David Cage's first idea for a videogame was the stuff of delusion: an unworkably grand outline sketched by a young person with no experience of development. He convinced a group of friends to make a demo during their evenings, outside of their day-to-day jobs. Astonishingly, the project, The Nomad Soul, went on to be acquired by Tomb Raider publisher Eidos based on prototype screenshots. Wilder still: the game was embraced by David Bowie, who contributed both his likeness and soundtrack to the project. With this debut, Quantic Dream established its reputation as an idiosyncratic studio attempting to forge distinctive modes of interactive storytelling, following it up with Fahrenheit, Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and, most recently, Detroit: Become Human.
That reputation has been entwined with Cage's own, not least since the director appeared as himself in the tutorial sequence of Fahrenheit, the studio's second game. And, as a figure, he has been as divisive as the games his studio makes often misunderstood and, he claims, often misquoted.
Today, though, as we visit Quantic Dream's Paris HQ, Cage seems keen to reject any notion of auteurship, sharing credit for his games' successes with colleagues while accepting sole blame for their failings. This apparent willingness to wear fault has been thoroughly tested in recent years; after Quantic Dream was accused by a former employee of a culture of overwork and 'banter'-based toxicity, the studio instigated a slew of libel cases against high-profile media companies. Cage himself has been accused of making homophobic and misogynistic comments in the workplace – accusations that both he and members of the studio’s staff categorically deny.
Denne historien er fra October 2022-utgaven av Edge UK.
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Denne historien er fra October 2022-utgaven av Edge UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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BONAPARTE: A MECHANIZED REVOLUTION
No sooner have we stepped into the boots of royal guard Bonaparte than we’re faced with a life-altering decision.
TOWERS OF AGHASBA
Watch Towers Of Aghasba in action and it feels vast. Given your activities range from deepwater dives to climbing up cliffs or lumbering beasts, and from nurturing plants or building settlements to pinging arrows at the undead, it’s hard to get a bead on the game’s limits.
THE STONE OF MADNESS
The makers of Blasphemous return to religion and insanity
Vampire Survivors
As Vampire Survivors expanded through early access and then its two first DLCs, it gained arenas, characters and weapons, but the formula remained unchanged.
Devil May Cry
The Resident Evil 4 that never was, and the Soulslike precursor we never saw coming
Dragon Age: The Veilguard
With Dragon Age: The Veilguard, BioWare has made a deeply self-conscious game, visibly inspired by some of the best-loved ideas from Dragon Age and Mass Effect.
SKATE STORY
Hades is a halfpipe
SID MEIER'S CIVILIZATION VII
Firaxis rethinks who makes history, and how it unfolds
FINAL FANTASY VII: REBIRTH
Remaking an iconic game was daunting enough then the developers faced the difficult second entry
THUNDER LOTUS
How Spirit farer's developer tripled in size without tearing itself apart