For adventure aficionados, Heavy Rain is one of the most anticipated games in recent memory. And while a GamesIndustry.biz interview confirms development is coming along smoothly, it won't hit this year due to an overcrowded holiday season. Quantic Dream co-CEO Guillaume de Fondaumiere said that the project is "on time, on budget," but says the decision to release it in early 2010 was made for a few reasons. "Most publishers today realise that it's not ideal to release a new IP or a new genre just before Christmas," he says. "It's a very crowded place to be, and certain games need more space to live their life." He also points out that they've always known their release window stretched into 2010, and calls it "important for the game to be polished up until the last minute."
He addresses tent pole releases and their differing sales models too. "One shooter could shoot another shooter out of the charts to a certain degree," he points out. "For innovative titles that stand out, that are different and have almost no direct competition to a certain degree, then you can see a longer lifespan." He calls Little Big Planet "hugely successful" for its slow steady sales, and it sounds as if he hopes Heavy Rain will follow suit.