Heavy Rain dev debuts new PS3 tech demo

Quantic Dream has been largely quiet about its future projects since the release of 2010's Heavy Rain, but the studio today released a tech demo that could contain hints about the direction for founder David Cage's next project.

Released to Eurogamer, the tech demo is called "Kara," and notes that its visuals are running in real time on a PlayStation 3.

The tech demo is set within a futuristic manufacturing facility assembling an android designed to look and behave like a subordinate woman. After some initialization tests, the android explains that it "can look after your house, do the cooking, mind the kids," and is "entirely at your disposal as a sexual partner." The android is fully assembled and given the name Kara, but once she realizes she "is a sort of merchandise" and thinks herself to be alive, an unseen operator begins to disassemble her as a defective model.

The demo specifies that the clip "is a concept only and is not taken from any software currently in development." Last year, Cage dropped a hint about the studio's next game, saying, "We're going to be exploring a different direction, which will still be very dark and still for adults, but completely different to Heavy Rain. Our challenge is to satisfy our fans and also surprise them."

Quantic Dream first showed off Heavy Rain with a tech demo at E3 2006. That demo was called "Heavy Rain: The Casting," and it showed a virtual actress auditioning for a role as a jilted lover confronting her cheating partner.