Sony: "Nothing Is Ever Exclusive" [Archive]

OldJadedGamer

10-29-2008, 06:08 PM

Sony Computer Entertainment UK managing director Ray Maguire recently went on the record to state that "Nothing is ever exclusive" with the following quotes:

"One thing to remember, nothing is ever exclusive. Things get wrapped up for a period of time for a large amount of money and if it's a strategic decision by competition to do that then we have to live with that."

He added: "Obviously, what we have to do is make sure that our business plan is adhered to and we have the amount of money to invest in games rather than investing in stopping other people making games and progressing. So I would much rather that we were investing money into making sure that we've got great R&D and we start producing games like LittleBigPlanet, rather than paying other people a huge amount of money to stop people playing their product."

http://www.videogamer.com/news/29-10-2008-9789.html

So either he is full of crap or he just confirmed a MGS4 port to 360 and a FFXIII Versus 360 version as well along with making the new upcoming PS3 "exclusive" that Rockstar is doing multiplatform.

These comments if not such obvious tripe, would say to PS3 owners that they will never, ever have a third party exclusive for their system. While extremely stupid to say such a thing I think it's a problem with being on the defense rather then the offense and just makes him look stupid since Jack Tretton went on and on and on at E3 how MGS4 was only on the PS3.

KingGorilla

10-29-2008, 06:16 PM

There are some who say Ken Kutaragi's heart grew three sizes that day...

Schnoogs

10-29-2008, 06:18 PM

Sweet...Mario will be coming to the 360 along with God of War!!!

Rune_74

10-29-2008, 06:19 PM

Pre-emptive spin for when an exclusive is no longer exclusive.

KingGorilla

10-29-2008, 06:19 PM

Sweet...Mario will be coming to the 360 along with God of War!!!

I just pictured Kratos with Peach in the hot tub.

pomeroy

10-29-2008, 06:30 PM

I just pictured Kratos with Peach in the hot tub.

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w53/pomeroy_bucket/bbghgj.gif

Deadend

10-29-2008, 07:35 PM

Damn, I can't wait to play Little Big Planet on my 360.

KamaItachi

10-29-2008, 07:46 PM

So I would much rather that we were investing money into making sure that we've got great R&D and we start producing games like LittleBigPlanet, rather than paying other people a huge amount of money to stop people playing their product.

So if Sony help fund a game, it's all for the greater good, if anyone else does it, it's nefarious scheming?

Iron Past

10-29-2008, 07:59 PM

Well it's kind of hard to buy exclusives when your gaming division still isn't making a profit and your stocks are sinking (http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/29/sony-profits-sink-game-division-floats-by/). Oooh, shazam!

Seriously, though, it's just a spin doctor taking at a jab at MS because there's not as many third party exclusives lying around anymore. I wouldn't read too much into it, since they've said as much before.

yeti

10-29-2008, 08:53 PM

Pre-emptive strike for MGS4 coming to the 360?

Just putting it out there!! ;)

OldJadedGamer

10-29-2008, 08:55 PM

Damn, I can't wait to play Little Big Planet on my 360.

Why? So the online part of the game will actually work?

Johan

10-29-2008, 09:11 PM

I think that Sony is more concerned about breaking even with the PS3, rather than paying for exclusives and the like. (http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=20875)

Based on DFC's most current research, she says, Sony's production losses per individual PS3 mean that the console can't be expected to "break even" across its lifetime.

It's not very good business when your business invests and doesn't make money on the investment. That's pretty basic business 101 stuff right there. MS has its own problems, but also happens to have 30+ billion in cash laying around to burn on money-losing investments that will hopefully become money winners.

fitbabits

10-29-2008, 09:13 PM

You missed the end of the quote, OJG. Here it is in its entirety:

"Nothing is ever exclusive, unless we say so."

JayVe

10-29-2008, 09:23 PM

You missed the end of the quote, OJG. Here it is in its entirety:

"Nothing is ever exclusive, unless we say so."

I'm still waiting for Sony to tell us when the next generation gets here...

OldJadedGamer

10-29-2008, 09:26 PM

You missed the end of the quote, OJG. Here it is in its entirety:

"Nothing is ever exclusive, unless we say so."

