Sony’s Star Wars: Battlefront PS4 Marketing Deal Might Have Forced Microsoft to Hide its Trailer

Yesterday’s reveal trailer of Star Wars: Battlefront proved beyond reasonable doubt that Sony has a pretty solid marketing deal with Electronic Arts to promote Star Wars: Battlefront as PS4 title first and foremost. This seems to have heavily influenced the way Microsoft is allowed to promote the game.

[Abash]

Microsoft may have not been expecting EA to side with PlayStation for Star Wars: Battlefront

[SpaceRanger]

It's not necessarily siding, but think they already knew way in advance. A lot of licensing stuff goes on in the background between companies in terms of preparation for trailers like these to place logos.

Which is why I think they touted that it would be available to play first on the Xbox one on twitter before the reveal.

[vishmarx]

the irony
https://pbs.twimg.com/media...

[chrismichaels04]

EA partnering with Sony on the Star Wars Battlefront marketing deal is a very surprising announcement. Either way, the trailer looked awesome. I cant wait to see more at E3.

It will probably be a similar deal to what Sony did with Destiny. Star Wars Battlefront will no doubt now show up on Sonys E3 stage and maybe even announce exclusive PS4 DLC or an early advanced PS4 beta.

Meanwhile, xbox fans will get to play the game a few days early thanks to EA access. Its a win/win for all gamers.

[Kal0psia]

^

As a EA Access memember I would find it very unfair for another console to have exclusive DLC content. It doesn't make any sense for paying members to be left out. In my opinion.

[OUROSMAG]

You gotta remember how marketing jargon works, Early access may allow subscribers to play the game early, but it doesn't mean that the marketing deal can't allow PS4 users to play it even sooner.

[HammadTheBeast]

Definitely won't have exclusive DLC on PS4, at most they'll have an early beta or a week earlier DLC. Most likely taking up stage time on Playstation E3 as well, or possibly their own conference.

[Bdub2000]

I'm hoping for a sweet PS4 bundle. Drooling...

[mikeslemonade]

Star Wars is more synonymous with Sony and PlayStation! Duhhh!

[ocelot07]

@chrismichaels04 Agreed but I doubt the PS4 will get exclusive DLC. Possibly timed but not exclusive. Will most likely see a limited edition PS4 console or at least a PS4 Starwars bundle like they did with Battlefield Hardline.

Early alpha access like they did with Hardline is a possibility.

[pixelsword]

Hmm... They have Gungan shields, but no Gungans.

[SonyWarrior]

of course EA will side with PlayStation. PlayStation sells more games look at EA's new battlefield game like 3x more sold on Playstation.

[MazzingerZ]

I wonder if this was the real reason for SONY pushing the release of U4 to early 2016?

[Mr Pumblechook]

The promotional partnership with Sony would probably be exclusive. So I suspect that Xbox One trailer was made by Microsoft by adding their logo at the front to remind people that it is also coming to XBO. Greenberg tweeted it but it could only have been done under the authorisation of Phil Spencer.

You've got to remember that Microsoft have a history with not respecting exclusive promotions partnerships of PlayStation, remember the Destiny stinks campaign?!

The strange thing is that Microsoft has exclusive promotional rights with games like Call of Duty, Dragon Age, FIFA Football, Evolve, The Witcher etc and you don't see Nintendo and Sony try any spoiler tactics with games they don't have the rights to.

[RocketScienceLvlStuf]

This just show's how much things are turning. EA were behind Microsoft 100% before the consoles where revealed. They essentially bet on a dead duck. They must be full of regrets.

I remember when there was talk saying Star Wars battlefront would be an xbox exclusive. Now look. EA are favouring the PS4 with the game. They know how superior the PS4 is and how it is crushing xbone in sales.

Now they want a piece of it.

@Mozzie.

You are a fool if you believe Destiny sold more on xbone. The physical retail numbers don't tell the full story.

And if you seriously think that xbones game sales are as much as the PS4 you need to do a little more research. Even call of duty sold twice as much worldwide on PS4

[n4rc]

wow... ok there buddy.... i really hope you are trolling and not being serious..

sony paid for the marketing rights... just like other titles and just like microsoft has done...

EA didnt pick sony, sony bought the marketing rights to the game.

[N0TaB0T]

You're trying way too hard.

[jrshankill]

idiotic post of the day goes to you.

See "EA Access" then come back with something relevant.

God.. I hate fanboys

[fanboysmackdown]

And what about EA Access? This could really blow up in your fanboy face when this ends up on X1 before the PS4.

[AsheXII]

Eh no, EA was behind Sony with Battlefield 4 too. They toggle between franchises.

[rainslacker]

No one with common sense thought this game would be exclusive to Xbox...or any system for that matter. Disney, or anyone who picked up the IP, would have allowed that to happen. It's like expecting Madden to become an exclusive title. I would doubt that the contracts involved explicitly prohibit console exclusivity on the game or content. The IP is just too big to cut it off from any audience.

[StrayaKNT]

Awkward moment when no matter how much sony has payed them, xbox players get to play it a week earlier lmaooooooo wow
your post is something a 12 year old would right.

