Under the Waves: More details on the single player adventure

Quantic Dream releases narrative adventure game Under the Waves from Parallel Studio.

Parallel Studio and Quantic Dream today announced Under The Waves, a single-player narrative-adventure coming to PC, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 in 2023. The project was unveiled in a world premiere during Gamescom Opening Night Live.

Players dive into the depths of the North Sea for a moving and poetic underwater adventure about the limitless power of grief. Set in a 1970s techno-futuristic world, players follow Stan, a commercial diver working for an oil company, who faces the isolation of the deep sea. During his dive, deep beneath the waves, he witnesses a series of strange occurrences.

“This is the most personal and intense work we’ve ever done as a studio,” said Ronan Coiffec, CEO and Game Director of Parallel Studio.

“We’re an indie team of a dozen people, and everything we want to convey is in this game, and we’re passionate about it. From art direction to writing, sound design to engineering, we’ve all had a chance to make our mark on Under The Waves. We really hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoyed making it!”

To support the realization of this deep sea adventure, Quantic Dream gave the developers access to a wide range of talent and creative tools including motion capture, voice over, animation, quality assurance, localization and more. This partnership marks the first time Quantic Dream has endorsed another French studio as both are based in Paris.

“When we announced our partnership with Parallel Studio in 2021, we couldn’t wait for players to discover their work,” said Guillaume de Fondaumière, Co-CEO of Quantic Dream.

“Today we are thrilled to bring Under The Waves to the world, a one-of-a-kind experience developed by a very passionate indie team here in Paris. We were able to work closely with them to give them all the tools they needed to create a game that lived up to their expectations, making their most ambitious project to date a reality. We are also very proud to support the Surfrider Foundation Europe, whose message and actions are central to the theme of Under The Waves.”

A love letter to the ocean, Under The Waves shines a light on the importance of ocean conservation through vibrant sea creatures and subtle messages throughout the gameplay. Parallel Studio and Quantic Dream are proud to announce a partnership with Surfrider Foundation Europe, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and improving the quality of lakes, rivers, oceans and coastlines.

Quantic Dream has committed to supporting the organization financially through a donation and will be actively involved in activities to further this cause during and after the campaign. Through in-game activations, cross-communication and internal activities, both studios together want to promote Surfrider’s ecological message and their actions to protect the oceans.

“We are very excited to be collaborating with Quantic Dream on the release of Under the Waves,” said Pénélope Giroud, Marketing and Communication Manager, Surfrider Foundation Europe.

“For 30 years, Surfrider Foundation Europe has worked to protect the oceans by raising public awareness of the threats they face. The game offers us a great opportunity to enlighten players about the fragility of the seas, specifically the impact of offshore drilling, but also various other topics. We’re excited to help the game’s developers convey the right and impactful messages, ensuring they fit perfectly with the game’s story. We look forward to the release of the game!”

Under The Waves immerses players in a beautiful environment where exploration of caves, wrecks and the underwater world will be the key to guiding Stan deeper and deeper into the abyss through an unforeseen series of events. After mysterious manifestations of his memories, Stan will face the difficult decision of staying in the deep forever or breaking through the surface of the water again.

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