Quantic Dream's decision to become a PlayStation-exclusive studio was in fact the result of their dealings with Microsoft.
"We were pitching Heavy Rain to different publishers, including Sony, and we went to Microsoft," Quantic Dream founder David Cage revealed in a BAFTA games lecture. "We had a very long talk and they loved Fahrenheit, and they really wanted to do something with us."
"They got scared by the fact that Heavy Rain was about kids being kidnapped, and they said, 'This is an issue, we want to change it'. Well, we could have kidnapped cats, it would be a different experience!"
Cage felt that this is more than a simple disagreement on a single plot point. "For me, that was a very interesting signal," he explained. "It was like, you know what, I don't think we can work together, because you don't understand what I'm trying to achieve here."
"They were scared of the scandal and scared of what people may write and what people may think. 'Oh, this is a developer and the publisher making games about a child getting kidnapped.'"
As a result, Quantic Dream started exploring other options and talking to other publishers until it struck a deal with Sony.
Interestingly, Sony too had its qualms with the plot. However, the main difference lies in the attitude.
"We had this conversation with Sony very honestly saying, 'Okay, there is a reason here'," explained Cage. "But I think they understand the upside of what we were doing. This could be incredibly emotional, if done with taste and if there's nothing shocking for the sake of shocking. There should be a strong emotional experience, but it shouldn't be vulgar, it shouldn't be about blood and whatever, it should be about love."