[walter_feng]

A DEAD DUCK hahaha XD

[mozzie]

the thing is, companies like EA are not fanboys. they don't choose sony or ms because they like one console better than the other. it's business, as simple as that. they also don't care about ps4 sales because everybody knows that games on xbox sell just as much, if not more in most cases. destiny sends it's regards.

[marlinfan10]

I can't believe this guy got marked as well said lol.

You're reading way too much into it. All you need to realize is money talks.

[rocketpanda]

@Mozzie,

You mean where MS had a promotion where you could choose a free game with purchase of the console, and that free game counted as a sale, where PS4 had bundled copies of Destiny and doesn't count as sales towards the game's sales. That was back in September.

As of now Destiny has about 4.6 million global sales on the ps4, and 2.5 million on the Xbox One. It only outsold on the 360 over the ps3 with 1.5 million and 1.3 million respectively.

So yeah, Destiny sends its regards.

[OrangePowerz]

@mozzie

The copies from the Destiny bundle are not counted by NPD and a huge amount of people bought the PS4 Destiny bundle. So yeah it didn't sell more on the X1 and not nearly as many either.

[sAVAge_bEaST]

http://bf4stats.com/

http://bfhstats.com/

BF (I know they are different, but it's DICE,and Not CoD) games have ALWAYS been more Popular on PS consoles..

It only makes Logical Sense, to go this route.

[BallsEye]

Dude, it's all about money, nothing else. Sony paid tons of money for that logo in the trailer that wasn't even ps4 footage (stated by the end of the trailer, ms had same trailer but without PLAYSTATION). You guys gotta stop digging for deeper meaning. It's just money, that's it.

[redwin]

Yeah yeah, MS is evil and Sony is a saint. But despite all the marketing I'm buying it for my Xbox like destiny. I bought the ps4 for the exclusives and The Order so far has made me regret that decision. So, greatness still awaits ( dam dangling carrot). bloodborn, I hear is good, but the 1886 stinger still there. But to be honest, between battlefront and the division I think I'll get the ladder.

[DDOS-DelDaemonicOSes]

Ever heard the story of the ugly duckling? Also, what do you think of the recent comment of the SWB\Frostbite technical dev wanting DX12 to be required for holiday 2016 games? I think devs all devoted to using DX12 means Sony may be a sitting duck that tastes great served with a side of that secret sauce.

http://n4g.com/news/1705175...

[OrangePowerz]

@DDOS

I find it funny how much people overestimate the the impact of DX12 for consoles. It will have a big impact for PCs, but the impact on consoles will be minimal.

[3-4-5]

* Disney & Lucas Films are involved with this game and also are in the movie industry.

* Microsoft is not in the movie industry.

* Sony is in the movie industry & games industry.

This is a business decision via connections from within the movie industry.

Anybody else see this ?

[fr0sty]

So, you're suggesting that Disney and Lucasfilm sided with a competitor in the film industry over someone who poses no threat to their films?

[Spotie]

And you're suggesting that competitors never work together on anything?

Who knows? Maybe it has something to do with Spider-Man, a Marvel character whose movie rights are owned by Sony.

[Dinkis]

Good point

[jukins]

Lol exactly. People may not see it but that's maybe because they don't understand business. From A marketing standpoint why wouldn't Lucas and Disney ea and sony collaboration together to reap the most profits. This is star wars Everyone involved is going to make money. So they let each respective company do what they're best at and they all swim in cash.

This isn't some little fanboy war this is the real world money talks.

[FarEastOrient]

People forget how deep Sony is in the movie industry. Look at the credits for Episode 6 Return of the Jedi and you'll see Sony attached to it. As well as Sony can be found on Guardians of the Galaxy and the upcoming Avengers films. A lot of Sony tech goes into these films and the relationships isn't coming from the gaming industry alone.

[Volkama]

I agree with Spotie. Spider-man brokered this deal. He's getting on a bit now, and crime fighting offers no pension scheme. Spider-man needs to look out for his future.

[rainslacker]

I guess this answers the question about what Sony is going to be doing this holiday though.

Who needs a AAA exclusive to lure in the masses when you have exclusive advertising rights for what will likely be one of the biggest games this holiday...particularly with a new SW movie coming out. Expect to see trailers for it in the theaters.

[krypt1983]

spot on sony has no holiday games so they will just advertise a 3rd party title that will launch on the competitors box a week early brilliant keep paying for dumb shit sony and people wonder why they operate in the red ...

[mark3214uk]

i think its good EA are sharing the deals with there games and not just giving 1 console all the deals, other companys should do the same

[u4one]

its whoever offers the better business deal. there aren't really sides.

[hiredhelp]

These deals pointless to me we all get play the same game eventually, I for one looking forword to it.

[u4one]

i think its pretty dumb too. i get each side having its own 1st, 3rd party exclusives or whatever but for a multiplatform title to favor one platform over another is just annoying. i don't know anyone who would go out and buy a whole new console just so they could get an extra map, or character outfit or get to play the game a few months early or whatever the case may be... especially when it would be coming to their console eventually anyway.

