Developer Quantic Dream is renowned for creating some truly innovative IPs on Sony’s PlayStation 3 over the past few years, and David Cage, founder and co-CEO of the French-based studio, has recently discussed the upcoming project they’re working on, the constant changes occurring within the gaming industry and the direction it will be taking in the future.
During an interview with Obsession (translated via NeoGAF), Cage explained that the “industry changes very quickly” and described the future of video games as “multifaceted.”
“There will always be games for the hardcore gamers who see games as a skill-based sport, or as a way to compete with their friends,” he said. “Video games as a mere “hobby”, like many titles for smartphones or tablets, will keep having success with a broader audience.
“We try to develop a middle way, with games that try to tell a story, to carry meaning and where violence isn’t the core activity. Most of all, we try to create an emotion, to make players live something strong and unique, which remains an ambitious challenge in a video game.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCrKxPz-2Vk
Cage went on to suggest that the rapid advancements within the gaming industry has meant that a lot of the unique and creative ideas are coming about as a result of the growing influence from the indie scene.
“A lot of people in or out of the industry regularly complain about how concepts go around in circles and are very much based on violence, but there is a very large audience for those games,” the developer said. “Today, creativity mostly emerges from the independent devs. These creators have less financial pressure and can afford to take risks, which is impossible for games with a $100 million budget.”
Reoccurring themes such as violence and sexism have been associated with the gaming industry for almost two decades now, and the French developer addressed the latter by saying people’s behaviour towards the matter is “unacceptable.”
“In every community there is a small minority of extremists,” he explained. “They often tend to make a lot of noise even though they represent a small minority. Some people uttered unacceptable things about women but they’re not representative of the gaming community. By the way, one should note that the community itself reacted strongly against those words.
“Video games are becoming more feminine, more responsible, and evolve. We also start seeing more interesting female characters in video games, even though there’s still much left to do in this matter.”
It’s been more than a year since Quantic Dream’s last IP, Beyond: Two Souls, was released on the PlayStation 3, but Cage did reveal that the company is currently “working on something very exciting.”
Featured image credit: Official GDC on Flickr.