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A Google-backed startup wants to change VR as we know it
What do you do when a good idea fails? You invest in a better version of it. We've known about Google's huge bet on startup Magic Leap for months, but a recent patent application explains why Mountain View has thrown over $540 million at an unknown entity. We don't know exactly what Magic Leap will offer, but by piecing together various patent applications we can surmise it relates to a wearable display system that will supposedly enable a super-realistic type of VR it calls "cinematic reality".
Beyond: Two Souls sales topped 1 million in 2013
Quantic Dream's Beyond: Two Souls has exceeded one million in sales in 2013, the developer has revealed. Feel free to press X to guitar, Jodie – you've earned that shredathon! Beyond: Two Souls centers around Jodie Holmes, a girl who has a unique connection with a spiritual entity known as Aiden. After being abandoned by her foster parents, Holmes is raised by a pair of researchers working in a fictional supernatural studies group within the US government. Over 70,000 copies of Beyond: Two Souls sold in the studio's native country of France, Quantic Dream co-founder Guillaume de Fondaumière revealed on Twitter. That's better than Quantic Dream's previous game, Heavy Rain, did in its first 12 weeks of availability there, Fondaumière added. Beyond: Two Souls, perhaps best known for its A-list talent in Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe, launched in October of last year. In our review, we said the game "lies somewhere between vicariousness and voyeurism," and that ultimately "you're just the ghost in a ghost story, only appearing when the scene calls for a cheap scare."
Beyond, Heavy Rain creator David Cage loves games with 'soul'
Since he's answered so many questions about Beyond: Two Souls, and since the PS3 game comes out next week, I decided the time was right to ask Quantic Dream CEO David Cage about some other games. Specifically, the ones he admires and that emotionally affect him. "I love games where I can feel there is someone behind [it] ... whatever that means!" Cage said. "Sometimes you play [a game] and just feel like, 'Oh, this is just nice software developed by 200 people and it's nice, and the technology's great,' but there's no soul. And sometimes when you play a game you can feel the soul of someone behind it, and that's what I love. For me, Journey was something like this. For me, Papo & Yo was something like this. [In that game] there's really someone talking about these personal feelings that he experienced, and that's what I really love." Cage added that he tries to put soul into the games he makes; he's both the director and writer of Beyond: Two Souls, as he was for Quantic Dream's previous PS3 game, Heavy Rain. At a BAFTA lecture last month, Cage cited Journey, Papo & Yo, Rain, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Gone Home, and The Unfinished Swan as representative of an indie community compensating for a lack of resources with creativity, and he's clearly a proponent of indie games. I asked him if there were any major games in which he saw a similar auteur quality to what he admired in Journey and Papo & Yo. "There are a couple," said Cage. "I think the games by Fumito Ueda. They are not indie games per se because they were produced by Sony, but there is definitely an auteur behind them, that's for sure. In Ico and Shadow of the Colossus you can feel there is someone with a soul behind them."
Pre-order Beyond: Two Souls at GameStop, get Special Edition free
Placing a pre-order for Beyond: Two Souls at GameStop before its October 8 launch date will upgrade your order to the game's Special Edition for free, the PlayStation Blog has detailed. The Special Edition includes a 30-minute scene focused on guiding protagonist Jodie and her ghostly friend Aiden through a series of test-room puzzles. A soundtrack consisting of the game's four themes will also be paired with "making-of" videos featuring Ellen Page, Willem Dafoe and Beyond's writer, David Cage. A dynamic theme for the PS3 and PSN avatars round out the offering, all of which will be packaged in the Special Edition's metal case. We recently discussed the game's cinematic direction and found it to be an interesting approach to storytelling.
Beyond: Two Souls Video Preview
Spoiler alert: The video preview above contains a smattering of story scenes from Beyond: Two Souls, an upcoming PlayStation 3 game anchored by exquisite recreations of Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe. One of them drops an F-bomb too, so watch out for that. Director David Cage describes it as spiritual successor to Heavy Rain, polished to a Hollywood sheen and driven more by the events in the protagonist's life than a barrage of repeatable video game mechanisms. The primary source of intrigue in Beyond, and its most liberal form of interaction, is a disembodied character named Aiden. This supernatural entity is attached to Jodi, the protagonist played by Page, and allows the player to pass through walls, manipulate objects and temporarily possess unwitting bystanders. Beyond: Two Souls hits the big screen (in your house) on October 8, 2013.