Yeah, it's only a real exclusive if it's on PS3 but if it's on any other system then it's obviously a money hat.

fitbabits

10-29-2008, 09:35 PM

I'm still waiting for Sony to tell us when the next generation gets here...
"Unlike our competitor, every PS3 game will be playable in full 1080p HD..."

JayVe

10-29-2008, 09:44 PM

...it's obviously a money hat.
I don't know where this term originated, but the idea always brings a little smile to my face. Hats made of money. Heh. :)

Evil Avnovice

10-30-2008, 12:08 AM

http://i203.photobucket.com/albums/aa55/goodavatar/DarkDoom.gif

violent

10-30-2008, 12:20 AM

I think this is about GTA4 and Fallout DLC in particular.

OldJadedGamer

10-30-2008, 12:23 AM

I think this is about GTA4 and Fallout DLC in particular.

So does this mean that the PS3 exclusive DLC for Mirror's Edge is now multiplatform on day one? Good to hear.

This quote from him reminds me of the old biblical saying "Let he who is without sin, cast the first stone"

violent

10-30-2008, 12:25 AM

So does this mean that the PS3 exclusive DLC for Mirror's Edge is now multiplatform on day one? Good to hear.

And Gears of War 3 on the Wii.

J Arcane

10-30-2008, 12:54 AM

Well, this thread sure turned into total fanboy wank.

RTFA. What he's saying is that rather than spend money buying exclusives from publishers, they'd rather spend that money on second-party deals and supporting developers directly. And really, so far it seems to be the best course of action for them, and has been working out far better than their earlier attempts at just buying exclusives. LBP seems to be cut out to be a great hit for them, Resistance has done rather well, and meanwhile the only exclusive they were even able to hang on to was MGS4 and I bet that cost them a fortune.

Purple Santa

10-30-2008, 05:18 AM

No exclusives? This mean I can sell my PS3 now? ;)

Gorvi

10-30-2008, 06:03 AM

Well, this sure turned into a fanboy circle jerk without actually reading what this was in referance to. He's talking about DLC specifically, for one, OJD, so how would this apply to MGS4 or Versus XIII? He may be wrong, but way to take the comments out of context. You might want to read the headline of the article you're actually linking to.

boratika

10-30-2008, 06:54 AM

I don't know where this term originated, but the idea always brings a little smile to my face. Hats made of money. Heh. :)

As far as I know, it originated here (http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2000/10/23/).

Narradisall

10-30-2008, 07:01 AM

So.... "We don't have the extra money to buy as many exclusives on the PS3 at the moment so we'll make sweeping statements that no games are ever exclusive"

I'm against exclusives personally. If the hardware is capable and the audience there I would like to think most developers would try to release on as many as possible.

Norse

10-30-2008, 07:08 AM

I don't see how exclusive DLC is any worse than exclusive retail titles. Noteworthy exclusive DLC seems to be announced before the release of the game, so people know how the situation is before they choose which platform they buy the game for.

Iron Past

10-30-2008, 07:09 AM

J Arcane and Gorvi, we know what they're talking about (most of us, anyway). The point is, it's Sony shooting their mouth off to take a jab at MS when they did the exact same thing not long ago, and are still doing it to some extent now (exclusive content for Bioshock plus DLC for both Bioshock and Mirror's Edge come to mind right now).

Of course puting money into first/second party titles makes more monetary sense, but it doesn't increase your install base because you can only produce so many first/second party titles at a time. Exclusive DLC is a very smart business decision because you don't have to pay for the whole game, and it means multiplatform titles will sell substantialy more on your system.

Mike Kelehan

10-30-2008, 07:18 AM

As John McCain might say, do whatever you want, just don't say you're going to do it. It sends the wrong message to your enemies.