[Chevalier]

The advertising is super secretive. We got our marketing early with exact time for us to reveal which literally I have NEVER experienced before with any of my marketing and I have been doing marketing switch overs each week for 7 years.

Wait till you see the marketing. This is more marketing than even Destiny and if you recall Sony sold over 1 million units during the month that released and destroyed Xbone sales.

I am calling it now with a guess and say Sony has big plans for Star Wars with EA. I will bet it will not only be the largest campaign yet, but, also I bet we will have a Darth Vader or Storm Trooper themed PS4 bundle during its release. Just imagine the blue light bar looking like a light saber.

[showtimefolks]

why is it surprising to make a deal with a console maker who's console has almost double the install base of its competition? If you ask me EA learned their lesson with Titanfall

also EA did offer their service to sony first but sony rejected

also ea and sony have a very long term relationship

[OrangePowerz]

EA always sides with where they can sell a lot and will turn their backs quickly on their former partners. Just look at how fast they dumped the WiiU after poor sales and when they didn`t get what they wanted from Nintendo. It was hailed as an unprecedented partnership when EA announced it look how quick that fell apart. During Titanfall (the story about the game not happening without MS help is just PR talk) they expected that the console would have DRM and block second hand sales and that MS would be king this generation, nobody expected that Sony would actually pull away and especially not that fast. Otherwise EA wouldn`t have dropped their Online Pass.

EA has no loyalty they go where they have the most sales. Look at how loyal they had been to Nintendo or how they crapped on Sega and the Dreamcast. Their unprecedented partnership with MS is pretty much over, I wouldn`t even be surprised if Titanfall 2 is more advertised by EA for the PS4.

[spacedelete]

get ready for Titanfall 2 announcement for PS4 at E3. EA has no loyalty. they just want money. what would be even more funny would be if they make it PS4 exclusive.

[Transistor]

Things are a bit different this generation. Microsoft tried to buy Mass Effect Xbox One timed exclusive rights and was rejected. They were also rejected this year by Activision for Call Of Duty. They tried to buy timed rights for many games and settled for Tomb Raider.

[Transistor]

There seems to be a lot of assumptions that BO3 is going to be exclusively advertised for Xbox, which would be wrong.

[extermin8or]

They should have, considerably more playstations out there than xbox one's....

[ArchangelMike]

The console cold war continues....

[SpaceRanger]

Yeah this pretty much confirms that Sony has exclusive marketing rights like it had with Destiny. Many people will play this off and say it'll have no effects on how the game and console sell during the holidays. But it's the same thing with Call of Duty, sales have been known to be higher on the xbox, as with the sales of the console when it bundles with the game at launch. It's basic marketing principles.

[kevnb]

Worldwide call of duty is selling best on playstation 4, the gap in Europe is just too large for Microsoft to overcome. http://www.vgchartz.com/gam...

[user7402931]

as a ps4 owner i think sony did a great job at marketing this, and lets be honest here folks, it makes sense because we all know the ps4 version will inevitably be better than the xbox one version.

[XiMasterChief]

Well all know the PC version Will be the best version.

[St0]

If you like hackers in your multiplayer games then yes, PC wins for sure.

[MasterCornholio]

That's why he said better than the XB1 version.

Which is probably true though.

:)

[poor_cus_of_games]

Maybe your pc but not mine. Not all pc's are equal.

[SpinalRemains138]

Best at what? Ruining the experience because keyboard warriors cheat?

No thx.

There's a fundamental reason that console gaming dominates the market. PC enthusiasts dont understand this, and attribute console success to economics, but the truth is, gaming on console is more user friendly and less cheaty.

😉

[KingWookiee]

I really don't get this whole cheat thing Lol. Go play CoD 4 on PC then try it on console, way less on PC than 360 or PS3 and I have not yet run into one true cheater on PC on BF3 or BF4. The people who hackusate all the time are the trash players who just can't admit that they suck.

[N0TaB0T]

Let's be honest here, you have one bubble because all you do is get caught up in this retarded console war drivel.

[andibandit]

Currently the player cap is 40, but if they announce a higher player cap available on PC, thats where I'll be at

[Halo2ODST2]

By saying the PS4 version will better than the X1 version, what exactly do you mean; the the ps4 will have larger maps with more players, more content and deeper mehcanics than the x1 version OR do you just mean it will "just" have a higher resolution, lightining & all that "superficial" crap. Btw not everyone gives a crap about how shiny pixels are!

[kevnb]

If it looks and/or plays better on ps4 then yes it is better on ps4. Most people do care, which is why the ps4 is selling better.

[Bigpappy]

@kevnb: How exactly will it play better on the PS4 if the user prefers the X1 controller and has his friends there to chat up with while having his favorite sports snapped to the side?

You PS4 fanboys really need to humble your selves, buy in the most popular toy really isn't a life accomplishment. It is proof only that any idiot can buy a product if said idiot has the money to do so. Not say that you are and idiot, just making a point.