Microsoft turned down opportunity to publish Heavy Rain, says Cage
PS3 thriller Heavy Rain could've been on Xbox 360, but long talks between Microsoft and developer Quantic Dream ended in disagreement and the French studio eventually turning to Sony, according to Quantic CEO David Cage. Speaking at a BAFTA UK event that Joystiq attended, Cage told the audience Microsoft had issues with the game's content, specifically child kidnapping. The 2010 game is based heavily around a father searching for his kidnapped son, taken away by a serial killer. When asked what he'd say to publishers who turned him down, Cage said Microsoft was the last to do so: "We were pitching Heavy Rain to different publishers, including Sony, and we went to Microsoft. We had a very long talk and they really loved Fahrenheit [known as Indigo Prophecy in North America], and they really wanted to do something with us. And they got scared by the fact Heavy Rain was about kids being kidnapped, and this is why they said, 'This is an issue, we want to change it." "Well, we could have kidnapped cats, That's a different experience!" Cage joked.
No 'game over' in Beyond: Two Souls, but Jodi can die
There is no "game over" in Beyond: Two Souls – the screen never fades to black, there's no inspirational quote in sight, and, most importantly to creator David Cage, the story doesn't come to a complete stop. "I've always felt that 'game over' is a state of failure more for the game designer than from the player," Cage told me at Gamescom. "It's like creating an artificial loop saying, 'You didn't play the game the way I wanted you to play, so now you're punished and you're going to come back and play it again until you do what I want you to do.' In an action game, I can get that – why not? It's all about skills. But in a story-driven experience it doesn't make any sense." Instead, Cage said he focused on giving consequences to failures without hindering the narrative. In one scene, two police officers hunt down Jodi, the protagonist, on a moving passenger train. Jodi is able to circumvent the officers and run away, leading to an intense standoff on the roof of the speeding train. "Failing" this scene means the cops capture Jodi before she has a chance to bolt, and in the standard video game design scheme, this would mean cut, fade to black and try again. In Beyond, players are given an alternate story path, this time where Jodi is locked in a train car with the officers standing guard, and she has to escape. Players who "fail" the train scene won't see the rooftop battle, but those who "beat" it won't experience the escape narrative. In at least one of these scenarios, a path can lead to Jodi's death. This raises a question that humankind has asked itself for eons: What happens when we die? "It's a game about death, so you can imagine that death plays a role in all of this," Cage said. "Actually, it's one of the big discoveries – one of the big mysteries in the game is to discover what's on the other side. And it's definitely not a black screen."
Quantic Dream's new PS4 engine debuted
During Sony's PlayStation 2013 event, Quantic Dream head David Cage showed off a tech demo of the developer's newest engine for the PlayStation 4. The demonstration showed an old man with wispy hair and impressive facial expressions. Cage praised the abilities of the PlayStation 4, saying, "We are now limited only by our imagination." As our own Ludwig Kietzmann notes, we'll probably hear that line again whenever the PlayStation 5 is announced.The video hearkens back to Quantic Dream's emotionally charged "Kara" demo, which was showcased during GDC last year. At the time, when asked if games using the engine would look as good as the Kara demo, Cage responded that they would "look much better," and that Kara was running on the first version of the studio's latest tech. Presumably, today's demonstration is indicative of Quantic Dream's most recent progress. Even so, as impressive as today's demonstration was, we're not out of the uncanny valley just yet.
Cage: Using a new engine for Beyond is crazy but 'we want to take risks'
Quantic Dreams boss David Cage admitted going with a newly developed engine for Beyond: Two Souls is "absurd," but defended the decision as one of passion and risk-taking. Speaking to Shacknews, Cage said that not re-using the engine Quantic toiled over for Heavy Rain was "absurd," but it's clear 'coulda' excites him much more than 'shoulda.'"We're just crazy people," Cage said. "We don't do this for money or fame. We want to take risks because we enjoy trying to push the envelope. Does it make sense from a company point of view? Not really, to be honest. Being the CEO of the company, I can tell you that it's totally absurd. But we enjoy it so much. We're a team of passionate people. This is 'what we should have done,' but we've done something else."Cage spoke to the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences in our Hit List feature last month, noting Apocalypse Now and the works of Kubrick as the two greatest filmic influences on his creative process. Whether or not the creative channels he's chosen are Paths of Glory for Beyond remains to be seen.
