Heavy Rain Creator Blames Sequel Fans for Lack of Industry Innovation

David Cage believes that publisher-mandated sequels are one of the biggest problems of the video game industry and that the public should understand that they will never create innovation.

The Quantic Dream leader tells The Official PlayStation Magazine in the United Kingdom that, “If you’re interested in innovation and believe that games could be more than shooters, then you realise that sequels kill creativity and innovation. Many people want the same and if that’s what you offer them, they will gladly buy it. The result is very simple. Gamers invest money in publishers having no interest in innovation.”

Of course, gamers can only buy those video games that are available and promoted and as long as the likes of Call of Duty and Halo have the biggest marketing budgets, it’s unlikely that other games will overtake them in terms of sales.

David Cage says that his own team is always looking to innovate and to challenge the expectations of players.

He adds, “We don’t give people what they expect. We want to give them something they want without knowing they want it.”

Quantic Dream has a long-running history of creating interesting video games that push against the limits of the medium.

The team has previously worked on Omikron: The Nomad Soul, Heavy Rain and Fahrenheit (also known as Indigo Prophecy).

At the moment, the studio is aiming to push emotional involvement in video games further with Beyond: Two Souls, a game that will star a character modeled on actress Ellen Page.

The experience will be built around a young woman who is followed by a strange presence and players will be able to see its influence over a 15-year period.

Beyond: Two Souls will be offered exclusively on the PlayStation 3 home consoles from Sony and might arrive before the end of the second quarter of the year.