The Ending Throws a Loop
After the final encounter, Jack defeats Paul and activates the Countermeasure. The Fracture is sealed and time is able to continue on normally. Unfortunately, those who were lost throughout all of the time hopping remain dead as the Meyer-Joyce field is whole once again. The bright side is that humanity will be able to live on and Stutters are no more, though.
This is something that many playing may have suspected. From the very beginning of the game, it’s clear that Jack is participating in an interview. The entire game is actually told through flashbacks, hence the voice overs you sometimes hear. Yet, there’s something odd about the whole affair. Why is the interview being conducted by Monarch, and why is Jack Joyce fine?
This is broken down by two scenes. The first occurs right after you defeat Paul. Time is fixed and both Jack and William are celebrating until Jack realizes that he hasn’t changed. He is still suffering from Chronon infusion and is able to see events in both the past and future. Even worse, he’s starting to shift. Everything should have been corrected, including his warping of the Meyer-Joyce field, but that isn’t the case. If anything, he’s reached the level that Paul Serene had. This proves that Paul was partially right; you can’t change fate, or, at the very least, it will still find a way. Something that is shown after the credits roll.
Once the credits are done and the rock music comes to an end, Jack Joyce is back at the interview, wrapping it up. It seems the purpose of everything was to find out if Paul Serene was right all along. After many attempts at trying to fix events, Paul was finally killed and Monarch was on a new path. Surely, things were different now, right? Those who died were still dead, and all was moving forward. That is what everyone believes, but there are a couple of people who know otherwise.
When Jack Joyce exits the interview room, he is greeted by Martin Hatch. You know, the man who was shot in the eye and killed. He stands before you, alive and well, remarking on your “abilities.” He has seen things that only a special few are privy to and has managed to thwart the threads of fate somehow. He also knows that you are more than you let on after having fixed the Fracture. He presents to you a proposition; he’ll help you save the woman you love if you help Monarch shape the future.
At that point, a Junction appears right before the screen goes black. Jack has not prevented fate, he’s just switched his role in it. He is now Paul Serene and he will stop at nothing to keep his promises and reshape the future.
For more on Quantum Break, including our review, guides, tips, tricks, and information, be sure to check out our wiki.
