LogIn
Quantic Dream's co-CEOs explained what made them accept NetEase's acquisition proposal and spoke about the advantages the deal will bring to the studio.
Yesterday, it became known that the Chinese developer and publisher NetEase acquired Quantic Dream, the developer behind interactive games Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human.
In a recent interview with GamesIndustry.biz, the studio's co-CEOs Guillaume de Fondaumière and David Cage explained why Quantic Dream decided to accept NetEase's proposal and the advantages the acquisition will bring to the studio.
Studio heads shared that the company was engaged in acquisition discussions several times over its lifetime, however, the conditions that potential buyers offered did not meet Quantic Dream's expectations. One of the reasons for that was that creative freedom and independence were the main priorities for the studio, so the company systematically decided to reject these offers and stay independent.
However, during recent months, according to De Fondaumière, the studio got several offers that it found interesting, including NetEase's proposal.
One of the major factors that made Quantic Dream "quickly agree" on NetEase's terms was that the companies had already cooperated for several years – in 2019, NetEase purchased a minority stake at the studio, and the companies worked alongside each other ever since which, as De Fondaumière states, gave Quantic Dream an opportunity to "witness that [the companies] share the same vision and ambition" for the studio.
De Fondaumière also added that partnership with the Chinese giant allowed the studio to "invest, to become an independent publisher, to finance [its] own productions and to finance external studios."
"We will now be able to continue our ambitious plan, taking advantage of industrial synergies, while allowing us to remain fully independent in the management of our studio and our editorial choices," he said. "For our employees, it is also a guarantee of sustainability over time, which ensures that we can continue to be ambitious while having the security of belonging to a large global group."
Speaking of how Quantic Dream will operate now, Cage noted that there will be "strictly no change in management and overall organisation" at the studio, saying that both himself and De Fondaumière will retain their positions as studio heads. He also added that NetEase's policy "not to interfere with the studios they acquire" was among things crucial for Quantic Dream.
"They feel that if they buy a company, it's because it works, so there is no reason to change it," he said. "This point was also important for our team who has always been very attached to the values of the studio, and for whom it was essential that the DNA of Quantic Dream remains unchanged."
Quantic Dream was previously criticized for its toxic workplace culture with various French publications reporting that the studio's employees, among others, faced homophobia, racism, and sexism as well as complained about Quantic Dream's crunch culture.
Both studio heads denied those allegetaions at the time and even sued the press over reports of a toxic workplace. Last year, courts found some of the publications to be guilty of libel, while others were cleared of Quantic Dream's accusations.
When asked whether this situation had an impact on acquisition negotiations, De Fondaumière stated that workplace allegations didn't factor in the companies' discussions as NetEase "could easily assess the absence of any material basis of these claims."
"Everyone familiar with Quantic Dream, its management and our team perfectly knows what to think of these allegations," De Fondaumière said. "As a shareholder who had already audited our studio in late 2018, who had assessed all material elements and had followed all litigation outcomes, NetEase had a very clear view and could easily assess the absence of any material basis of these claims. They had thereby no impact on our discussions."
You can learn more about the acquisition by reading the full interview here. Also, don't forget to join our Reddit page and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.