Detroit: Become Human becomes a PC game in December

YouTube

Quantic Dream announced in March that its previously PS4-exclusive games Heavy Rain, Beyond: Two Souls, and Detroit: Become Human would finally make their way to PC, via the Epic Games Store, later this year. Heavy Rain arrived in June, followed by Beyond: Two Souls in July, and today the studio revealed that Detroit: Become Human will close the triangle on December 12.

Detroit: Become Human is set in a near future where androids "speak, move and behave like human beings," but exist only to serve. That naturally leads to all sorts of moral and ethical quandaries—do androids dream of electric sheep, and all that sort of thing—which players will grapple with from the perspective of three different androids, named Kara, Connor, and Markus. The decisions they make will affect not just their own fates, but that of the entire city of Detroit.

Themes of sentience, ownership, and the moral minefields laid by the rise of AI are nothing new in fiction (you have seen Blade Runner, right?) and I have to wonder whether Quantic Dream will have anything fresh or interesting to offer in its take on the topic. As Andy Kelly said in April, its games traditionally boast "lavish production values, QTEs, wild tonal inconsistency, overwrought drama, gratuitous shower scenes, and SWAT teams," which isn't the sort feature set that screams "thoughtful and nuanced." But, he added, "I think it's great that these games are coming to PC. As riddled with flaws as they are, they're still undeniably unique experiences."

Detroit: Become Human is available for pre-purchase on the Epic Games Store for $40/£30. Quantic Dream said in May that a demo would be available prior to release, but it hasn't turned up yet.

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.