[Halo2ODST2]

@bigpappy, while i appreciate your support, you're being somewhat too modest about the x1, the controller is crapmed with the bumpers being unresponsive at times, the 360 controller is a lot better, Playstation also has party chat; i think, and snap is a nuisance,

[kraenk12]

All DiCE games or games with that engine (Frostbite 2.0) are vastly better looking on PS4 than X1. The X1 only managed 720p on all Battlefield games until today, so the assumption the game will look better on Ps4 is logical.

Stop telling us 720p doesn't matter on a so called "next gen" console. It's embarrassing.

[DDOS-DelDaemonicOSes]

Speaking of what makes SENSE, you need to X BO that avatar. You do realize that you're offending the sense of most guys here who don't lack sense?

Edit: That avatar is the pits\pitiful, etc. Wear a shirt if you're going to pose that way for us guys.

[christocolus]

Yeah its obvious Sony has a deal with EA. Its all business. Sony currently has exclusive marketing rights for MGS 5, Batman and Battlefront 3 and i believe MS will be doing same with Witcher 3, Call of Duty and The Division. Phil talked about stuff like this some months ago when addressing the SF5/Sony deal.He said there's a lot of deals to be made with publishers and it cant all be done by one platform holder.you loose some and you get some& most importantly you got to be very wise when picking a title to push.From what we currently know,it seems this and Batman will be Sony's main focus for the holidays and on the other hand MS will be pushing The Division, Call of Duty, Rise of Tomb Raider and their very own Forza 6 & Halo 5 and going by that it makes much more sense for EA&Sony to partner up for Battlefront 3.

lets see what happens at e3 though.There could be more surprises planned and maybe we will get an announcement from EA concerning access for ps4.

[Eonjay]

"maybe we will get an announcement from EA concerning access for ps4."

I was thinking the same thing. It would be funny to see how people would react to that backtrack (180).

[christocolus]

Lol. If it happens there will definitely be a lot of 180 talk but it comes down to making the best decision for your fans. its best for Sony to just do it now and get it over with,i bet in another 4 months the fanboys mocking sony would have moved on and found something new to talk about cos the truth is there is no denying the value in EA access and it should be up to PS fans to decide if they want it or not.

[lodossrage]

Hell, if they announce EA Access for the PS4 I'll be pretty fearful of gaming's future.

Because soon, Activision will follow. Then Ubisoft. Then Deep Silver. Then Capcom.....you get the idea.

Soon, we'll be pay each individual publisher for their services. If you're a gamer that likes diversity in his/her library, this could be a nightmare waiting to happen on your wallet.

I'm hoping EA Access fails to be honest. Not to be mean to Xbox owners, but for the sake of gaming's future for the reason I mentioned above.

[rainslacker]

I dunno if I'd expect a flip-flop on EA Access like that. Sony had their reasons for rejecting it the first time, whatever they may be. I can't imagine that would change now.

As far as I'm concerned though, when EAA was first announced I do think Sony made the right call...if that call was truly because of they didn't see the value in it. But now, I can actually see a decent value in it for certain gamers(not me personally), so I don't think it'd be a bad thing to offer it.

EAA does have the benefit for X1 in this scenario though, because die hard fans of the SW series that will buy a console for this game may be willing to get an X1 and EAA to play it a week early. I don't know if that number would be significant, but some SW fans are more fanatical than some console fans.

[bleedsoe9mm]

you know if it happens you'll hear a screeching sound with ps4 fanboys throwing opinions into reverse .

[Spotie]

Oh, you Xbox guys hope too hard for hypocrisy, which is ironic considering you don't even acknowledge your own.

I'm with lodoss. I don't want every publisher to start up their own similar service.

[MasterCornholio]

Well I do have the theory that maybe when EA proposed EA access to Sony, Sony didn't like the terms of the deal so they rejected it. Maybe EA made another offer since they saw how well the PS4 selling and maybe that offer is more in line with what Sony is looking for.

I doubt that EA just proposed EA access once and didnt try again.

[Volkama]

I'm expecting EA Access to hit PS4 at some point, but what surprises me is that EA don't offer such a service on their own platform yet. Really expected to see it available on Origin by now, and the "vault" could be huge.

As for subscription packages reducing diversity, that makes no sense. Going by EA's example, I could subscribe to a year of EA, Activision, Ubisoft, Capcom, and Sony/MS gaming for the price of 2 new retail games. How does that reduce diversity?

Subscriptions also remove the emphasis on $60 retail games and budgets. Games like Child of Light, Titanfall, The Order etc etc would fit very well into such a package.

The biggest problem for me is that I'd want to get all those packages on 2 or 3 platforms, so it'd get pricey. I'd still be better off than I am today though.

[lodossrage]

@Volkama

Nobody said it would reduce diversity. What I DID say is it will make diversity more costly. For starters, as time goes on, the prices for things like EA Access will rise because of the ever growing server load.

Then you take into account other companies having similar services, you can see how that can be costly per month.

And as for the diversity itself, no one publisher caters to EVERY genre. So yeah, you can possibly end up paying A LOT depending on your personal gaming tastes.

I understand what you're saying. But what you're saying Volkama only looks good in the immediate scenario, not the long term. If I'm somemone that ONLY likes Tekken for example and Namco Bandai has a service for $10 per month. That would mean for me to enjoy the game for 1 year, I'd be paying $120 a year. That looks really bad if that was the only Namco Bandai game I like compared to paying the one-shot $60 (or less depending on discounts).

