I have a lot of thoughts about Quantic Dream, the studio that released games like Indigo Prophecy, Heavy Rain, and Detroit. These thoughts about their games are separate from the various reports of employee harassment and an alleged trial transcript where David Cage seemingly went off the rails. The apparently awful studio culture does nothing to affect how I feel about the Quantic Dream portfolio, because I think they’re all really bad games, anyway.
According to Kotaku, the studio is currently working on a new Star Wars game, though they stopped just sort of fully confirming all the details. The game has supposedly been in development for 18 months and, unlike Quantic Dream’s usual fare, is more action-oriented than narrative-based. It may even have multiplayer elements, though that remains unconfirmed.
And you know, bring on the interesting Star Wars ideas. The license is too often beholden to the genres proven out by the films, mainly being action and flight action games. Let there be a game that explores the weird and interesting parts of the universe that don’t have anything to do with lightsabers or X-Wings. Maybe this Quantic Dream game will be one of those ideas!
But goddamnit, does it have to come from the studio that wrote Heavy Rain? Does it have to come from the people who argued that Detroit is different from Bladerunner because the androids are sympathetic? From a team with multiple infractions when it comes to sensitively, or even competently, handling issues of race and sexism in their games ranging from foundational focus to even merely representation?
Who knows, maybe it will be good. But as someone that’s once again learning to love Star Wars again after Rise of Skywalker, I’m not holding my breath.