Hit List Q&A: David Cage, founder of Quantic Dream
In the "Hit List" from the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences, the video game industry's top talents describe their current gaming addictions, their most anticipated releases and more. This week: Quantic Dream's David Cage. David Cage founded Quantic Dream in 1997, with the ambition of using interactivity as a new means of expression. He developed a creative vision based upon emotion, innovation and immersive storytelling. After his first video game Omikron featuring famous singer David Bowie, the game Fahrenheit (Indigo Prophecy) received great critical acclaim and won several awards worldwide. In 2010, Heavy Rain, a dark thriller produced by Sony, met critical acclaim and commercial success, selling over 2.3 million units to date. Heavy Rain was the winner of three Interactive Achievement Awards in 2011 (now called the D.I.C.E. Awards) - Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering, Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, and Outstanding Achievement in Original Music CompositionIn 2012, Cage launched a new tech demo called KARA, featuring an android girl with an actress who delivered a stunning acting performance. Quantic Dream is currently in production of Beyond, a game written and directed by David Cage, starring actress Ellen Page. The game, produced by Sony exclusively on PlayStation 3, will be released in 2013.In his forthcoming 2013 D.I.C.E. Summit session, Cage will be speaking on "The Peter Pan Syndrome: The Industry that Refused to Grow Up." In a significantly changing landscape dominated by franchises, where new devices with 89c games get more and more of consumers' attention, the video game industry is confronted with a massive challenge. A new console cycle is about to start, new business models and platforms appear while creativity and risk taking has never been lower.The game industry, having always refused to grow up, is now confronted with a new dilemma: evolve or stagnate. The first and most important revolution to start is about content. Based on his experience and fifteen years in the industry developing original content, David Cage will explain in a passionate, thought-provoking presentation (with a French accent) his vision for content in the future and why he believes it is the key to expanding our market and finally become a mature industry.
'Critical Path' trailer is loaded with games industry talent
A trailer for Critical Path, a "transmedia project exploring the art, philosophy, politics and psychology of video games" recently surfaced. The trailer, created by a Los Angeles-based studio named Artifact, shows dozens of game designers talking about their craft and the place games take in the history of expressive media. The project aims to "give game designers their due as innovators and influencers of culture."Critical Path is described as the culmination of "two years of filming and archiving" interviews, according to Artifact's site. "User feedback will influence future interviews, which will be added to the archive on an ongoing basis."Among the 37 names listed at the end of the trailer are Warren Spector, Jenova Chen, John Carmack, David Cage, Cliff Bleszinski, Ken Levine, Peter Molyneux, Tim Schafer and Hideo Kojima. You can watch the trailer here.
Beyond: Two Souls discussion with Ellen Page and David Cage
There was a lengthy panel on Beyond: Two Souls back at SDCC, which revealed Kadeem Hardison will also play a starring role in the game. Immediately following the panel, both David Cage and Ellen Page sat down with the PlayStation Blog for the video interview above.Within, Page discusses her own relationship with games and how Heavy Rain really got her on board with what Cage is trying to do in Beyond: Two Souls. There's also a good deal of mo-cap footage, giving us a glimpse at some of the more physical acting Page has done so far for the game.
Beyond: Two Souls features 160 actors, Ellen Page in a submarine
Watching a video of herself in a full performance-capture suit and reclined in a bucket seat on the set of Beyond: Two Souls, Ellen Page announced to the audience at Quantic Dream's San Diego Comic-Con panel, "And that's the submarine. Oh, shit."Quantic Dream founder David Cage laughed off the flub and Page continued to describe her experience with Beyond as "incredible" and "completely fulfilling.""My brain didn't even know how to process this opportunity," Page said. Once she met Cage at a bar in L.A. to read his script, however, her mind was made up, and filming turned out to be an incredible experience, she said. "It completely exceeded my expectations and was completely fulfilling as an actor."Beyond took 10 months and 160 actors to film, and that's after Cage spent one year writing the script. During that year, he referenced a photograph of Page with a shaved head from Mouth to Mouth, a movie she did when she was 16, for the main character, Jodie Holmes. He ended up using Page in later movies as models for Jodie as she aged through the game. By the time he finished writing he said he couldn't picture another actress in Page's place.Page seemed satisfied with Cage's decision as well: "What David has written is so powerful and so beautiful," she said. Beyond: Two Souls is due out in 2013 for PS3.
Willem Dafoe not starring in Beyond: Two Souls, Kadeem Hardison is
Actor Willem Dafoe is definitely not starring in Beyond: Two Souls, Quantic Dream's David Cage confirmed to Joystiq after a panel at San Diego Comic-Con. "Nice try," Cage said, shaking his head.Dafoe was previously rumored to be co-starring in Beyond alongside Inception's Ellen Page, who made an appearance at the Quantic Dream panel. Kadeem Hardison, best known for playing Dwayne Wayne on A Different World, was also at the panel to reveal his own role: a paranormal investigator who "raises" Jodie Holmes, Page's character.Video at the panel showed off Page with another actor, Eric Winter, both in full performance-capture suits and in a range of scenarios, from conversing around a dinner table to maneuvering in what appeared to be an earthquake. The identity of Winter's character has not been disclosed.