[extermin8or]

The devision is an odd one.... they have the marketing rights yet ubisoft showed PS4 footage and PC footage not xbox footage... lol

[Eonjay]

Doesn't this happen every year with COD though? And last year with Ass Creed. And this year with the Witcher 3 where CD stated that they literally couldn't show the PS4 version because of deals. I must admit I hate it when Microsoft does this and I hate it when Sony does it.

[NatureOfLogic_]

Yes, It does happen every year. It doesn't really work in MS's favor anymore though, because almost every game sells better on PS4 most of the time regardless of marketing rights. It's easy money for publishers I guess. Getting a nice check from MS to keep Xbox One relevant while selling better on PS4. Win win situation. I think MS relies on these deal a lot more too, because of their exigent focus on the holidays compared to the rest of the year.

[rainslacker]

It's not the check the publishers care about..if they get one at all. It's the tens of millions they save on marketing costs...which is like a check I guess.

The marketing campaign for a game can be equal to, or more, than the actual production costs of a game, so it makes a lot of business sense to have someone else market it for the advantage of both parties.

The marketing trickles over onto other platforms as well, but does typically benefit the platform that it's predominately advertised on, which is why these deals are so common.

I don't think it's a crappy practice, although it is somewhat deceptive to the casual onlooker.

[extermin8or]

I feel we should remember it does seem silly when they do this but there is a reason however. Microsoft were the ones that started this. Does concern me they might go chuck money at someone to buy up a 3rd party multiplatform title again like Tomb Raider to makeup for some perceived loss....

[nevin1]

Now that I learned about EA access, isn't this irrelevant to Xone owners considering they can play it 1st anyway?

Or am I missing something?

[n4rc]

pretty much...

just a marketing deal... battle for a casual consumer..

theyll all basically imply these games are exclusives and hope people believe it.. and many do..

as much as people love to exaggerate and debate ps4/x1, multiplats are all virtually identical for all intents and purposes.. doesnt matter which side got the deal, their trailers will show what youre getting as well

[NatureOfLogic_]

Lets not forget a possible beta, exclusive footage at major PS events such as E3 and exclusive content that will no doubt happen. I'm sure Sony is waiting for E3 to expose the full extent of this deal.

[RobLoPR]

I was thinking the same thing

[angelusbrz]

You're not the public aimed with those deals, they just want to take the casual crowd train, Star Wars is so 'Merica that it will be huge for Sony to have it.

you will have Sony PS4 ads with Star wars everywhere and it will pushed people like the Destiny deal.

[SoapShoes]

Well you have the choice between a version that will look/perform better and likely have exclusive content vs. one version that will be out 5 days early. Whoopie! Neither are big enough bullet points for anyone to care.

[NatureOfLogic_]

I'm almost sure there will be a beta that PS4 gamers get to play first.

[deadpoolio316]

I guess I mean if we want to pretend that EA access means anything...Since there have literally been ZERO games released on EA access before releasing anywhere else...Its irrelevant to even bother bringing up EA access, clearly its not considering you can already pre-order the game on PSN and get a free theme for doing so..

[Kingdomcome247]

Dragon Age and BF Hardline both were playable early through EA Access before being playable elsewhere.

[rainslacker]

If someone is an X1 owner, any marketing deal is irrelevant. EA may not be allowed to advertise outside the Xbox realm that it's available for early access on EAA.

What this deal does for the publisher is saves them tens of millions on marketing costs.

What it does for the console holder is that it makes it appear as if the game is only on that system, or at least implies it. That drives sales of the console, and with that, and the added software sales from the marketing, the console maker gains pretty big, because the practice does work.

So this holiday, while MS is advertising Halo, which is a title known amongst gamers, and popular with them, Sony will be pushing Star Wars like crazy alongside the movie's own marketing, and the perception going into the holidays is that Sony has a Star Wars game which will piggyback on the hype of the movie itself....which is going to become massive.

in the end, it's as n4rc says, it's a battle for the casual consumer(or holiday shopper), and this time, Sony really snagged a good one.

@dead

EAA wouldn't offer the game at release, but they do have their early access which lets people play a week early for a period of time. That could easily sway some extremely impatient people, but they would likely have to really look into this games release to find that information out.

[Keltech]

Let me point something out that wasn't mentioned or isn't mention when people talk about EA access and playing early. I just learned this from a Lvlcap video when he was playing Hardline. The early access is only for TEN hours. That mean you can play that in one seating or 102 minutes a day.

[Kingdomcome247]

True. That's enough to complete the campaign, though. In Hardline's case at least.

[Mkai28]

Isn't this game also being built with DX12 in mind aswell? So I hardly think when ppl say it will debut on Sony's E3 stage.

[kraenk12]

Why do you think this will matter anyway?! Sony's API is already on the level DX12 will get to on the X1.

[PlayableGamez]

To be fair, Battlefront was more of a PS game anyways even though it's a multiplat.

[BabyTownFrolics]

How so?

