In this day and age developing for a single console is pretty risky, unless that console is the Wii and you're developing a game starring a Nintendo character or exercise. The general logic is that because games cost so much you want them out in front of everyone in order to make the most money. Hence games like Grand Theft Auto are no longer Playstation exclusives. However, Rockstar's next game, Agent, will be exclusive to the PS3 as was briefly announced at Sony's E3 press conference and then further hyped.
Why go down this road? Take-Two's president Ben Feder explains. "The trade-offs a publisher will typically make is, if you're platform-agnostic, you get a larger installed base. You're platform exclusive when you get the right kind of support from first parties," he said, going on to to explain, "At this phase in the cycle, when you're trying to launch a new franchise, exclusivity can really help you launch the franchise. It can give you the kind of platform that you need to start exclusive, start in the right kind of way with the right kind of partner. Exclusivity does work." Finally rounding it all up by pointing out that early GTAs never had any problems being console exclusives and Sony helped the games get where they are today.
Maybe I'm just jumping to conclusions here, but the way Feder was talking it sounded like Agent's PS3 exclusivity is not a permanent thing. In which case the move is even smarter since, as he notes, being a console exclusive gives you a crap ton of press that you wouldn't get if you were in bed with both consoles. So if it turns out that the game does come to the 360 remember where you heard it first.
Matthew Razak is Destructoid's Associate editor and co-founder of film site
Flixist. He began as community member "cowzilla" and was since sequestered to write brainy features material. He lives in Los Angeles with his beautiful wife.
Likes
Games! Movies! Hats!
Meet the rest of the team
| BBcode help |
| [b]Bold text[/b] |
Bold text |
| [i]Italic text[/i] |
Italic text |
| [url]http://www.dtoid.com/[/url] |
http://www.dtoid.com |
| [url=http://www.dtoid.com/]Web link[/url] |
Web link |
|
| [img]http://www.example.com/robot.jpg[/img] |
 |
Post a comment! You can also post a photo below:
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
32 comments | showing # 1 to 32
|
Comment with Facebook
Click connect and comment instantly!
|
Comment with Dtoid
New? SIGN UP - it takes 5 seconds
|
Comments policy
Destructoid is an open discussion community. You don't need to "audition" to post a comment - just speak your mind. We respect differing opinions on the site, so have at it. Be smart, funny, insightful, clueless, or cute -- but back it up with substance. Keep your cool, keep it fun. We only ask that you act respectfully and above all: don't be a troll and ruin it for everyone else. Don't bring down gamers or we'll, you know, gently shoot you in the face and stuff you into a flaming mailbox. Each comment is your opportuntity to make this community awesomer. Is that even a word?
Avoiding the banhammer only requires common sense: spamming, trolling, racism, NSFW stuff, and other forms of sucking will not be tolerated. If anyone is griefing please report abuse. Be good. Don't suck!
Contest:
9:00 PM on 06.07.2009
| 
The only thing it sounds like he's saying is that FURTHER installments of the game might go multiplatform.
I'm not saying this game WON'T go to 360 ever, but nothing he said seems to lean in that direction at all. If anything, it sounded more like he was trying to dance around the question and not say "Sony gave us a crap-ton of money, that's why."
They did, until they realized, they could do the exact same thing.
"While I think the game is going to fail"
Future googles! It's really awesome that you can see that a franchise from a near flawless developer will fail upon release!
If you're worried about how a PS3 Exclusive might fail: see Uncharted, specifically, among others.
I'm not saying they don't offer incentives by the way, just saying they don't make dumb deals. DLC or Rockstar Exclusive?
Also if we're comparing this to GTA as far as how soon we'll see it on the Xbox, then we got a few releases to wait, Matthew.
Though on a side not whether they are or are not exclusives, maybe they want to make a decent game before they lower the standards, so it can go on the Xbox?
I didn't say it will, I said I think it will. When I put my future goggles on I will start my sentences with "Your lord has proclaimed from his future visions that ..."
"I didn't say it will, I said I think it will."
... riighht... putting "i think" in front of the statement just reinforces the original point. maybe try saying "i think it MIGHT fail" next time if you want to sound less like a goddamn fanboy
Mass Effect 2 is multiplatform, right? Saints Row, Lost Planet. It makes a good bit of sense.
Again, these are just my thoughts. It's just very hard for me to believe that Rockstar would just release this on one platform, unless Sony aid them off big time (Which, for a totally new franchise, would be an ass-ton of money).
I thought all the GTA's where sony exclusive up until san andreas? Didn't the xbox get them all on one disk or sumthin a bit later down the line?
GTA, GTA London, and GTA2 where all multiplatform. GTA3 is where the exclusivity started.
I wonder if the Sony Rockstar backlash will quieten down now that Sony are getting their very own (potentially temporary) exclusive?
I hope so. This is a dev house that deserve respect, even if you didn't (or pretended you didn't) like their las t GTA game.
So, the original GTA's [before 3] where on what platforms? I remember them on psx and PC. Where they on any other system? I realize this does make them mulitplatform. I was just wondering what other platforms
Yeah man.. I modded the shit out of the first GTA [pc]. Got so many hours out of that game its unreal :D
Love Poems
Canada Flowers | flowers in Canada