David Cage, head of Beyond: Two Souls studio Quantic Dream, says that Microsoft turned down the chance to publish his company's PlayStation 3 hit Heavy Rain because it was "scared" of the potentially controversial storyline. Heavy Rain, which won a BAFTA award for Best Story in 2011, centers around a man's search for his abducted child, which Microsoft apparently took issue with.

"We had a very long talk and they loved [Quantic Dream's 2005 game] Fahrenheit, and they really wanted to do something with us," said Cage at a BAFTA event, in comments reported by Digital Spy. "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!"

Added Cage: "For me, that was a very interesting signal. 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."

Cage calls Microsoft a "great company" and insists he is not out to criticise the Xbox platform owner, but ultimately feels that Sony was more open to his ideas. "There should be a strong emotional experience, but it shouldn't be vulgar, it shouldn't be about blood and whatever, it should be about love," he says. "[Sony and Quantic Dream] could understand each other, and this is how Heavy Rain happened."