Virtual Machine

10-30-2008, 07:24 AM

They aren't targeting anyone in particular, and i can't see how anyone but a gibbering Microsoft fanboy could take anything negative out of that statement, let alone any kind of Microsoft bashing. Sony doesn't pay publishers for console exclusives, they pay to help publishers make better games on their systems. It's working. We can argue art design until the cows come home, but right now there's NOTHING on the xbox360 that is as technically accomplished (from a graphical standpoint anyway) as say MGS4, Uncharted, Little Big Planet, or Even Killzone. These a beautiful looking games, that Sony put big dollars and support into. The money that Microsoft may or may not have spent on Final Fantasy XIII could have been funneled elsewhere, perhaps into a new IP that Micrososft could have pumped. Every game starts somewhere - Microsoft NEEDS another Halo, a game that's new, unique, and pushes the platform forward. FFXIII is not going to "save" them (not that they need saving) just like it's not going to save the PS3. Square-Enix deciding to go multi-platform doesn't surprise me at all, Microsoft actually PAYING them for FFXIII seems a tad stupid on Microsoft's behalf to me. The series is not the juggernaut it was in the PSone and early PS2 days.

JayVe

10-30-2008, 07:33 AM

Sony doesn't pay publishers for console exclusives, they pay to help publishers make better games on their systems. You say potato, I say potato.

...but right now there's NOTHING on the xbox360 that is as technically accomplished (from a graphical standpoint anyway) as say MGS4, Uncharted, Little Big Planet, or Even Killzone.
Sorry, this is a load of horseshit.

Cyndair

10-30-2008, 07:43 AM

JayVe

10-30-2008, 07:46 AM

I don't get it... Microsoft invests in keeping DLC exclusive to the 360, effectively limiting the number of people who can purchase and enjoy said content to sell more software on their system. Sony invests in making games to sell on their system.

I know it isn't quite as clear cut as that and yes, Sony has done / said some retarded things but as a gamer I can see which philosophy is better for me. What exactly has Microsoft done for you guys lately?

How is what Microsoft doing with GTA different than what Sony is doing with Mirror's Edge?

Either way, a console manufacturer is expending resources so that game content is created for their system. Without Microsoft's investment in Rockstar, there wouldn't BE a huge chunk of downloadable content coming. It isn't like Microsoft is spending money to keep this downloadable content OUT of people's hands... they are spending money to have MORE content created. This is the exact same thing as Sony working with companies to help facilitate better games. This is GOOD for the industry as it helps developers stomach the tremendous cost of creating next-gen systems and engines.

fitbabits

10-30-2008, 07:46 AM

Virtual Machine

10-30-2008, 08:09 AM

You say potato, I say potato.

Sorry, this is a load of horseshit.

Prove it.

Show me one game on the 360 as pretty as Uncharted, or Little Big Planet, Or even MGS4.

JayVe

10-30-2008, 08:13 AM

Prove it.

Show me one game on the 360 as pretty as Uncharted, or Little Big Planet, Or even MGS4.

No. YOU prove that Little Big Planet is the prettiest game. :rolleyes:

What a stupid claim to make.

fitbabits

10-30-2008, 08:19 AM

Prove it.

Show me one game on the 360 as pretty as Uncharted, or Little Big Planet, Or even MGS4.
That cannot be proven conclusively. Why? Because beauty is in the eye of the beholder - it's much too subjective.

Cyndair

10-30-2008, 08:23 AM

That cannot be proven conclusively. Why? Because beauty is in the eye of the beholder - it's much too subjective.

Either way, I don't think anyone would argue that Uncharted, Little Big Planet, Resistance, and MGS4 aren't extremely impressive from a technical standpoint. Money well spent in any case.

fitbabits

10-30-2008, 08:24 AM

Cyndair

10-30-2008, 08:29 AM

Right, and the same could be argued for Gears of War, Mass Effect, etc. It really is an exercise in futility.

I'm not trying to be a jerk here as I honestly don't know but did Microsoft invest in the development of Gears and Mass Effect? I know that Sony plays a direct role with Media Molecule and Insomniac but does Microsoft do the same with Epic and Bioware? Or are they more on their own and the 360 just happens to be their platform of choice?

