Did you know that Dontnod's upcoming action game Remember Me was originally going to be a Sony exclusive called Adrift? That's right, before working with Capcom, the up-and-coming Paris-based game studio was developing for Sony prior to being cut loose.
Studio co-founder Jean-Maxime Moris, discussed the Sony breakup with CVG, saying that even though they left the company on relatively good terms, it wasn't easy for the team.
We talked to Sony as far back as 2008, and we talked to them regularly ever since then. [Then] for their own internal reasons, Sony had to cut a number of projects. And we were just part of that. Honestly there was no ill-will, there was no division; we just had to go our own separate ways.
It was demoralizing, yeah, but maybe I’m just a little bit crazy but I thought it was going to happen anyway. In retrospect, it was probably a good thing. The game’s idea had evolved with Sony’s input – I was fine with walking away from it. With Sony out of the picture we brought the concept back to how we intended it to be.
After parting ways with Sony in 2011, the studio worked hard to generate buzz for the game during Gamescom that year. Fortunately it wasn't long before Capcom took notice and swooped right in with a publishing deal. The studio actually ended up with a few different offers, but they went with Capcom because they were the “most enthusiastic and respectful towards the ideas of the project.”
Do you think Dontnod's split from Sony was ultimately for the best? Will Sony regret dropping the developer when Remember Me launches this coming May? Let us know in the comments below.
