Microsoft Turned Down Heavy Rain, “Got Scared” Of Child Kidnapping Plot

Believe it or not, Quantic Dream originally wanted to bring Heavy Rain to the Xbox 360 in addition to the PlayStation 3, but Microsoft turned the project down. 

Studio founder David Cage revealed the news at the 2013 BAFTA Annual Games Lecture in London. According to Cage, Microsoft wasn't too fond of the plot, which is centered around the kidnapping of a kid.

Despite the fact that Quantic Dream is basically in bed with Sony at this point, it was originally a multiplatform-centric studio, brining Indigo Prophecy (aka Fahrenheit) to both Xbox and PlayStation 2. Following that game's success, the Big M was interested in what the studio was working on next. “They really loved Fahrenheit and they really wanted to do something with us,” Cage explained.

However, the company apparently "got scared" when it learned that Heavy Rain was about child kidnappings. "They didn't want the scandal," Cage elaborated. Meanwhile, Sony had no problem with the subject matter, which clearly worked out in its favor.

Quantic Dream's next game, Beyond: Two Souls, is set to launch next month, exclusively on PS3.

[Polygon]