Quantic Dream co-CEO, Guillaume de Fondaumiere told CVG that the key reason for Heavy Rain's delay from late 2009 to early 2010 was because the game needs "its own release window".
"The first and most important reason [for the delay] was the fact that I don't think that such an innovative game like Heavy Rain and a new franchise should be released at the end of the year in the crowded period when everyone's releasing there games," de Fondaumiere told CVG. Modern Warfare 2 immediately springs to mind.
Heavy Rain
Official trailer
1:52Gamescom trailer
Heavy Rain
Official trailer
1:52Gamescom trailer
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"A game like Heavy Rain needs space, needs to be explained and shown. At the end of the year, people can't afford to buy all those games so we wanted to give Heavy Rain the chance to have its own release window, and for us to really talk about it so people really understand it."
Fondaumiere believes that HR will be a test bed for how ready the industry is for this sort of innovation.
"If Heavy Rain doesn't succeed it's going to have important implications for other developers and for ourselves - maybe people will think 'those innovative games don't work, games cannot really convey realistic emotions.' And they will continue to do the standard shooters and the like that we have been doing for however many years," he said.
Shame, but it makes sense. Although I would say Uncharted 2 is more likely to be its competition than MW2.
I would hope that Uncharted 2 is better competition than MW2, but I doubt that sales figures will show that. Which would suggest that the masses do indeed prefer generic mindless shooters than a game with character and story.
Its the same with all media. Whats the big film of the summer generally. Mindless pap, occasionally something comes out that people take note of, the wrestler springs to mind. But that might have gotten people in becasue it was about a wrestler.
Heavy Rain sadly is going to the way of most really evocative games, It'll have a cult following but won't sell brilliantly. Then again if we're lucky it could be another bioshock.
Shame, but it makes sense. Although I would say Uncharted 2 is more likely to be its competition than MW2.
I would hope that Uncharted 2 is better competition than MW2, but I doubt that sales figures will show that. Which would suggest that the masses do indeed prefer generic mindless shooters than a game with character and story.
Yeah, it makes me wonder when folk slag off HR because of its use of QTE's, then plead for a sequel or remake of Shemnue, which basically has the same mechanics.
Then the majority of those folk run out to buy the next generic shooter, involving the most repetitive game mechanic ever.
Each to their own, of course, but surely variety is the spice of life?
If these 'other' types of games are unsuccessful, then my love for gaming will die with them.
On a positive note, I am sure there are enough gamers willing to try something different, like Heavy Rain. It seems to exude too much quality to be ignored, if you ask me.
Shame, but it makes sense. Although I would say Uncharted 2 is more likely to be its competition than MW2.
I would hope that Uncharted 2 is better competition than MW2, but I doubt that sales figures will show that. Which would suggest that the masses do indeed prefer generic mindless shooters than a game with character and story.
Yeah, it makes me wonder when folk slag off HR because of its use of QTE's, then plead for a sequel or remake of Shemnue, which basically has the same mechanics.
Then the majority of those folk run out to buy the next generic shooter, involving the most repetitive game mechanic ever.
Each to their own, of course, but surely variety is the spice of life?
If these 'other' types of games are unsuccessful, then my love for gaming will die with them.
On a positive note, I am sure there are enough gamers willing to try something different, like Heavy Rain. It seems to exude too much quality to be ignored, if you ask me.
Time will tell.
I doubt anyone who slagged off Heavy Rain bought Shenmue, or clamour for the 3rd game!
Heavy Rain should hit a million worldwide I guess, considering Farenheit sold 800,000. Decent enough IMO.
sorry, but i don't believe for a minute that this game is going to be as good as everyone is making it out to be. I hope I'm wrong, but I really think that it is going to be pretentious and a bit dull.
The guy is already talking about it like they have made something really important, but apart from the stunning graphics, I see nothing which gets me excited.
sorry, but i don't believe for a minute that this game is going to be as good as everyone is making it out to be. I hope I'm wrong, but I really think that it is going to be pretentious and a bit dull.
The guy is already talking about it like they have made something really important, but apart from the stunning graphics, I see nothing which gets me excited.