Gorvi

10-30-2008, 08:29 AM

That cannot be proven conclusively. Why? Because beauty is in the eye of the beholder - it's much too subjective.
Totally agree on that. Art style plays a huge part in that as well.

fitbabits

10-30-2008, 08:31 AM

I'm not trying to be a jerk here as I honestly don't know but did Microsoft invest in the development of Gears and Mass Effect? I know that Sony plays a direct role with Media Molecule and Insomniac but does Microsoft do the same with Epic and Bioware? Or are they more on their own and the 360 just happens to be their platform of choice?
I don't know for sure, but I'm willing to bet that Microsoft assist in many ways with console exclusives, be it tech-related or whatever.

Telefrog

10-30-2008, 08:32 AM

I'm not trying to be a jerk here as I honestly don't know but did Microsoft invest in the development of Gears and Mass Effect? I know that Sony plays a direct role with Media Molecule and Insomniac but does Microsoft do the same with Epic and Bioware? Or are they more on their own and the 360 just happens to be their platform of choice?

Microsoft DID actually publish both games. I'm pretty sure there is at least a monetary exchange in the publisher developer relationship.

KingGorilla

10-30-2008, 08:41 AM

I don't know for sure, but I'm willing to bet that Microsoft assist in many ways with console exclusives, be it tech-related or whatever.

Speakin to third parties, thing designed in a Direct X environment work more smoothley for Microsoft, big surprise as they own it. If Carmak is to be trusted, OpenGl is a much friendlier design choice for all possible platforms. I believe that Renderware (Burnout, Gta 3) is an OpenGl platform, which made porting easier in many ways for those titles.
That is the worst kept secret of this generation, most everything being UE3(direct x) seems to translate to many games being optimized for the Xbox.

JayVe

10-30-2008, 09:10 AM

Microsoft did a lot of the developer hand-holding up front, by designing a system that didn't require hand-holding. :cool:

OldJadedGamer

10-30-2008, 10:28 AM

Dukefrukem

10-30-2008, 10:37 AM

Ooh, ooh, ooh, let me answer this. They sent me back my 360. The one I sent to them because it red-ringed. Not only that, they sent it back to me in record time - seemingly half-fixed. They (MS) are so awesome.

And what's even more awesome is I don't even need to turn off my PS3. :) That means Sony is awesomer right?

Johan

10-30-2008, 10:48 AM

I still think that MS should do the OS/online, and Sony should do the hardware. One console for the both of them.

Gorvi

10-30-2008, 11:01 AM

http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=228878
Yeah, and I said he was wrong. That doesn't make twisting a comment about DLC into some blanket statement about all games in any way accurate.

JayVe

10-30-2008, 11:03 AM

And what's even more awesome is I don't even need to turn off my PS3.

That is simply wasteful. If you aren't using it, turn it off. Save electricity.

Dukefrukem

10-30-2008, 11:36 AM

That is simply wasteful. If you aren't using it, turn it off. Save electricity.

And stop folding? Never!

TheFlyingOrc

10-30-2008, 11:43 AM

I'm not trying to be a jerk here as I honestly don't know but did Microsoft invest in the development of Gears and Mass Effect? I know that Sony plays a direct role with Media Molecule and Insomniac but does Microsoft do the same with Epic and Bioware? Or are they more on their own and the 360 just happens to be their platform of choice?
They make their hardware the easiest to develop for, which makes things easier for developers across the board.

TheFlyingOrc

10-30-2008, 11:46 AM

And stop folding? Never!

Pssst....
Folding is a single research project as to what medical advances can be made through understanding protein folding. There are at least dozens of other experiments being done right now by other professionals that have an equal chance of curing any of the diseases that folding is targeting.

But I'd love adding a significant cost to my electricity bill to call down disease fairies to fix all the world's problems.

OldJadedGamer

10-30-2008, 12:05 PM

They make their hardware the easiest to develop for, which makes things easier for developers across the board.

And I read somewhere in a developer interview in Japan how Microsoft loans out dev kits for no cost to developers where Sony charges an arm and a leg for them. There are other ways to help developers and save them a ton of cash then writing a check but the 12 year olds will never understand that.

Oh, and for keeping my PS3 on all the time I'm deathly afraid to do it. Since I game so much on my 360, I'm afraid to have them on at the same time because I'll blow a fuse. My house was built in the 1920's and the electric in there isn't as stable as it should be.

