Last week’s reveal of Quantum Error for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 left everyone excited to learn more about this upcoming cosmic horror game.

After the announcement, I had a chance to interview Micah and Dakoda Jones from TeamKill Media to shed some light on Quantum Error’s story, gameplay, and inspirations.

How will cosmic horror play a role in Quantum Error? Would you describe its style of horror as Lovecraftian?

Well, we definitely are going for a futuristic Innsmouth kind of feel, haha. Cosmic Horror has always been something we’ve wanted to be represented in the gaming and film industry, but I think it’s pretty risky because a lot of the reason it’s so scary and interesting is because as the audience we are given as little detail as possible. Which is awesome, but we are going to give players more and also hide a lot more. It’s important for us in this project to create an uneasy feeling about everything you do and what the consequences are. The film Annihilation was a great example of how to do this genre justice. We want the player to experience a roller coaster of mental exercises that will confuse them and scare them. At the same time, give them something to analyze if they like for all the little secrets that they can put together to see the bigger picture that all the events in the game lead up to.

Can you tell us a little about the story, or is that still under wraps for now?

A company called Monad develops smart technology that can be integrated directly into your nervous system. Pretty much everyone around the globe uses it. People have become like robots using an auto pilot mode for work. It’s created an awful economy. Monad’s main facility is attacked by an unknown enemy. You play as Jacob Thomas from the Garboa district in San Francisco and you are dispatched with a crew and your partner Shane Costa to rescue any survivors. Something goes very wrong with the personnel in the facility. This is really only the very tip of the iceberg for the story, but we don’t want to spoil it. There’s going to be a lot of different ideas from different cultures and eras. The foundation of a lot of the concepts come from Gnosticism, and core story elements include Hindu and Buddhist practices but twisted upside down.

The trailer brings to mind other sci-fi horror series such as Dead Space. What would you consider to be your biggest inspirations for Quantum Error?

There’s a lot. Bloodborne is my (DJ) all time favorite game and there’s so much there to discover, and that’s kind of what we are aiming for. Space Odyssey, Xenogears, and Metal Gear are some of the biggest inspirations when scripting the narrative and characters. Playing Xenogears when I was young really showed me how you can blend ideologies together to create your own, which is key. From a gameplay perspective we are definitely going for something that is on that Dead Space or Doom level. We want you to feel just as cool playing as Jacob Thomas as you would Doom Guy, haha. We’re all brothers, though, so we all like a lot of different things and take inspiration from all kinds of stuff.

Will the game have a large focus on combat, or will combat play a more minor role compared to other aspects of the gameplay?

FPS combat will be very important and at the forefront of the experience in QE, but it won’t be the only thing you have to do in the game. There are also going to be environmental puzzles and obstacles throughout the game that will focus on the firefighting skills of our protagonist.

Will there be a VR option?
We are not currently developing for VR, but we are open to the idea as it would be really cool.

Finally, what is one thing you’d like our readers to know about Quantum Error?

For anyone who is worried about the quality being compromised to be on the PS4 (cross generation), don’t worry, QE is being developed first and foremost for the PS5 and is going to be one heck of an awesome experience.


A cosmic horror first-person shooter with a futuristic Innsmouth feel? Quantum Error has the potential to be quite intriguing, and I look forward to learning more about it as development continues. Share your thoughts on Quantum Error in the comments below.