Fondaumiere makes it sound like it's our fault if the game flops.
The last paragraph reads like "if you don't understand that our game is far superior than anything else, then keep playing those old crappy FPS shooters, you idiots!"
Hmm. Maybe people like fast-paced action from their games. Conveying emotions and stuff like that is better left to the movies. They do it far better than any game ever could.
sorry, but i don't believe for a minute that this game is going to be as good as everyone is making it out to be. I hope I'm wrong, but I really think that it is going to be pretentious and a bit dull.
The guy is already talking about it like they have made something really important, but apart from the stunning graphics, I see nothing which gets me excited.
Completely agree, delays are almost always a bad sign, especially with a new concept game, I forecast an Alone in the Dark scale farce...
Its starting to sound like more games are going to be released early next year than in the holiday this year. Really we have no choice but to buy MW2 now, nothing else will be out
I really want Heavy Rain, it is actually an original game and not a rehash, remake or FPS like almost everyone else is doing these days. Games that have a cult following tend to, in my experience, be far better than any mainstream pap. Take Valkyria Chronicles, which is the best games this gen imo, or just about any Megami Tensei game. If Heavy Rain is even half as good as those then it'll be worth my £40.
And to WingForward, I wouldn't get MW2 if I was paid to. Bobby Kotick isn't getting a penny of my money. I'd sooner buy all those PS2/PS1 games that I missed out on, how many could I get for £55? hmmmm....
sorry, but i don't believe for a minute that this game is going to be as good as everyone is making it out to be. I hope I'm wrong, but I really think that it is going to be pretentious and a bit dull.
The guy is already talking about it like they have made something really important, but apart from the stunning graphics, I see nothing which gets me excited.
Completely agree, delays are almost always a bad sign, especially with a new concept game, I forecast an Alone in the Dark scale farce...
Right, so that means Bioshock 2, Bayonetta, Splinter Cell, Alan Wake, God of War 3 and Heavy Rain must all be tosh.
sorry, but i don't believe for a minute that this game is going to be as good as everyone is making it out to be. I hope I'm wrong, but I really think that it is going to be pretentious and a bit dull.
The guy is already talking about it like they have made something really important, but apart from the stunning graphics, I see nothing which gets me excited.
Completely agree, delays are almost always a bad sign, especially with a new concept game, I forecast an Alone in the Dark scale farce...
I don't know - Eidos held back on Arkham to add a little more polish...in those cases, I guess we'd all prefer to wait a little longer for a better end-product.
Still, really not sure how this is going to pan out - I don't think it's my sort of game either way, but it certainly looks interesting.
As someone else said - variety is the spice of life and (as somebody who doesn't like shooters) I welcome new ideas.
Its starting to sound like more games are going to be released early next year than in the holiday this year. Really we have no choice but to buy MW2 now, nothing else will be out
Nothing. I think you're forgetting a far superior game by a Mr Shaeffer coming out in Rocktober. Thats where my cash will be going.
I'll take originality and substance over the same trite crap anyday.
Its starting to sound like more games are going to be released early next year than in the holiday this year. Really we have no choice but to buy MW2 now, nothing else will be out
Nothing. I think you're forgetting a far superior game by a Mr Shaeffer coming out in Rocktober. Thats where my cash will be going.
I'll take originality and substance over the same trite crap anyday.
Same here, plus GTA. Modern Warfare can wait until it hits the £25 mark.
Good question. At the moment, it is only Dust 514 which has really captured my imagination. I really like the idea of it being set in the Eve online universe, as I find it a very interesting one. The idea of being given missions from an actual person rather than an NPC is quite exciting, and of course it is going to be the first console MMOFPS. Also, where the EVE universe is quite complicated, I hope you will probably get the more intelligent players on it, rather than all of the COD mongs.
Good question. At the moment, it is only Dust 514 which has really captured my imagination. I really like the idea of it being set in the Eve online universe, as I find it a very interesting one. The idea of being given missions from an actual person rather than an NPC is quite exciting, and of course it is going to be the first console MMOFPS. Also, where the EVE universe is quite complicated, I hope you will probably get the more intelligent players on it, rather than all of the COD mongs.
