What you need to know
- Quantic Dream is a French studio known for its work on games like Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human, as well as the recently announced Star Wars: Eclipse.
- Chinese gaming company NetEase is reportedly acquiring Quantic Dream, though the deal may not yet be finalized.
- The studio has faced criticism over the last few years, with reports of abusive and misogynist behavior from company leadership.
French development studio Quantic Dream is reportedly being acquired by NetEase, a Chinese gaming company known for partnering with Western developers to release localized versions of games.
According to a report from reporter and leaker Tom Henderson on eXputer, NetEase is acquiring 100% of the company, thought it's not currently clear if the deal has been finalized. NetEase previously purchased a minority stake in Quantic Dream back in January 2019.
Quantic Dream is best known for its early work partnering with Sony to release multiple PlayStation exclusive titles such as Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls for the PS3. This partnership ended with the release of Detroit: Become Human for the PS4, with numerous reports of a toxic workplace environment, including accusations of racism and crunch. Quantic Dream went on to win one lawsuit for libel, while losing another to French publication Mediapart.
More recently, Quantic Dream was revealed to be working on Star Wars: Eclipse, a game set in the High Republic era of the franchise. Quantic Dream has reportedly faced issues recruiting developers for the project, with reporters indicating the game could be as far off as 2028.
While NetEase has not made as many investments as other big gaming companies, it's no stranger to acquisitions. It purchased Japanese developer Grasshopper Manufacture in October 2021, and poached several Yakuza developers to found Nagoshi Studio.
