The Inside Exclusive on Exclusives

As you all may know, in the past two to three years, there have been a number of Playstation-exclusives which have made their way into the Xbox game library and likewise, a number of Xbox-exclusives which have made their way to into the Playstation game library. To a lot of us gamers this has been good news, as there is nothing better than getting a AAA title which, once only being available on one console, become available on the console of our choice. This has been evident with recent gaming titles such as Devil May Cry 4, Resident Evil 5 and the latest, Final Fantasy XIII.

One might wonder what persuades a developer to offer their games on numerous consoles (or restrict them to one)? Another might wonder why all developers do not follow suit? See, there are multiple answers for these questions, both technical and financial. Having been in the gaming industry for about three years, working most of my time for Real Time World, (the developers of Crackdown),  I have learned enough looking at both the technical and business side of this argument to understand why developers choose to have exclusives for particular franchises. Let’s take a closer look.

Metal Gear Solid 4 as we all know, is a big game.  The game boasts quite a lengthy storyline, the gameplay is unlike anything else and the concept behind the franchise is one of the best we’ve seen in a video game. For some time now, we have heard rumours about the possibility of MGS4 being released on the Xbox 360 within the next year or so, and with each speculation sounding more and more believable, gamers are definitely thinking that this might actually happen.

We then cooled-off for a while, not even thinking about the game coming over to the Xbox 360 until Kojima Production’s official website had a teaser featuring what appeared to look like the Xbox 360 power button. Unfortunately though, a few weeks later, we learned that the symbol from the teaser was in fact for an iPod Touch game and the speculations arose again, wondering if there would ever be any truth to the move of Metal Gear Solid 4 to the Xbox 360.

All that said, here is my prediction on said topic. I do not think we will be seeing Metal Gear Solid 4 appearing on the Xbox 360.  Now,  many of you already may have already knew this … you know who I’m talking about … my dear Playstation loyalists. Here is my take on it. First of, everyone will agree with me in saying that technically speaking, MGS4 could not fit onto the storage space of one DVD disc, which is approximately 8Gb, especially considering that this game pretty much takes up the space of one Blu-Ray disc, which has a capacity of 50Gb. Yes, it would be possible to put the game on maybe three DVD discs, but such a move would require a great deal of change, particularly a whole new approach would have to be taken towards the development.

The thing is, developers are just not willing to invest the time and money into such a venture when they could be using at the same resources to work on an entirely new project. Now, the second reason (which also relates to the technical department) is the aspect of graphics, as to make everything render beautifully, run smoothly and look gorgeous, the game would have to demand a lot of processing power which the Xbox 360 is capable of providing but it is sure to struggle with larger games like Metal Gear Solid 4.

The PS3 chipset was designed specifically to handle such processes that MGS4 requires to render the game world. It would simply just not look and run as smoothly as it does on the Playstation 3 if it were to make a transition to the Xbox 360. Now, the final reason (looking at it on the business side of the argument) is sales. Konami admitted a year or so ago, that they were going to monitor how well things turned out financially before even considering taking Metal Gear Solid 4 to other consoles.

The game up until now has been a success on the PS3, surpassing a million copies sold and still going strong – this game shows no sign of weakness. To add to that, we have seen the price of the PS3 console drop continually and this has lead to an increase in sales mainly because of its gaming and Blu-Ray capabilities, often with the game Little Big Planet or Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of Patriots being the game of choice along with it – furthermore securing this game’s success. Initially, the console might have had poor sales figures due to its ticket price, but it has been selling like hotcakes now with each price drop – I’m confident that it will duplicate the success of the PS2 as years pass. It is for these reasons I believe that MGS4 will remain an exclusive, something which Sony needs to make sure of no matter the cost because it is a money-making franchise that any console manufacturer would need and want on their side.

The only thing we must ask ourselves when looking at Killzone 2, is whether the game will succeed? Will this eye-candy hold up to the graphics and gameplay which the teasers suggest? Will it sell millions of copies to profit Sony? I predict so, but time will indicate this soon enough. No matter the outcome, this baby is siding with Sony for technical reasons alone. If needed due to financial reasons, this game could only end up for the PC, which Sony does not even compete with.