Yeah monty, DUST 514 and its hybrid gameplay does sound very interesting, but considering it's been in development for over 3 years I've seen very little in the mainstream press about it, so not sure whether that's a good thing or bad!!
Heavy Rain should hit a million worldwide I guess, considering Farenheit sold 800,000. Decent enough IMO.
Bear in mind that Farenheit was a multiplatform release. I do hope this does well though as it looks like an interesting game that i'll certainly be keeping my eyes on before pre-ordering and i did love Farenheit, was even thinking of downloading it a few months back on the 360. This games main problem is that unfortunatley the masses will not care for it, if it doesn't play fast and doesn't have heavy gunplay then they aren't interested. Anything a bit more cerebral and plot driven is way over their heads.
Anything thats slightly geared to a more mature audience and Gameplay style has me interested, I wasnt a big fan of Farrenheit but will leave my glass half full for this one.
Anything thats slightly geared to a more mature audience and Gameplay style has me interested, I wasnt a big fan of Farrenheit but will leave my glass half full for this one.
2010: The best year in Gaming, ever!?
Agreed, as for 2010 and best gaming year ever...lets hope so as 2009 so far has been a bit flat from all consoles imo.
Heavy Rain should hit a million worldwide I guess, considering Farenheit sold 800,000. Decent enough IMO.
Bear in mind that Farenheit was a multiplatform release. I do hope this does well though as it looks like an interesting game that i'll certainly be keeping my eyes on before pre-ordering and i did love Farenheit, was even thinking of downloading it a few months back on the 360. This games main problem is that unfortunatley the masses will not care for it, if it doesn't play fast and doesn't have heavy gunplay then they aren't interested. Anything a bit more cerebral and plot driven is way over their heads.
Forgot about that! Still, this seems to be more hyped than Farenheit was, so who knows.
Well it's a good move - why on earth it's taken a large amount of developers/publishers to think about sensible release windows, I don't know.
Fahrenheit was released in a September with little competition and managed to top the Xbox chart on release week, and did well in the multiformat chart too so they've learnt about this ages ago.
Yeah monty, DUST 514 and its hybrid gameplay does sound very interesting, but considering it's been in development for over 3 years I've seen very little in the mainstream press about it, so not sure whether that's a good thing or bad!!
A fair point, but when you considder how difficult it must be to realise this game, I am surprised they have announced it so soon. Can you imagine setting up a game where one guy on a PC is playing Sim City, whilst PS3 and Xbox 360 owners are playing Assassin's Creed inside it? There are three different platforms, with two completely different game styles indside one universe. Also, the graphics in that demo for Dust were pretty phemnominal, considdering all the variables involved. Must be a nightmare to plan and make, and I am surprised they are going to attempt so ambitious in this generation of consoles.
Anything thats slightly geared to a more mature audience and Gameplay style has me interested, I wasnt a big fan of Farrenheit but will leave my glass half full for this one.
2010: The best year in Gaming, ever!?
Agreed, as for 2010 and best gaming year ever...lets hope so as 2009 so far has been a bit flat from all consoles imo.
Yup - I'm playing Batman: AA at the moment (and it's utterly brilliant), then we have Forza 3, The Ballad of Gay Tony and Assasins Creed 2 before the end of the year. Then - in the first half of 2010 - we have BioShock 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Red Dead Redemption and Mafia 2 all scheduled.....and that's just for the 360 - for the PS3 there's the likes of Uncharted 2, Heavy Rain and GT5 (which will almost certainly be here before the end of the first half of 2010 - at the very least).
Hmm, as much as I am intruiged by this game, I have a feeling there'll be a bit of what happened with Little Big Planet here.
While it was an awesome game, people didn't think it applied to them due to the fact they didn't understand it. Those horrendous adverts, and attempting to explain it was even harder, and I don't like the fact that the Heavy Rain guys are going to have to "explain" this game to make it a success.
I have no doubt that it'll be a great game, I just don't see it as being a massiver seller which might make it appear to be a failure. I also have a feeling it might carry a higher price tag than we're used to.
