Known for his work on games like Detroit: Become Human, Beyond Two Souls, and Heavy Rain, Quantic Dream CEO David Cage has always been a peculiar figure. Many have debated whether his games strive too hard to replicate films, with his signature style often focusing on unique cinematic stories that let the player take control of the narrative.
The unconventional director recently admitted that he has some less-than-positive opinions about the state of the next generation as well, telling WCCFTech that he thinks Microsoft's direction with the Xbox Series S could be bad for the industry. In his opinion, Microsoft's affordable console will force developers to water down their games to hit both platforms, with Cage admitting that he's "not a big fan" of the situation.
"Many developers prefer consoles to PC because on consoles you only have to deal with one hardware, whereas on PC there are so many configurations, graphic cards, drivers, controllers," Cage said in his chat with WCCFTech. "When a manufacturer offers two consoles with different specs, there is a strong chance that most developers will focus on the lower-end version to avoid doing two different versions."
He continues, elaborating on why he finds the Series S to be a controversial choice for Microsoft: "I think it is confusing for developers, but also for players, and although I can understand the commercial reasons behind this choice I think the situation is questionable."
Seeing as Cage has years of experience in game development, it's interesting to hear his thoughts on Microsoft's budget console. With Quantic Dream announcing it will become a multi-platform studio going forward, it'll be intriguing to see whether Cage's concerns end up affecting the projects he works on in the future. While the studio hasn't announced its next major game, it has been very active over the last two years porting Detroit: Become Human, Heavy Rain, and Beyond Two Souls to PC. It also recently revealed that Fahrenheit: Indigo Prophecy, its first major console release, is getting a physical release on PlayStation 4 to celebrate the game's 15th anniversary.
Detroit: Become Human accomplished a significant milestone due to its port to the PC, with Quantic Dream announcing back in August that the game has surpassed five million units sold. It has become the studio's fast-selling game to date. With the next-generation looming on the horizon, it'll be interesting to see whether Cage's concerns surrounding the Xbox Series S turn out to be warranted.
The Xbox Series S will offer less power for a more agreeable price point, but still boasts 1440p resolution and 60 FPS gameplay so players can enjoy next-generation experiences on a budget. With the console debuting at the same time as the Series X, players will just have to wait and see whether it becomes as much of a burden on the industry as Cage has predicted.
The Xbox Series X and S will be available on November 10.
Source: WCCFtech