Quantic Dream's next game is 'Beyond - Two Souls.' heading to PlayStation 3
Heavy Rain development studio Quantic Dream unveiled its next big PlayStation game tonight during Sony's press conference, dubbed "Beyond – Two Souls." for PlayStation 3. Studio head David Cage says it follows a young lady named Jodie Holmes across the course of her life, and she'll be played by actress Ellen Page.The gameplay clip shown off has the characteristic look of Quantic Dream's past work, except the gameplay seems to be far more action-heavy than past titles. We'll have the first look up as soon as its available, so keep an eye out!
Heavy Rain creators produce 'Kara' PS3 tech-demo (video)
Heavy Rain creator David Cage was showing off Quantic Dream's new game engine at GDC, which includes an innovative new performance-capture technology the company's developed. He's directed a seven-minute original short called Kara, which is the story of a female android as she becomes self-aware. Unlike traditional game production methods, this technology is able to record face and body movements at the same time as recording the actors voice -- ensuring natural and consistent performances from the characters. Actress Valorie Curry wore 90 sensors on her face, unlike in, say, Avatar, where the performers wore head-mounted cameras. Cage promises that the short is nothing more than a demo (it was rendered in real-time on a PlayStation 3) and none of these elements will appear in his next game. You can catch the impressive-looking footage after the break with one disclaimer: there's nudity throughout and a reference to adult themes, okay?
Canned Quantic Dream project 'Infraworld' trademarked by SCEE
Earlier this year, gaming industry sleuth Superannuation uncovered the possible monikers of two projects from Heavy Rain developer Quantic Dream. The first was Fiv5, which showed up in a domain and European trademark registered by the developer. The second was Infraworld, a project the studio canceled in 2006. It later showed up as a Heavy Rain Easter egg, as well as a Quantic Dream hire's LinkedIn profile. Today, the latter name showed even more signs of life when it surfaced in a U.S. trademark filed by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe this past May. If Infraworld has indeed been saved from the Quantic Dream cutting room floor, it's possible that it follows the same style of Heavy Rain -- in March, David Cage explained that he wanted to build on his treasured "Interactive Drama" genre. That's still a pretty broad set of expectations, though one thing's for sure: Bizarre and unplaceable accents are pretty much a lock.
Heavy Rain director encourages more 'personal' stories
Speaking to The Guardian about storytelling in games, Heavy Rain director Cage singled out the FPS genre -- its use of WWII and sci-fi settings in general -- as an example where that aspect of the medium is stagnating. His advice for other game writers: " Don't write about being a rookie soldier in WWII, because you don't have a clue what that's like." Heavy Rain has drawn accolades, Cage says, because the inspiration for its story is personal and relatable. "Talk about yourself, your life, your emotions, the people around you, what you like, what you hate," he advised. "This is how the industry will make a huge step forward. I'm fed up with space marines." In his case, inspiration came from something much more down to earth. "It was not about space marines fighting aliens, it was about my relationship with my first son and how he changed my life –- and also about how loving someone without expecting anything in return was something totally new." So, Modern Warfare 3 writers: instead of "how many people can you shoot?," why not try asking players "how many people would you shoot to save someone you love?"
'Fiv5' could be the title of Quantic Dreams' next game
David Cage, director of the soggy serial killer interactive drama Heavy Rain, has already said there won't be a sequel to that game, telling the PlayStation Blog, "We're going to be exploring a different direction, which will still be very dark and still for adults, but completely different to Heavy Rain" for Quantic Dreams' next project. That game's specifics may be a secret, but it may have a title: "Fiv5" ... yes, in the style of David Fincher's film Se7en. Gaming trademark sleuth superannuation has turned up several clues supporting this theory, including a trademark filing with Europe's Office of Harmonization for the International Market. There's also a domain name registration by Quantic Dream, and a new hire at the developer has listed themselves as "Concept Artist: Video Game "FIVE" & "INFRAWORLD" on LinkedIn. Infraworld? Where'd we put our deerstalker hat and magnifying glass?
Kinect Hacks: Quick-time gestures with Indigo Prophecy
Kinect modder extraordinaire Jack Schofield's latest gesture-based infusion of a gaming classic is so obvious, we're a little upset we didn't think of it first: David Cage's original QTE-filled piece of interactive drama, Indigo Prophecy. Check out a lengthy video demonstration below.