[mkis007]

It launched during the ps2 generation when everyone had ps2's.

[RiPPn]

That's usually how these deals work, not sure why this is news.

As for Sony getting the Battlefront deal, well when you are the market leader you get handed the deals first. And since the PS4 has over a 2:1 ratio of Worldwide consoles in peoples hands they are going to get the deals while Microsoft gets whatever Sony passes on. There's even rumor that CoD is moving to the PS4 this year.

So far Sony has Batman, Metal Gear, and Battlefront, they would probably even have Witcher if that deal wasn't inked 2 years ago.

[Father__Merrin]

Ea sided with Microsoft thinking xbox1 will be best console, Ea was wrong and have eaten crow big time.

Ea will likely support ps4 now

[MasterBaker]

You think that's how it works? Money talks in this industry. If you ask me, I think they could've easily made the deal, but they're probably gonna be pushing halo 5 and tombraider this holiday. Either way, it's a mutiplat so nobody loses.

[NatureOfLogic_]

Money does indeed talk. I think MS is paying for slight relevancy this gen. PS4 is already widely known as the must have console of the generation. MS is not making deals to win at this point. They just want to keep the Xbox name relevant in case they actually decide to make a another Xbox next generation, granted, it also helps the Xbox brand potential buyers and selling price.

[rainslacker]

I'm sure the deal was taken to both console makers and they both bid on it. Sony saw the advantage, and MS probably didn't bid too high because they have Halo this holiday to market, and that marketing campaign is already started, and likely to become huge going by historical trends.

[Dangiroud]

EA supported sony from day one, and even when ps3 was going through hell during its first two years, EA did not give up on them like they did with sega and nintendo.
No matter what we think about EA, they have a long, strong and special relationship with sony that won,t end any time soon.

[ilikepizza]

It's simple,sony has a dry year ahead of them so they will try to market games like batman,battlefront and mgs5 as exclusives. You'd be shock to find out how many people thought watchdogs and destiny were playstation exclusives.... The funny thing is battlefront will be on xbox one first and will sell more on xbox one just because it is dropping in novemeber and xbox always wins nov and dec with hardware and software. Sony needs to throws money to cover up the lack of titles they will have. Xbox doesnt need to promote battlefront as it will be very clear it's also on xbox one and they have halo dropping 2 weeks before it. It would be pointless to promote it. We can sit here and act like if microsoft wanted to buy out sony marketing deals they would and could,phil spencer has been taking a very high road with the xbox brand. Xbox could be very aggressive but they are being easy going and letting the games speak for themselves.

[Saleem101]

Lol dude stop it you sound foolish..

[buttcheeks]

That's funny coming from a Xbox guy when your triple a exclusives are literally ten months apart

[ilikepizza]

10 months apart lol,sony has still to recieve a decent game on ps4......EVER lol

killzone...pass
knack.....pass
infamous SS.....gamefly...pass
driveclub.....pass...i got forza
the order......redbox....return the same day...pass
bloodborne....pass...not my kind of game and if it was id get dark souls 2 but nah im good..pass

hmmmm when fall 2016 finally comes around and believe me uncharted will be delayed once again i wont even want that crap lol,im good with tomb raider dont need dude raider.

so.....yes im good with the way games are spaced out on xbox,i got forza horzion 2,halo and sunset last year. Rent from gamefly and play through ea access games till next fall,im good. What did you buy last year? little big planet? oh oh i know octodad? gtfo here lol. Sony fans are so worried about what xbox peeps are doing lol. I OWNED 2 PS4'S AND SOLD THEM,I DO NOT WANT THAT GARBAGE. People think they can bring up points like that will change my mind,end of the day you have no games i like and you sh*t for features,damn thing still has boot noises from ps3,worst battery life ever in a controller on top of being a crappy controller to begin with,the ps4 is just terrible,deal with it. Do i have to scan my receipts as proof?

Also yes it will be playable on xbox one first and its not just 10 hrs,you can trail 6-10 hours if you like the game you game you can purchase it and play the full game early. Battlefront another game i do not care for because i will focus on halo this fall will launch on xbox one first,deal with it. It must sting that ill play it before all you sony heads and i dont care about it,while you are all in your basements stroking yah light sabers lol

[deadpoolio316]

Its NOT dropping on Xbox first, jesus there have been ZERO games showing up through EA access before releasing ANYWHERE else....You can already pre-order the game through PSN....I seriously dont know where the hell you Xbox fanboys keep getting this EA access garbage from, Its literally done NOTHING for the Xbox people are already dropping it and there have again been ZERO early access releases. Every triple A release has still released at the same time on all platforms, so there goes that early access LIE

[YodaCracker]

You might want to check your facts because you are very, very wrong. Almost every EA game has been playable about 5 days early since EA Access started, and for free as part of your subscription. This has included Madden NFL 15, FIFA 15, Dragon Age: Inquisition, and just last month, Battlefield: Hardline. Hardline released on March 12 on EA Access as a free 10 hour trial and carried over your progress if you purchased the game when it released the following week.

