During Gamescom Opening Night Live the new IP of Quantic Dream entitled Under The Waves.
The title, developed by Parallel Studio and published by Quantic Dream, it was shown with a trailer visible below.
“Experience a surreal adventure in the depths of the North Sea and the human psyche“, reads the description of the trailer.
“Under the Waves is a narrative adventure game about the swallowing power of mourning. Set deep in the North Sea in the techno-futuristic 1970s, professional diver Stan is struggling to overcome a life-changing loss and embrace a new future.“.
“The isolation of the deep sea is an appropriate manifestation of his state of mind, and as Stan delves into his self-imposed loneliness, he begins to experience strange happenings beneath the waves. Eventually he will have to make a difficult choice … get lost in the abyss forever or break free to return to the surface and live the rest of his life.“.
Below is the official press release:
Parallel Studio and Quantic Dream today announced Under The Waves ™, a single-player story-driven adventure game coming to PC, Xbox Series X / S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in 2023, introducing it to the general public. thanks to a world premiere trailer unveiled during Gamescom Opening Night Live.
Players will plunge into the depths of the North Sea to discover a poetic and touching underwater adventure centered on the engulfing power of affliction. Set in a techno-futuristic setting dating back to the 1970s, players will follow Stan, a professional diver who works for an oil company struggling with the isolation of the deep sea as he faces a strange sequence of events, deep beneath the waves. .
“This is by far the most intimate and engaging work we’ve ever done as a studio,” said Ronan Coiffec, Parallel Studio CEO and Game Director. “We are an independent collective of a dozen members and what we want to convey is poured with extreme passion into this game. From graphic creations to script, from sound design to technological design, all of us have had the opportunity to leave our mark on the Under The Waves ™ project. We sincerely trust you will enjoy it at least as much as we have loved creating it! “
In the making of this tale set in the depths of the sea, Quantic Dream offered Parallel Studio the opportunity to make use of different talents and creative tools, such as motion capture, voice recording, animation, quality control, localization and much more. This partnership marks the first collaboration experience between Quantic Dream and a French studio, both having their headquarters in Paris.
“When we announced our partnership with Parallel Studio in 2021, we were eager to let players discover their creation,” said Guillaume de Fondaumière, co-CEO of Quantic Dream. “It is with great emotion that today we present to the world Under The Waves ™, a unique experience conceived by an extremely passionate independent collective based here in Paris. It was possible to work closely together so that they had all the necessary means to create a game that lived up to their expectations and to carry out their project considered to be the most ambitious so far. We are also particularly proud to support Surfrider Foundation Europe, whose message and initiatives are at the heart of the Under The Waves ™ theme. “
As a declaration of love for the ocean, Under The Waves ™ highlights the importance of its conservation, especially thanks to its vibrant marine life and evocative messages shared throughout the gameplay experience. Parallel Studio and Quantic Dream are proud to announce a partnership with Surfrider Foundation Europe, a non-profit association dedicated to the protection and enhancement of lakes, rivers, oceans and coasts. Quantic Dream is committed to financially supporting the organization with a donation and will actively work to support this project during and after the campaign. Through in-game activations, cross-communication and internal activities, both studies aim to strengthen Surfrider’s ecological message and actions aimed at protecting the oceans.
“We are particularly pleased to partner with Quantic Dream on the launch of Under The Waves ™,” says Pénélope Giroud, Head of Marketing and Communications at Surfrider Foundation Europe. “For 30 years, Surfrider Foundation Europe has been involved in protecting the oceans, raising awareness among the general public of all the threats to their integrity. The game offers us an extraordinary opportunity to educate players about its fragility, in particular due to the impact of offshore drilling, but in general also on other issues. We are honored to support the creators of the game in conveying the correct and most impactful messages, making sure that they integrate perfectly with the storytelling of the game. We look forward to its release! “
Under The Waves will allow players to delve into wonderful environments, where the exploration of caves, wrecks and underwater fauna will be instrumental in guiding Stan through an unexpected sequence of events, pushing himself deeper and deeper into the abyss. Following the enigmatic manifestations of his reminiscences, Stan will be faced with the difficult choice of forever being lost in the depths of the abyss or breaking free to rise to the surface.
Under The Waves is the new IP announced by Quantic Dream with a first trailer