Losing platform exclusives is no concern for Microsoft

MMGN.com: "Yesterday, EA announced the Mass Effect Trilogy for the Xbox 360, PC and PS3, marking the first time the original Mass Effect, released nearly five years ago in 2007, will be made available for Playstation 3 owners.

While everyone is excited for the compilation, the trilogy’s release arguably further indicates that Microsoft are not only no longer interested in securing or creating new platform exclusives (outside of Kinect or XBLA), but also in keeping existing properties they themselves published from being lost to competitors.

The fact that the original Mass Effect was a Microsoft Studios-published game and is now jumping ship to their primary competitor’s console is just embarrassing. If Microsoft can’t or won’t bother to create new exclusives, then they could theoretically at least make an effort to keep their existing ones that they themselves published from being lost to competitors... right?"

[RmanX1000]

Im sorry but Microsoft does need SOME exclusives other than Halo or Gears. Any other exclusive is lost to obscurity. Anyone remember Blinx?

[AnotherProGamer]

man I love Blinx! I would buy a 360 right now for a new blinx game.

[darthv72]

the only "real" exclusives are those made by the 1st party (parent company) or 2nd party (division of the parent company).

3rd party exclusives are there due to contracts relating to financial agreement. AKA: paying for them. That can be in the form of funding the development of the game in exchange for publishing rights.

Or agreements that allow one platform to receive a copy prior to any other platform. AKA: timed release.

The argument of which company does or does not pay for exclusives is pointless. Nintendo cares about their own software ever since the early 90's when a bunch of companies sued them for creative control.

Basically, that meant Nintendo could not retain all rights to the release of a game and prohibit the developers from releasing a version on a competing platform. Since then, Nintendo has always been about their own in house development.

Sony was the same way. Remember, Sony was new to the console market and their only efforts were through the Sony imagesoft software division. So yeah, they paid and paid lots of $$$ to get games and eventually game developers as 1st and 2nd parties.

MS on the other hand has no problem with throwing $$ around to get results. They may have a few 1st/2nd parties but they know that the easiest way to cash in on their game investment is by making deals for content. This is not a new thing yet some people seem to find this offensive.

This is an industry where anything can happen. I mean, I never expected Sega to bow out like they did but...they did. If the developer is a small company then they depend on a larger company to fund the game.

EA has funded many games in the past and then became a sort of 'buy up the little guy' if they felt their product and team was worth the investment. Sony, the same thing.

So I dont know which is more evil in the public eye. A company like MS buying a piece of the pie that is shared with everyone else. Or Sony buying the whole pie and only sharing it with themselves.

If you are the pie maker it probably doesnt matter as you are still getting $$ for the pie. It should matter if you are now obligated to make pies only for one then there would be more pressure on you and if they dont like them. You are let go.

Sad that many smaller developer studios have closed that were once part of a bigger company. They could have had a chance of staying open if their product had gotten in the hands of more people. Oh well...

[guitarded77]

@ darthv72

Well said. MS's strategy is making them money, and I don't see them moving away from it anytime soon. I really hope it ends up biting them in the ass so they will make more exclusive core titles, but it won't happen this gen for the reasons you stated.

[LOOK_AT_THIS_I]

If they wanted a huge selling point for next gen they might as well buy off call of duty. I've got about 10 guys on my list who play nothing but cod. They buy other games a d they collect dust or sit wrapped. I'm sure those guys would jump ship if cod was only to hit he Xbox. It might as well with he way they screw the ps3 user base. I'm sure ms would make their money back on hardware sales by dropping even more money to them for sole exclusive rights.

[BISHOP-BRASIL]

@darthv72

Actually a game made by a division of the parent company is still a first party, as the relation parent-division implies, the parent company own everything within the game as the developer studio (and what it makes) is also owned by them.

A second party would be a game made by an unrelated developer company under a contract with the console parent company. Being so that the ownership of assets is either shared or negociated.

Usually this parent company offers funding in exchange for the IP rights of the project the developer presents.

Sometimes the console company already hold the IP or have the project but lacks the developement team to work in it, than a thrid party developer is called to get the game done under a contract, in this case I'm not sure if it's second party or a kind of outsourced first Party.

One easy way to differentiate from third party exclusives, although they may be paid for, no assets of the game are owned by the console company (at least not beyond, maybe, publishing rights) and the game may be made multiplatform if the developer or publisher decides to (again, depending on who is the publisher).

[starchild]

I personally dislike exclusives. I don't believe our industry will mature until we get past all the division.

Imagine if we had to buy 7 different brands of dvd player just to watch all our favorite movies. Insane. Well, this is the reality we live with in gaming.

