Had Microsoft and developer Remedy stuck to the original release plan, Quantum Break would have launched late last year for Xbox One – before eventually making the jump to PC.
Alas, on the eve of release, Remedy Creative Director Sam Lake has outlined the reasons behind the postponement, stating that Microsoft’s desire to stagger major Xbox One releases ultimately led to pushing Quantum Break out of 2015.
Speaking to MCV UK, Lake noted that “Quantum Break was delayed to 2016 because Microsoft wanted to stagger out its lineup of big games. It was looking at its portfolio of upcoming games and [was] feeling that it would be foolish to have all of these bigger games come out at the same time, essentially fighting among themselves for the audience.”
It’s not surprising, really, considering that the latter stages of 2015 heralded the release of Halo 5: Guardians, Rise of the Tomb Raider and other heavy-hitters, meaning Quantum Break would have struggled to carve out some breathing room. Even still, as Lake points out, the creative team welcomed the prolonged development window with arms wide open.
“In a big game like this, the polish phase is absolutely essential. We were more than happy to take the extra time,” he said. “That mainly resulted in a much higher level of polish and iteration and fine-tuning of the experience.”
Quantum Break launches across Xbox One and PC come April 5. To get the jump on Remedy’s time-bending shooter, check out our glowing review.
