Xbox One: Quantum Break Release Date ‘So Close’ To Being In 2016, Says Remedy
As a potentially major video game for Microsoft’s Xbox One, Quantum Break’s release date has been a source of constant speculation. The video game was supposed to be released quite a while ago, but delays pushed it all the way back into 2016. Now, the developer, Remedy Entertainment, is saying the project is “so close” to being finished.
In a related report by the Inquisitr, Microsoft has long positioned the Xbox One more as an entertainment center rather than just a gaming platforms. Critics have pointed out that other devices, even smart HDTVs or the older consoles, provide this functionality, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Microsoft is already working hard on getting television exclusives for its network, and what interests some gamers most is the talk of merging passive entertainment and gaming.
The Quantum Break trailer shows off how the gameplay is supposed to work. The Xbox One exclusive is the first game to introduce a new type of hybrid entertainment where a TV show and a video game is combined.
“Quantum Break is split between a live-action digital show that plays out the story between the gameplay segments. The antagonist is Paul Serene, Aidan Gillen from Game of Thrones. He was given the ability to see into the future during the same accident that gave Joyce his powers, killed Joyce’s brother, and caused time to stutter and freeze. Serene also happens to run Monarch Solutions, the corporation that is pursuing Joyce and has paramilitary forces with fancy weapons and vehicles.”
In short, it is kind of like an action SciFi CSI TV show following a game series by allowing gamers to explore crime scenes in-game. The long term goal is to ship a game disc loaded with the first season of gameplay, with further serialized content being provided as Quantum Break DLC.
The Quantum Break cast includes many recognizable names for the TV actors.
- Shawn Ashmore (X-Men: Days of Future Past) as Jack Joyce
- Dominic Monaghan (Lost) as William Joyce
- Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones) as Paul Serene
- Lance Reddick (Fringe) as Martin Hatch
- Marshall Allman (True Blood) as Charlie Wincott
- Patrick Heusinger (Black Swan) as Liam Burke
- Mimi Michaels (The Ugly Truth) as Fiona Miller
- Amelia Rose Blaire (True Blood) as Amy Ferraro
- Brooke Nevin as Emily Burke
- Courtney Hope as Beth Wilder
- Jacqueline Pinol as Sofia Amaral
- Jeannie Bolet as Kate Ogawa
- Sean Durrie as Nick Marsters
Since this new type of video game is essentially an experiment, you can bet that the developer wants to ensure everything goes right for the launch. The industry will be watching closely to see if this new type of hybrid entertainment can be successful or not, and it’s possible future projects hang in the balance based upon Quantum Break’s success or failure.
The Quantum Break release date was originally set for 2015, but it was later delayed and then pushed back to April of 2016. This was probably a wise move, since it would have been competing with major launches like Halo 5 and Tomb Raider.
Thomas Puha, a marketing manager at developer Remedy Entertainment, recently talked on Twitter about the progress made on the project.
“Not too much time left,” Puha said. “Quantum Break is so close to being done. Team is getting pretty tired, but inspiring to see the camaraderie.”
When a Twitter follower asked if Remedy is in “crunch mode,” Puha seemed to indicate this was the case.
@Sarkies_Proxy A large part of our dev team has been working very hard for a while now. Let’s put it that way.
— Thomas Puha (@RiotRMD) January 10, 2016
To summarize, video game development crunch time is when the team goes into overdrive and work many hours beyond the normal 8 to 5, Monday through Friday that most companies maintain. Some managers will actually plan out periods of crunch time in advance so the employees can prepare themselves for all the overtime, but if a team is very behind on meeting a deadline the crunch time can extend into months.
[Image via Microsoft]