I actually liked the LBP adverts, they were every bit as silly as the game itself That said, it probably lost sales due to looking like a kiddie platformer, when it's anything but.
Heavy Rain is a bit of an enigma. On one hand, I love the feel of it. It sounds like it could have a really great creepy vibe going on, lots of deep characterisation and a believable game world. But on the other hand not seeing much in the way of gameplay is a bit worrying. I want to see the game features at work, the way you move, the amount of world interaction and character development.
This cut scene looks really nice and I understand that some may be necessary to tell the story, but I don't want it to suffer from HideoKojima-itis and have 10 minutes of watching for every 30 seconds of playing. Show me someone playing it now, damn you all!
Fondaumiere believes that HR will be a test bed for how ready the industry is for this sort of innovation.
"If Heavy Rain doesn't succeed it's going to have important implications for other developers and for ourselves - maybe people will think 'those innovative games don't work, games cannot really convey realistic emotions.' And they will continue to do the standard shooters and the like that we have been doing for however many years," he said.
Is this a threat? if you don't buy and like this game you'll all be doomed to play fps for the rest of time. smb Fondaumiere, if it's good people will buy it
Hmm, as much as I am intruiged by this game, I have a feeling there'll be a bit of what happened with Little Big Planet here.
While it was an awesome game, people didn't think it applied to them due to the fact they didn't understand it. Those horrendous adverts, and attempting to explain it was even harder, and I don't like the fact that the Heavy Rain guys are going to have to "explain" this game to make it a success.
I have no doubt that it'll be a great game, I just don't see it as being a massiver seller which might make it appear to be a failure. I also have a feeling it might carry a higher price tag than we're used to.
They'll be delighted if it sells as well as LBP. A new IP selling over 3 million units...
Hmm, as much as I am intruiged by this game, I have a feeling there'll be a bit of what happened with Little Big Planet here.
While it was an awesome game, people didn't think it applied to them due to the fact they didn't understand it. Those horrendous adverts, and attempting to explain it was even harder, and I don't like the fact that the Heavy Rain guys are going to have to "explain" this game to make it a success.
I have no doubt that it'll be a great game, I just don't see it as being a massiver seller which might make it appear to be a failure. I also have a feeling it might carry a higher price tag than we're used to.
They'll be delighted if it sells as well as LBP. A new IP selling over 3 million units...
Seriously don't know where you got that figure from, although I'd be interested to find out.
Anything thats slightly geared to a more mature audience and Gameplay style has me interested, I wasnt a big fan of Farrenheit but will leave my glass half full for this one.
2010: The best year in Gaming, ever!?
Agreed, as for 2010 and best gaming year ever...lets hope so as 2009 so far has been a bit flat from all consoles imo.
Yup - I'm playing Batman: AA at the moment (and it's utterly brilliant), then we have Forza 3, The Ballad of Gay Tony and Assasins Creed 2 before the end of the year. Then - in the first half of 2010 - we have BioShock 2, Splinter Cell: Conviction, Red Dead Redemption and Mafia 2 all scheduled.....and that's just for the 360 - for the PS3 there's the likes of Uncharted 2, Heavy Rain and GT5 (which will almost certainly be here before the end of the first half of 2010 - at the very least).
Seriously don't know where you got that figure from, although I'd be interested to find out.
There you go, just to point you in the right direction. 2.35 million up to the 20th of June. If you use Google you'll get an more up to date sales figure. Still selling quite well also.
I wish the Silent Hill franchise had taken a leaf out of this developers book. It looks very intuitive and engaging from the robbery scene. Kind of like those multi-braching story books I've read once or twice before. Ok so it mightn't be everyone's cup of tea but I'm game for anything single player that looks to stretch me, part of the reason I used to like Silent hill was the puzzles and character development. Hopefully this game will push the boundries and test gamers again.
Seriously don't know where you got that figure from, although I'd be interested to find out.
There you go, just to point you in the right direction. 2.35 million up to the 20th of June. If you use Google you'll get an more up to date sales figure. Still selling quite well also.
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