GAME · 2010 · FRANCE
Heavy Rain
- Developer
- Quantic Dream, Virtuos
- Publisher
- Sony Interactive Entertainment
- Platforms
- PlayStation 3, Microsoft Windows
19 archived facts 5 topics 2 sources Last reviewed Nov 2026
19 Interesting Facts About Heavy Rain
Production Story (11)
- #001
- #002
Many scenes that fleshed out Madison were cut. Planned scenes would have involved helping her redecorate her apartment, which looked different than in the final version. It was also planned that the newspaper she worked for would be a major set piece that would get multiple visits so she could do research and write her articles. It also would have established why she suffers from insomnia, which was because she had been a war correspondent.
- #003
- #004
A scene in which Ethan takes his son Shaun to school after the 'Father and Son' chapter was cut because it was too similar to the previous chapter. Ethan was originally supposed to receive the letter from the Origami Killer in that scene. When the scene was cut, the letter was added to 'Father and Son' instead.
- #005
It was a launch title for the PlayStation Move. Although it was released months before the Move's release, the game was freely patched with native Move support before the Move launched, and all re-releases of the game since the Move's release have PlayStation Move support proudly displayed on the box.
- #006
- #007
In one of the behind-the-scenes videos, Jacqui Ainsley is seen auditioning for Madison. The dialogue she read for Madison explained that while on assignment in the middle of a war zone, a terrorist attack took place and she felt responsible since she was powerless to stop it. This would have explained to the player that post-traumatic stress disorder was the cause of her insomnia, but the monologue is not in the final version of the game.
- #008
When first announced at E3 2006, the game was intended to be multi-platform (PC, PS3 and Xbox 360). However, the initial tech demo at E3 was done on Sony's PS3 development kits. The E3 crowd was so impressed by the real-time cinematic on Sony's hardware that it won best of show from some critics and generated a lot of buzz for the PS3. Sony eventually got exclusive rights to publish the game.
- #009
Several episodes of downloadable content that explored the past of the protagonists were planned, but only one was ever released: Heavy Rain: Chronicle One - The Taxidermist (2010), which featured Madison Paige. Future chronicles were put on indefinite hold to focus on adding PlayStation Move support to the main game. It is highly unlikely that any more chronicles will be released.
- #010
Contains a major spoiler — show
Playable scenes were planned in which Ethan would have to navigate through nightmares in familiar locations while completely submerged in water, making it clear to the player what Ethan's blackouts were like. Ethan's blackouts were also explained as being brought on by the Origami Killer, who had established a mental connection to Ethan at the event of his son's death. It was cut for pacing reasons, and because the cause gave a supernatural tone the game developers didn't want. There is still a reference in the final version of the game by Ethan's psychologist that he was suffering from nightmares of drowning.
- #011
Contains a major spoiler — show
The Origami Killer was originally scripted to kill Ann Shephard after she talked to Madison. However, the developers cut it because it didn't fit with the killer's motivations, and they figured that with Ann's condition she would have just forgotten everything anyway.
Behind the Scenes (1)
Characters & Cast (1)
Easter Eggs & References (5)
- #014
- #015
- #016
Contains a major spoiler — show
The chapter 'Crime Scene' takes place on Tuesday, October 4th, 2011. This establishes that the main storyline takes place between Monday, October 3rd ('Father and Son') and Friday, October 7th, 2011 ('The Old Warehouse'). The opening two chapters take place in 2009, and two other chapters take place in 1977.
- #017
Contains a major spoiler — show
The apartment that Ethan is moving into at the end of the game is the same apartment that was lived in by the hero of David Cage's previous "interactive drama" game Indigo Prophecy (2005). Ethan even makes a funny comment about "a friend" helping him get it. That friend is Lucas Kane from the other game.
- #018
Contains a major spoiler — show
It is possible that Jason died on his birthday. During the scene, he is wearing the same clothes, though Shaun's are different. Furthermore, after the time gap, if Ethan finished the drawing, it is in his study in his new house, covered in dust and still unsubmitted.
Deeper Meaning (1)
Related pages
- Detroit: Become Human — Heavy Rain comes up in the facts on that page