This week,
Click got the chance to attend a special presentation of all new footage and information for upcoming title
Beyond: Two Souls at the studio of French developers
Quantic Dream in Paris. Together with a look at their unique motion capture facility and a personal tour from founder and creative director
David Cage, we got a in-depth insight into the making of one of the more unique games currently in production, as well as finally getting the chance to get hands on with the game.
We’ll be bringing you previews and interview with many of the team, including
Cage, co-CEO
Guillaume de Fondaumière as well as the technicians who helped to bring this unusual game to life. But first, we’ve decided to break down the day with some photos from inside the
Quantic Dream studio.
First up is the first thing we got to see - a nondescript office building a little way from the centre of Paris, unadorned with any kind of sign. Here lies
Quantic Dream.
And here’s our first glimpse of a name - they have a post box!
Inside, and we’re greeted by a range of posters, including this lurid example from 1999s
Omikron: The Nomad Soul - one of the strangest games ever made and featuring a revolutionary motion live/animated performance from
David Bowie, as well as a score by the musician.
You can grab it on GOG.com now.
And another for one of my personal favourites - 2005s
Fahrenheit, which helped to redefine how stories are told in video games, while also being more than a little bit batty.
Founder, co-CEO, creative director and chief writer at Quantic Dream, David Cage, introduces himself as we head out on a tour of the studio, which has doubled in size since Heavy Rain to almost 200 people.
The
Quantic Dream development staff work away to the clatter of keyboards, trying to ignore the horde of journalists standing around and leering at them. Almost all of the tech for
Beyond: Two Souls was developed onsite, including an all new game engine and the tools needed for the games transition to full performance capture.
Just a selection of the awards won by
Quantic Dream over the years, including three
BAFTA Game Awards for
Heavy Rain for Technical Innovation, Original Music and Story.
This word is key to everything that
Cage and the entire team at
Quantic Dream strives for - informing each and every game they make. And also emblazoned on their walls!
The
Quantic Dream team working towards their October release date. Many of the screens feature a large image of performance capture star
Ellen Page. It’s very striking but I can’t help thinking its there for our benefit to cover up potentially spoilerish material.
The
Bowie in
The Nomad Soul.
Packshots for
Quantic Dream’s previous games can be found all around the office, I have this PC cover for
Fahrenheit somewhere!
Co-CEO of
Quantic Dream and Exective Producer on
Beyond: Two SoulsGuillaume de Fondaumiere. He’s more involved in the business side of running the company and we’ll have an interview up with him soon where he talked about many things, including the effort it took to get stars
Ellen Page and
Willem Defoe involved in the project.
Here are Chief Tech Director
Damien Castelltort and Art Director
Christophe Brusseaux who had a unique collaboration on
Beyond: Two Souls. We’ll have an interview up with the pair soon.
And here’s
Caroline Marchal – she’s the Gameplay Lead on
Beyond but has been working closely with creative chap
David Cage for 10 years, since first joining
Quantic Dream during the production of Fahrenheit. We spoke to her about the challenges of delivering on
Cage’s vision and will have the interview up soon.
And here’s
Cage himself, in a totally relaxed pose. Pay special attention to the panels behind him which feature concept art from
Beyond: Two Souls – including a stunning depiction of
Ellen Page’s Jodie in some kind of African warzone.
Click’s
Daniel Anderson meets
David Cage. The famous one is on the left.
One of Quantic Dream’s very attractive BAFTA’s for Heavy Rain.
One of the cameras used during the performance capture at
Quantic Dream’s facility in Paris. The rings are infrared lights which project a light that is reflected by the dots and baubles on the performers body.
Speaking of those baubles, here’s a look at one of the props used during the shooting of
Beyond – a surprisingly heavy M16 variant with full action and a changeable mag, complete with tracking markers.
That’s just a glimpse behind the scenes on
Beyond: Two Souls – we’ve got a dissection of
David Cage’s presentation plus a hands on preview and plenty of interview to come. In the meantime, check out a recent trailer for
Beyond.
Beyond: Two Souls is coming exclusively to the PS3 from October 8th 2013.