Quantic Dream Ends 25 Years Of Independence, Sells Itself To NetEase

French game developer Quantic Dream has been sold to NetEase. The studio, which was founded 25 years ago in 1997, is now a subsidiary of the Chinese technology giant.

In a statement, the Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human studio said it has “always been particularly attached to its creative freedom and independence.”

Times have changed, and Quantic Dream needed to find more money to help finance its dreams for making and publishing games, and that’s where NetEase comes in.

“In order to continue our development and presence in the world, but also to fund other studios and become an international publisher, larger investments are needed for us to keep building our technology and infrastructure, to deliver ever more impressive next-generation games, to expand our team and to develop several projects simultaneously,” the studio said.

NetEase had been a minority investor in Quantic Dream since January 2019. In the four years that followed, “We have learned a lot about each other,” Quantic Dream said.

“We discovered that we share the same desire to create bold, highly qualitative work that makes an impression,” it said.

Although Quantic Dream is selling to NetEase–for a price that was not disclosed–Quantic Dream claims it will “retain our independence in terms of our editorial line, the artistic direction of our projects, and the management of the studio.”

In terms of impact to Quantic Dream’s headcount, the studio’s team members will be “fully preserved” and in fact, will “continue to grow and strengthen.” Quantic Dream added that its development teams will “benefit directly financially” from the buyout.

“NetEase Games is committed to supporting the innovation and development of video games worldwide, and it is within this framework that Quantic Dream will continue to grow,” it said. “We will still operate independently, maintain the ability to create and self-publish our video games on all platforms, and continue to support and publish titles developed by third parties.”

While Quantic Dream had been an independent developer for its entire existence up until now, some of the team’s biggest and best-known games, including Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit, were PlayStation exclusives on console.

The studio is headed up by David Cage, who become embroiled in controversy amid allegations of misconduct that he has denied.

The studio’s next game is Star Wars: Eclipse, which is still some time off. The company also has a publishing division, and its next game, Under the Waves, was announced at Gamescom.