So yes, Battlefront will indeed be playable early on Xbox One:

http://www.ign.com/articles...

http://www.eurogamer.net/ar...

http://www.gamespot.com/art...

http://www.gamesradar.com/s...

[Keltech]

You get to play for ten hours within those five days!

[rainslacker]

So you're saying that MS big exclusives this holiday will drive more sales than a Star Wars game releasing at the same time as a brand new star wars movie that people are excited about?

I'm sorry, but the hype Star Wars will have this holiday season given the circumstances will far outpace the hype of every exclusive released this year combined....from all the console manufacturers combined.

It won't matter who has it first, people will see that PS4 logo at the end of the commercial, and it will be ingrained in them. I wouldn't doubt that the game has two strong selling periods. Upon it's first release, and again after people go to see the movie(which will undoubtedly have a trailer for BF). Two seperate months, and the casual mainstream crowd will associate it with PS4. If Sony drops the price of the PS4 to match the X1 for the holiday, then they are going to dominate this holiday. SW has that much appeal.

I hate talking in absolutes when it comes to sales like this, but you'd be a fool not to be able to recognize how big this is for Sony.

It sucks for Xbox, which will likely do well this holiday, but that's just how these things work.

The title isn't coming first to Xbox either, it's coming first to EAA, which allows people to play it for a few hours a week early. The mainstream casual crowd this marketing will be targeted at will not know about that in enough quantity to be that significant.

[boing1]

I concur. You have to be a very ignorant person to disagree with your comment. Or a fanboy.

[Imalwaysright]

1- This is the the videogame industry, not the movie industry and Halo is FAR bigger and more influential than any Stars Wars game ever made.

2- Batllefront is a multiplatform game coming for 3 different platforms so yes, games like Halo 5 and Tomb Raider (also one of the big IPs of the videogame industry) being exclusive will most likely sell more MS consoles than a multiplatform game will sell Sony consoles. The only Sony game that would "fight on equal grounds" with those 2 would be GT.

[Leaguer]

"dry year..xbone selling more..xbone doesnt need promotion..pointless to promote..spencer high road..xbox easy going.."

posts like this from these xbone carebears just keeps getting dumber and dumber everyday.

[PistolsAtDawn]

Who cares, it's a primarily online game, meaning I'll be getting it for X1 no matter who markets the game more...just like why I was happier getting Destiny on X1 (even though it's bungie servers), and why TF2 will also be an X1 purchase for me. My hope is that with it coming out in November, that to some degree it supports DX12....I know it won't be built ground up for DX12, but if it's able to take SOME advantage of it that'd be awesome....imagine ray-tracing for a game like this!!!!

[Mkai28]

That's what I'm thinking, will the PS4 version be better even though some EA dev was touting about they want all their games to be DX12 compatible? Will the PS4 version be the lead platform for this game or any EA game for that matter from here on out? Yes ray tracing would be nice, and maybe some tiled resources.

But even if it was better on Xbox, the install base is still primary and PS4 has that.

[jhoward585]

I don't think this has anything to do with Sony or MS marketing deal with DICE/EA.

Remember, when MS used Sony's watch dog trailer and passing it off as their own.

Sony is not allowing that to happen again by putting their name on the trailer this time. I guess that why MS hide their SWBF trailer since they can't use sony's branded SW trailer.

[ZombieGamerMan]

War has changed, it's no longer about exclusives and quality games. War has changed and it's consumption of life is a well analyzed graph. War has changed, Companies use timed exclusive, exclusive marketing, and exclusive content. War has changed, the age of gaming libraries has become the age of exclusive deals all in the name of averting sales from the other. He who controls marketing, controls the market. War has changed, when the market is under total control, console war becomes routine.

[Gilgamesh15]

Doesn't the publisher kind of hurt themselves for not marketing the hell out of their game for all platforms?

[rainslacker]

Not really. They'll still get the sales on the other platforms, and in the mean time, the cost of marketing is shifted to another party so if the game flops(which it won't) they won't lose as much money.

This kind of marketing isn't targeted at people who care about platform as much as care about playing a particular game. In this case, it's going to be targeting the SW's fans, which will swell in numbers with the release of the new movie a month later.

[Spotie]

Not necessarily. If they've got potential for far more sales on one platform than others, it won't do that much damage.

[spoonard]

EA is learning from their mistakes it seems. Going with the team with the most consoles in the hands of consumers for marketing reason means that your marketing will reach more people. Seems like a solid bet.

[WESKER2015]

just checked official xbox page, they have actually taken it down, made it private, i have to admit, this shows a bit of dominance from sony here, damn, MS need to step up, i aint gonna damage control this, good move sony, the game will still be garbage though ;)

[Godmars290]

Might be a concession to get EA's pay service onto PSN. With that announcement being held for E3.

[mkis007]

My thoughts exactly. I am fairly certain that EA Access will be available on ps4 sometime before this game launches. I a lot of people who keep bringing the ability to play early up are going to be in for a rude awakening.

[Godmars290]

It wont be a good thing for gamers if it happens.

[Keltech]

I won't be getting it. Now that I know the early access is only 10 hrs..., It isn't worth it.

[quenomamen]

MS gets COD & Sony gets SWBF, think Sony maybe MS backed the wrong horse.

