Cosmic horror game Quantum Error is now new-gen only because "the game we have made is not possible on the PS4"

Quantum Error
(Image credit: TeamKill Media)

The upcoming sci-fi horror game Quantum Error has canceled its previously planned PS4 version.

According to the developers at TeamKill Media, the PS4 version of Quantum Error was scrapped because they simply weren't able to make it run well on the older hardware. The game was developed for PS5 first, but the studio initially thought it possible to simply take the new-gen version and scale it down to run on PS4. However, it now says that wouldn't be possible without compromising the game to a degree that would make it unenjoyable for PS4 players.

"Even with the game being made from the beginning for the PS5, we still had hopes we could make a PS4 version happen, but with the level of quality we have achieved with QE with gameplay running at 60fps, we have reach [sic] the conclusion that there is no way for us to deliver a version on PS4 that would live up to what the PS5 is going to deliver."

TeamKill added that, "A PS4 version would require too much downgrading and changing of assets, lighting and much more to function, and with the difference in memory and the slower HDD speed, it would be a very different experience that will not compare to the PS5 version and would not be fair to PS4 players."

Responding to a commenter asking if TeamKill considered Sony's last-gen console "obsolete," the studio responded: "No, just that the game we have made is not possible on the PS4."

As the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S near their third birthdays, it's becoming more and more commonplace for new releases to finally ditch last-gen consoles for performance parity across platforms. In this case, Quantum Error is both cancelling a version and adding another, as TeamKill also confirmed that the game will now come to PC as well as PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, but not at launch.

In an interview GamesRadar+ from a couple of years back, Quantum Error was described by its developers as a "cosmic horror" game and "a Metal Gear style story in a Halo world with a Dead Space twist." It was first announced back in 2020 as a PlayStation exclusive but was later confirmed for Xbox Series X/S as well. There's no release date just yet, but TeamKill says news on that front is coming "very soon."

In the meantime, here are all of the PS5 exclusives released and confirmed so far.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.