TheFlyingOrc

10-30-2008, 12:09 PM

And I read somewhere in a developer interview in Japan how Microsoft loans out dev kits for no cost to developers where Sony charges an arm and a leg for them. There are other ways to help developers and save them a ton of cash then writing a check but the 12 year olds will never understand that.

Oh, and for keeping my PS3 on all the time I'm deathly afraid to do it. Since I game so much on my 360, I'm afraid to have them on at the same time because I'll blow a fuse. My house was built in the 1920's and the electric in there isn't as stable as it should be.

Also -
A friend of mine was a PS2 developer. According to him, the documentation you received would tell you the name of the function and what parameters to send it, but not what it actually did. So, when you saw a function named something like GetRnd(int num, int num2) you had no idea whether it got a random number, got a rounded number, got Randy's phone number...

The reason PS2 development got so much better over time was that developers experimented to figure out what these mystery functions did, and then told other devs.

OldJadedGamer

10-30-2008, 12:33 PM

The reason PS2 development got so much better over time was that developers experimented to figure out what these mystery functions did, and then told other devs.

Well, that and they didn't have a choice in the matter. They HAD to make better games for the PS2 because it was the dominant system. Now developers finally have a choice and we see which they are picking.

The best thing about how horrible the PS3 is to develop for and all the mistakes and failings they have this gen is that the PS4 is going to be an amazing system and I'm really looking forward to it.

"Why do we fall down Bruce? So we can learn to pick ourselves up"

TheFlyingOrc

10-30-2008, 12:55 PM

The best thing about how horrible the PS3 is to develop for and all the mistakes and failings they have this gen is that the PS4 is going to be an amazing system and I'm really looking forward to it.

If the PS4 isn't more developer friendly then Sony's head is completely shoved up their backside.

Johan

10-30-2008, 01:13 PM

My house was built in the 1920's and the electric in there isn't as stable as it should be.

You probably have aluminum wiring...which means you have a real fire hazard there and are wise to be careful.

JayVe

10-30-2008, 03:35 PM

If the PS4 isn't more developer friendly then Sony's head is completely shoved up their backside.

I recently read something which postulated that the PS4 will use a faster version of the Cell. It will be 'easier' in that people will have tackled the PS3 already.

Talanvor

10-31-2008, 07:25 AM

How about unlike that OTHER console the PS3 will always have FULL, uncrippled, backwards compatability?

I swear, they hire the craziest people to be execs at Sony. I'm thinking there's some sort of psych test, or maybe they only promote the people that talk a lot of shit?

Narradisall

10-31-2008, 07:48 AM

Either way, I don't think anyone would argue that Uncharted, Little Big Planet, Resistance, and MGS4 aren't extremely impressive from a technical standpoint. Money well spent in any case.

I'd agree they are extremely impressive, have they made enough of a difference to 'save' the PS3 though? Sony gambled on making the PS3 more than a gaming console, I personally don't think that gamble has paid off.

I would have actually prefered a PS3, but I go where the games I want to play are. Hence why I dislike exclusives, it narrows my options.

Durka-Dan

10-31-2008, 09:02 AM

It's been awhile since I've seen a spin article from Kamalot or OJG posted. The fanboy powers that amass when you two come together under one thread is mind boggling. Seriously though, the article isn't even about PS3 to 360 content. He wasn't even asked about PS3 -> 360 content.

It's like you saw this article as possibly being posted as anti-M$ and launched a preemptive strike in your troll wars.

http://www.boingboing.net/images/x_2008/iranzilla2.jpg

Johan

10-31-2008, 09:25 AM

It's been awhile since I've seen a spin article from Kamalot or OJG posted.

So you admit they're doing a great job? :)

OldJadedGamer

10-31-2008, 10:23 AM

I swear, they hire the craziest people to be execs at Sony. I'm thinking there's some sort of psych test, or maybe they only promote the people that talk a lot of shit?

Nope, there is one exec at Sony that everyone else there needs to learn from. He's never said anything stupid, never has put his foot in his mouth, speaks honestly and frankly, and is a great addition to the team and can hopefully bring it back from the sink hole the other exec's have put the machine into and that is this guy.

http://www.cinemablend.com/images/sections/10443/10443.jpg