Quantic Dream, the French developer behind cinematic narrative games like Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human, has been acquired by Chinese publisher NetEase.
NetEase initially purchased a minority stake in Quantic Dream in 2019 but will now command full ownership over the studio. As a result, Quantic Dream becomes the first European studio in NetEase’s portfolio. Current president, David Cage, and Chief of Operations, Guillaume de Fondaumière, will remain in charge.
Neither NetEase nor Quantic Dream has confirmed the amount paid to acquire the studio.
You could be forgiven for thinking Quantic Dream was already a first-party PlayStation studio, given its close relationship with the publisher since the release of Heavy Rain in 2010. Its most recent release, Detroit, launched on PC in 2019. Its next game, Star Wars Eclipse, remains in production and does not currently have a release window.
Quantic Dream has been in and out of the news in the last few years. Reports of a toxic workplace culture within the studio surfaced in 2018, with former staff alleging instances of bullying, racism, sexism and humiliation. Cage has also drawn his share of ire over the last decade. Following the release of Beyond: Two Souls in 2013, Elliot Page considered legal action after discovering Cage had approved a nude model of his body created for the game without his consent.
The acquisition comes on the back of news that competing Chinese giant Tencent and PlayStation had acquired 30% of FromSoftware in separate purchases.
Leave a Reply