or confirmed (and should hence be treated accordingly), and, sometimes, they don’t mind if we share it with you as long as their anonymity is maintained.
When we ran our recent “We Made Horizon Up” article about how Quantic Dream purposely masked the concept of their next game from blabbering actors by creating an unrelated audition-only project called Horizon, we were contacted by someone we trust. Sparked by our article, the topic of the call was what Quantic Dream would do next and, specifically, David Cage’s comment about how fans of Heavy Rain will be “surprised” where Quantic Dream are going.
We assumed he would go deeper, further down into the twisted psyche of human emotion, expanding on the adult and societal themes evoked in Heavy Rain. According to our source, however, though Quantic Dream’s next project may very well explore these very concepts, it will be doing so while wrapped in a different genre. According to our source, David Cage’s next game is a science fiction title.
Is this real or are we just hit-bating? Well, it comes with the obvious caveat that, though we have no reason not to believe our source, this is second-hand information. As in, Monsieur Cage did not speak to us directly.
If it’s true (and, once again, we have every reason to believe it is), such a possible direction is not outside the realms of probability. After all, Quantic Dream’s Omikron and Fahrenheit explored elements that are arguably science-fiction in nature, (apart from Omikron’s setting, Fahrenheit’s “Purple Clan” AI construct immediately comes to mind), and such a futuristic environment would present Cage and his team an even wider, more fantastical landscape to craft an emotional story.
As soon as Quantic Dream confirm the setting of their next game, you’ll be sure to hear about it here. Until then, note the rumour tag above.
gordon_strange
WOW! i just see a neo tokyo/blade runner esque sci fi noir thing happening! oh man that would be so dope
Gamoc
Yes, that does sound extremely dope.
hazelam
ever played omikron?
rept0n
Omikron/Nomad Soul was great!
Way ahead of it’s time – I loved getting to the next section of the game and seeing the David Bowie character perform another song.
stonyk
depends on the dope but yes, very dope indeed.
Forrest_01
I would probably go as far as to say that it sounds ‘fresh’! :)
Klart
fresh dope it is!
gordon_strange
baaaaad, and wicked would also be accepted
linkavich
man its all becoming too much, the thought of a blade runner – esque game is too much to bear i want it no0w maybe yesterday or even tomorrow will do
kevatron400
You ever play this? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blade_Runner_%281997_video_game%29
It was relatively awesome.
shields_t
That was also excedingly dope.
iAvernus
It’s be a FPS sci-fi game =)
iAvernus
OOPS!! I meant “it’ll be…”…girlfriend next to me while I’m on a gaming website…I have to be discreet.
Forrest_01
Why? I am 31 & married & my wife supports my gaming habits (even as far as getting invoved herself at times)!
Now if you had said “I am in work”…
rht992
i know the pain :(
iAvernus
Forrest_01 I’m happy for you man, but not all men are as lucky as you. My girlfriend actually considers my PS3 as another woman. Not that I can’t play when she’s home with me, but i prefer not to, as it could turn sour if she doesn’t get enough attention. I miss playing 4+ hours =(
Sympozium
Horizon – Yep sounds Sci-fi exciting!!
Kovacs
Read.
The.
Article.
FriendlyFiend
Maybe that long-awaited sequel to Omikron: The Nomad Soul (hopefully with less David Bowie this time)?
hazelam
i like bowie, and i thought the songs he did for that game were fantastic.
rept0n
Yeah – more Bowie!
Foxhound_Solid
Loved the first two games. I have a very high regard for QD.
Think whatever they do next will be AWESOMESAUCE!
Grey_Ghost13
Now thats the way to announce a nice tid bit of information about a game. Not blast a huge headline across the bow of the internet with something like “EXCLUSIVE: WE KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THE NEXT QUANTIC DREAM TITLE WILL BE SET IN THE FUTURE IN A SCI FI ENVIROMENT. FACT” type of way. Well done TSA.
Kovacs
We didn’t even make it headline news.
:)
(Guys, whatever you do, don’t make this headline news now!)
Aquastyle
Cool, a story-driven psychological sci-fi game? Count me in.
hazelam
wouldn’t be the first sci fi game from cage and quantic dreams.
omikron was a game that had so much potential, let down a little i feel by the hardware available then.
a remake or sequel on ps3 would be amazing, just imagine the city he could create now.
and get bowie back to do some more tracks.
slickhenry
…. and here I thought Heavy Rain was sci fi as well.
If it wasn’t and somebody already got ARI, could they please send it to me?
Kovacs
Wasn’t Heavy Rain set in 2012? Why does that date stick in my head? Technically, yes, science fiction. Good call.
hazelam
science fiction is about how technology affects people, not when it was set, i’ve read sci fi set a hundred years ago, the difference engine, fantastic book, shows how victorian england could have been if babbage had built his mechanical computer.
i think it’s the best of the alternate history books i’ve read.
anyway, back on topic, take something like star wars, most of it isn’t actually sci fi.
sure there are spaceships, blasters, lightsabers and droids, but the story is not about how they affect people, because within that universe, all that technology is everyday, common, ordinary.
though the death star does kind of add a sci fi element, but for the most part the tech is irrelevant, they could be getting into their van to go down the road instead of in their starship to go to another system.
and i would say the ari glasses in heavy rain aren’t strictly sci fi, they seem to be just another tool, sure they’re tech that doesn’t exist in the real world, but featuring them doesn’t make the game a sci fi game.
you’re going to give me a nerd tag now aren’t you? o_O
Kovacs
No; you’re right. Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle is also science fiction. And that’s set in the 17th and 18th century.
Science fiction is not defined as solely being “future fiction.”
Charmed_Fanatic
haha same i was confused
Tuffcub
I deny all knowledge of meeting shadey looking men in dark alleyways.
Klart
You can deny all you want, the cameras have proof enough. And it ain’t pretty.
About the “knowledge” part: the footage does not exclude the possibility of you being unconscious while being submitted to various experiments