[DrumBeat]

MS seems to have done the same with Witcher 3, imo. I'm not even sure if I've seen PS4 game play of W3.

[jhoward585]

There is infact a deal happening, but I don't think it has anything to do with the marketing sides of things.

The reason I say that is because of the long term goal(10 years) EA/DICE has set out to push SWBF3.

It just isn't something that commonly happen for a long term investment deals. The simple marketing reveal that recently happened doesn't line up with the 10 years goal, considering that the game seems incomplete. They simply will spread the marketing apart because of that. It obviously that Dice/EA will release truck loads of DLC throughout the 10 years for SWBF.

[YodaCracker]

I feel like this was a very smart move by Sony. Battlefront will be a huge game this holiday season. This deal is especially important for Sony, with them having zero big AAA exclusives currently lined up for the holidays, while Microsoft has the big three - Halo, Tomb Raider, and Forza.

[Ikki_Phoenix]

tomb raider isnt exclusive
forza never sold as expected hell driveclub outsold both forza's

all its left is well...another halo

you forgot the new ratchet and clank
GG new IP called horizon
rime
wild
until dawn
and more

"quenomamen
MS gets COD & Sony gets SWBF, think Sony maybe MS backed the wrong horse"

huh...sony gets SWBF,MGS5 and batman arkham knight

[ScorpiusX]

Deal or no deal I Pre -Ordered my copy for Xbox one . (Beside i got Access so i get to play early )
just hope theirs a Collector bundle being made so i can get that instead.

[WizzroSupreme]

Call of Duty, Rainbow Six, Titanfall – they get mostly American audiences for an American console like Xbox. Star Wars, Batman, Metal Gear Solid V – mostly globally loved franchises for a global brand like Playstation. Makes sense to me.

[playstation4epic]

Just that the ps4 outsells the xbone in the US as well

[Ikki_Phoenix]

xbox fans brag about EA access all the time..did any EA titles despite that did anything good for xbox ?
cause all EA games so far sold way more on the ps4 so far without EA access

[lolosgolos]

EA Access also means digital purchases which has no proper tracking right now

[Gamer1982]

Gotta give it to Sonys marketing team though they are doing so well this generation which is the complete opposite of last generation where they were just terrible for advertising PS3. In fact if you all remember they fired there advertising firm and hired a new team and it seems the new team is pretty damn good at what they do.

[jhoward585]

WoW,I must be missing something here cause I don't see anything regarding a marketing deal between Sony/Dice/EA other than the ps4 SW bundle deal.

It just seems as though company nowadays looks for numbers and statistic more than anything else when it comes to marketing.

Last I checked, The PS4 has a greater install base than MS's gaming console. So, it quite obvious that the PS4 would be the primary System to show off SWBF. Last gen it was all about the 360 because of the install base it had, but this gen things have shifted.

Though, what is quite obvious to me is that EA wanted to bring out SWBF during the holiday b/c its the best time to make their money back.

Leasing the SW franchise to them wasn't cheap I bet. Thinking logically, they would've wanted to rack up the doe on all platforms considering the amount of money they spent to lease the SW franchise for 10 years. its a no brainier.

[KidKenobi]

The picture for this article is great haha

[TheCommentator]

Sith are way cooler than Jedi, even though they are less popular, because they have better powers. ;b

[Orionsangel]

You better hide it MS and give us that Rise of the Tomb Raider while you're at it. We want games on successful consoles.

[HmongAmerican]

I don't understand the hype surround Star Wars? Other then the movies the games sux.

[Bladesfist]

KOTOR was awesome

[S2Killinit]

"Hide" it? Wouldnt publishing it in the first place put MS in violation of the contract between EA and Playstation? Or if it was supplied to MS by EA itself, place EA in breach of its contract with Plastation?

[Lockon]

Love how EA thought the Xbone was gonna be doing alot better than PS4 and decided to give them BF4 marketing rights after Battlefield has always been more popular on PlayStation while Xbox had CoD.
This year they wanna come running back.

[lolosgolos]

MS should save some money on the 3rd party marketing and support their Halo 5 exclusive to the fullest.

[Dr_Angus]

Yes, 343 and the other 20 outsourced developers will need as much money they can get.

[DillyDilly]

It is kind of odd that EA would choose not to advertise PLAY IT FIRST. Through EA Access. Something the PS4 can not do. Do they not want people knowing they can do that ? Thus losing more money ?

[corroios]

Losing money! Lol. This is for All who dont think That Sales doesnt matter! Sony is crushing Microsoft in sales and by the time the game is out it Will be even bigger, so its really easy to understand.

[crazytechfanatic]

My answer to this entire fad article - SO?

This isn't the first time, and certainly not the last time that a game has shown console owing to marketing partnerships.

What is the point of this entire article?

[maybelovehate]

Interesting. I will probably still get this on Xbox though. As much as I love my PS4, I hate the controller. Wish they could make the X1 controller work on the PS4.

[Artemidorus]

I wouldn't buy it on Xbox, 720p and cannot provide 100% 60fps.

Focus on Playstation 4 and beyond.