Halo Franchise

Technically speaking, the only reason I could not see Halo becoming a PS3 title is due to its online service (or lack thereof). Bungie is able to make Halo’s multiplayer run smoothly over Xbox Live with beautiful infrastructure that not even a PC could match. Expect the words ‘Halo’ and ‘Playstation’ to never be coupled in the same sentence.

This franchise is another example of a smart business move by Microsoft, this time with developers Epic to keep the name and franchise an Xbox-exclusive. There is no denying, the Gears of War games could probably look and run greater on a Playstation console and would increase the amount of players online, but being such a success story and due to the sheer profit these two games have generated, it would be something Microsoft would never consider.

There have been rumours circulating on the internet about a possible deal between Epic and Sony but it does not seem like anything will come of in the short term. In the long run, it will only be a matter of time before Sony and Epic are working on an original title, that I do predict. I just hope the people at Sony do not ever have to hear Cliffy B repeat ‘Bigger, badder and more badass”.

Downloadable Content

This way, consumers are encouraged to buy the game (and the console) from a particular company which will offer the greatest amount of post-sale content and support. That said, this method might not always work – it comes down to the game and the gamer. If you are a loyal fan of the Fallout series, you might purchase an Xbox 360 and Fallout 3 for it because of the DLC which it will offer an addition 4-5 hours of gameplay specifically for that console or, if you own the different from the get-go, or you will pick up the Xbox 360 version of the game on its own because of the planned DLC which will be released later on in the near future (if you already own the different consoles). While this might not be always be in the interest of the consumer, it does allow for greater sales of consoles by the manufacturer, and it provides additional revenue for the developers even after the game has been sold.

While gamers might blame the developer, it is unfortunately just how business is done in the industry and overall, consumers are not getting a different version of the game, it is just that some will be entitled to additional gameplay later on. This all comes down to the agreements made between developers and companies like Microsoft, and Grand Theft Auto IV is a perfect example of this. Microsoft spent $50 million to secure two planned expansion episodes for GTA IV over the lifetime of the game – exclusively for Xbox 360 gamers. Recently we have learned about some of the details about the first episode ‘The Lost and Damned’ which is set for release mid-February, and can be read about further here.

Being one of the most anticipated titles of 2008 (and even being listed as Game of The Year), GTA IV was able help increase sales of the Xbox 360 upon the game’s launch as Microsoft announced that they had secured the exclusive episode deal earlier in the year – which is surprising since Grand Theft Auto was once a Sony-exclusive! GTA IV and Fallout 3 are just a few examples of specific-consoles gaining the rights to exclusive DLC. Other examples include titles like Oblivion and Soul Calibur IV.

Big Name Publishers

In these types of situations, to avoid a lawsuit, the developer and the publisher of the game usually sign an exclusivity contract with the manufacturer such as to keep the game on the console as a trilogy (Halo 3). With some games it might not be such a great deal, but seeing as though Mass Effect and Project Gotham Racing are successful franchises on the Xbox only, it is important that they do not venture to competitors. This was seen in the case of PGR where, even though Activision bought out Bizarre Creations, Microsoft still held onto the rights of the franchise and passed the developing license to Turn10, a development studios under of Microsoft Game Studios.

Timed Exclusives

A similar case happened with Unreal Tournament III which was released on the PS3 six months prior to the Xbox 360. In this case, I was one such person who purchased a PS3 console due to exclusivity. One reason for this decision revolved around purchasing MGS4 and also UT3, while the second was from the ability to make unique levels for Unreal Tournament III which would otherwise not be possible on the Xbox 360-version. We witnessed many cases of timed exclusives in 2008 but given the current economic condition, I am thinking that developers will try to play it safe and release their multi-console games at once than risk losing sales in one area only in the hope of gaining them in another. I hope by now you understand what ‘exclusive’ means when used in the context of the gaming industry, and how business and technical decisions impact everything pertaining to them.

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There is a few questions which I ask myself, and pose to all the gamers out there. Is exclusivity good for gamers? Is it simply just a business decision for the publisher/developer. Most importantly though, is it good for the gaming industry?

As you all may know, in the past two to three years, there have been a number of Playstation-exclusives which have made their way into the Xbox game library and likewise, a number of Xbox-exclusives which have made their way to into the Playstation game library. To a lot of us gamers this has been good news, as there is nothing better than getting a AAA title which, once only being available on one console, become available on the console of our choice. This has been evident with recent gaming titles such as Devil May Cry 4, Resident Evil 5 and the latest, Final Fantasy XIII.

