David Cage: "Scared" Microsoft turned down Heavy Rain

Microsoft declined to publish Playstation 3-exclusive Heavy Rain after concerns about its child kidnapping storyline.

Heavy Rain creator David Cage said that Microsoft had been too "scared" of the controversy it could cause.

"We were pitching Heavy Rain to different publishers, including Sony, and we went to Microsoft," Cage explained at a BAFTA event last night (thanks, Digital Spy). "We had a very long talk and they loved Fahrenheit, and they really wanted to do something with us.

"They got scared by the fact that Heavy Rain was about kids being kidnapped, and they said, 'This is an issue, we want to change it'. Well, we could have kidnapped cats, it would be a different experience!"

Microsoft's "resistance" over the plotline lead to developer Quantic Dream breaking off publishing discussions with company.

"For me, that was a very interesting signal," Cage continued. "It was like, you know what, I don't think we can work together, because you don't understand what I'm to achieve here. They were scared of the scandal and scared of what people may write and what people may think. 'Oh, this is a developer and the publisher making games about a child getting kidnapped.'"

Cage felt Sony better understood his ideas for the game - and accepted the title was about more than just a child's disappearance.

"We had this conversation with Sony very honestly saying, 'Okay, there is a reason here.' But I think they understand the upside of what we were doing," he concluded. "We could understand each other, and this is how Heavy Rain happened."

Beyond, the studio's next title, will again be PlayStation 3-exclusive.