One might wonder what persuades a developer to offer their games on numerous consoles (or restrict them to one)? Another might wonder why all developers do not follow suit? See, there are multiple answers for these questions, both technical and financial. Having been in the gaming industry for about three years, working most of my time for Real Time World, (the developers of Crackdown),  I have learned enough looking at both the technical and business side of this argument to understand why developers choose to have exclusives for particular franchises. Let’s take a closer look.

Metal Gear Solid 4 as we all know, is a big game.  The game boasts quite a lengthy storyline, the gameplay is unlike anything else and the concept behind the franchise is one of the best we’ve seen in a video game. For some time now, we have heard rumours about the possibility of MGS4 being released on the Xbox 360 within the next year or so, and with each speculation sounding more and more believable, gamers are definitely thinking that this might actually happen.

We then cooled-off for a while, not even thinking about the game coming over to the Xbox 360 until Kojima Production’s official website had a teaser featuring what appeared to look like the Xbox 360 power button. Unfortunately though, a few weeks later, we learned that the symbol from the teaser was in fact for an iPod Touch game and the speculations arose again, wondering if there would ever be any truth to the move of Metal Gear Solid 4 to the Xbox 360.

All that said, here is my prediction on said topic. I do not think we will be seeing Metal Gear Solid 4 appearing on the Xbox 360.  Now,  many of you already may have already knew this … you know who I’m talking about … my dear Playstation loyalists. Here is my take on it. First of, everyone will agree with me in saying that technically speaking, MGS4 could not fit onto the storage space of one DVD disc, which is approximately 8Gb, especially considering that this game pretty much takes up the space of one Blu-Ray disc, which has a capacity of 50Gb. Yes, it would be possible to put the game on maybe three DVD discs, but such a move would require a great deal of change, particularly a whole new approach would have to be taken towards the development.

The thing is, developers are just not willing to invest the time and money into such a venture when they could be using at the same resources to work on an entirely new project. Now, the second reason (which also relates to the technical department) is the aspect of graphics, as to make everything render beautifully, run smoothly and look gorgeous, the game would have to demand a lot of processing power which the Xbox 360 is capable of providing but it is sure to struggle with larger games like Metal Gear Solid 4.

The PS3 chipset was designed specifically to handle such processes that MGS4 requires to render the game world. It would simply just not look and run as smoothly as it does on the Playstation 3 if it were to make a transition to the Xbox 360. Now, the final reason (looking at it on the business side of the argument) is sales. Konami admitted a year or so ago, that they were going to monitor how well things turned out financially before even considering taking Metal Gear Solid 4 to other consoles.

The game up until now has been a success on the PS3, surpassing a million copies sold and still going strong – this game shows no sign of weakness. To add to that, we have seen the price of the PS3 console drop continually and this has lead to an increase in sales mainly because of its gaming and Blu-Ray capabilities, often with the game Little Big Planet or Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of Patriots being the game of choice along with it – furthermore securing this game’s success. Initially, the console might have had poor sales figures due to its ticket price, but it has been selling like hotcakes now with each price drop – I’m confident that it will duplicate the success of the PS2 as years pass. It is for these reasons I believe that MGS4 will remain an exclusive, something which Sony needs to make sure of no matter the cost because it is a money-making franchise that any console manufacturer would need and want on their side.

The only thing we must ask ourselves when looking at Killzone 2, is whether the game will succeed? Will this eye-candy hold up to the graphics and gameplay which the teasers suggest? Will it sell millions of copies to profit Sony? I predict so, but time will indicate this soon enough. No matter the outcome, this baby is siding with Sony for technical reasons alone. If needed due to financial reasons, this game could only end up for the PC, which Sony does not even compete with.

Halo Franchise

Technically speaking, the only reason I could not see Halo becoming a PS3 title is due to its online service (or lack thereof). Bungie is able to make Halo’s multiplayer run smoothly over Xbox Live with beautiful infrastructure that not even a PC could match. Expect the words ‘Halo’ and ‘Playstation’ to never be coupled in the same sentence.

This franchise is another example of a smart business move by Microsoft, this time with developers Epic to keep the name and franchise an Xbox-exclusive. There is no denying, the Gears of War games could probably look and run greater on a Playstation console and would increase the amount of players online, but being such a success story and due to the sheer profit these two games have generated, it would be something Microsoft would never consider.

There have been rumours circulating on the internet about a possible deal between Epic and Sony but it does not seem like anything will come of in the short term. In the long run, it will only be a matter of time before Sony and Epic are working on an original title, that I do predict. I just hope the people at Sony do not ever have to hear Cliffy B repeat ‘Bigger, badder and more badass”.

Downloadable Content

This way, consumers are encouraged to buy the game (and the console) from a particular company which will offer the greatest amount of post-sale content and support. That said, this method might not always work – it comes down to the game and the gamer. If you are a loyal fan of the Fallout series, you might purchase an Xbox 360 and Fallout 3 for it because of the DLC which it will offer an addition 4-5 hours of gameplay specifically for that console or, if you own the different from the get-go, or you will pick up the Xbox 360 version of the game on its own because of the planned DLC which will be released later on in the near future (if you already own the different consoles). While this might not be always be in the interest of the consumer, it does allow for greater sales of consoles by the manufacturer, and it provides additional revenue for the developers even after the game has been sold.

While gamers might blame the developer, it is unfortunately just how business is done in the industry and overall, consumers are not getting a different version of the game, it is just that some will be entitled to additional gameplay later on. This all comes down to the agreements made between developers and companies like Microsoft, and Grand Theft Auto IV is a perfect example of this. Microsoft spent $50 million to secure two planned expansion episodes for GTA IV over the lifetime of the game – exclusively for Xbox 360 gamers. Recently we have learned about some of the details about the first episode ‘The Lost and Damned’ which is set for release mid-February, and can be read about further here.

Being one of the most anticipated titles of 2008 (and even being listed as Game of The Year), GTA IV was able help increase sales of the Xbox 360 upon the game’s launch as Microsoft announced that they had secured the exclusive episode deal earlier in the year – which is surprising since Grand Theft Auto was once a Sony-exclusive! GTA IV and Fallout 3 are just a few examples of specific-consoles gaining the rights to exclusive DLC. Other examples include titles like Oblivion and Soul Calibur IV.

Big Name Publishers

In these types of situations, to avoid a lawsuit, the developer and the publisher of the game usually sign an exclusivity contract with the manufacturer such as to keep the game on the console as a trilogy (Halo 3). With some games it might not be such a great deal, but seeing as though Mass Effect and Project Gotham Racing are successful franchises on the Xbox only, it is important that they do not venture to competitors. This was seen in the case of PGR where, even though Activision bought out Bizarre Creations, Microsoft still held onto the rights of the franchise and passed the developing license to Turn10, a development studios under of Microsoft Game Studios.

Timed Exclusives

A similar case happened with Unreal Tournament III which was released on the PS3 six months prior to the Xbox 360. In this case, I was one such person who purchased a PS3 console due to exclusivity. One reason for this decision revolved around purchasing MGS4 and also UT3, while the second was from the ability to make unique levels for Unreal Tournament III which would otherwise not be possible on the Xbox 360-version. We witnessed many cases of timed exclusives in 2008 but given the current economic condition, I am thinking that developers will try to play it safe and release their multi-console games at once than risk losing sales in one area only in the hope of gaining them in another. I hope by now you understand what ‘exclusive’ means when used in the context of the gaming industry, and how business and technical decisions impact everything pertaining to them.

---------------------------------

There is a few questions which I ask myself, and pose to all the gamers out there. Is exclusivity good for gamers? Is it simply just a business decision for the publisher/developer. Most importantly though, is it good for the gaming industry?

I still can't believe I wrote something this large, 2/10 people ever read the whole thing lol.

More like 1/10. jk lol. too tired tonight but I might give it a read tomorrow.

good post, reckon exclusivity is something we have to live with, but adds pros and cons as to which console to buy etc. I think its a personal thing as to wether its a good thing or not, so I guess I am for it, but then I have all three consoles, a pc, psp and ds, so I cant really say it affects me in anyway...

Yea the console manufacturer/studio approaches the dev./pub. to work out the deals.  It's funny how people hate on Bethesda when it comes to Fallout 3 DLC, but MS has a internal deal that no one knows about with Bethesda.