The PC is my main platform and there are many games I can only play on the PC. But then there are games on the 360 and PS3 and Wii and Vita and PSP and 3DS--whew!--that I also enjoy and can only play on one of those platforms.

I'm sick of having to buy so many systems just to enjoy all my favorite games. I want to play Assassin's Creed Liberation, for example, but I don't want to have to buy a Vita just to play that game and maybe a couple others.

I've basically resigned myself to the fact that I will miss some of the games that might have otherwise been my favorites simply because I don't want to buy every system every generation.

I think that next generation I will stick with my PC and only one other console.

[EVILDEAD360]

The first Mass Effect going Multi over 5 years later is not going to hurt the 360 at all.

The game had it's time, made it's money, built up the fanbase and will still be selling on 360 with the new compilation in November.

But I think it's a good thing for EA and MS to let this finally get to all the consoles. There really isnt a major incentive to hold it back.

I own em' all and still would love to pick it up if it included all the DLC.

But, with it coming on the 6th, the day H4 arrives I honestly doubt too many 360 fans are going to notice.

Evil

[pixelsword]

Well, I don't own any of them, and I really liked the heard mode from ME 3, so I might just buy this for the 360 when it comes out, of if they put it all on one disc, I'll get it for the PS3 because Mass Effect, Dust 514, and the DC Universe Online I'm getting into, that thing will probably be in my PS3 for the entire year of 2013.

[DigitalRaptor]

Starchild... It's as though you've only just realised that exclusives exist?

They've been there since the dawn of console gaming and will continue as long as the companies continue to support their own consoles. You don't like them enough to justify? Starfox, Metroid, Kirby, DK, Zelda, Mario, F-Zero for Nintendo. Halo, Gears of War, Forza for Microsoft. Uncharted, LBP, Ratchet, Ico, Sly Cooper, Jak, God of War, Gran Turismo, The Last of Us for Sony. PC is a platform that I love too for its own merits, but you can't get out of the brilliance of a console's exclusives either.

And these kind of games are never going multiplatform as long as they are supporting their investments.

"Imagine if we had to buy 7 different brands of dvd player just to watch all our favorite movies. Insane. Well, this is the reality we live with in gaming."

DVDs are a universal distribution standard for movies. You don't see Warner Bros or LionsGate making their own DVD players because it's not feasible, and if all it's doing is playing a movie, then there's literally no point.

With games consoles and handhelds, they are completely different, especially each generation, with different input types and interface etc, that having one console is not feasible in the slightest. Not to mention that rival companies have their own consoles to make business and adapt to a culture. You just can't shrug off what has been standard for entire generations.

And I don't believe our industry will mature until developers go beyond their comfort zone and create something that is both challenging for them to create and inspiring and new to audiences. This has to happen more often and the mainstream has to promote it if gaming is to mature. I'm sick of seeing Call of Duty at the forefront of mainstream gaming.

[Bigpappy]

This article feeds in to the Narrative that is used heavily here on N4G by the PS3 base. The truth is, Console makers all only have a few successful exclusive IP's. Nintendo has Mario and Zelda. Sony has Kill GT, Uncharted and GOW. M$ has Halo, Gears and Forza. Yes they all have other exclusives, but these are the games that can be call 'system sellers'.

From my experience of over 20 years of gaming, I find that once a systems have established a fanbase, it has to do with innovation with new and better experiences, to keep the base and draw new customers. These can be new top tier IP's, or new feature built in or added to the console. New IP's do not need to be 1st party to be exclusive (Blue Dragon).

M$ will do, next gen, what is did this gen. It will have the first party (Halo, Gears, Forza, Kinect...), but it will also scout and publish promising 2nd and 3rd party games as exclusives. Then it will have exclusive feature added to other hot 3rd party games to differentiate the experience from that of the other consoles. If comparisons in the media and among gamers, show the hot games performing better on one console over the other, that could be big in moving some gamers in either direction.

I assure you MY will have plenty of exclusives, they just wouldn't be 1st party. But they will focus heavily of making the gaming experience on Xbox next, have features that will be exclusive to their console.

[shutUpAndTakeMyMoney]

"According to the company, owners now spend more time watching TV and listening to music through the console than playing games with it. The average household now use the Xbox for 84 hours per month and the majority now goes to movies and videos, said Microsoft's Yusuf Mehdi."
http://www.tomsguide.com/us...

It's a entertainment hub but it can play games also. This is how MS sees xbox. I think games for them is a becoming only a partial interest.

They won't spend money on new Ip's because it cost more money and takes less effort when using a third party. Also they can write infinite checks.

I am so buying a ps4.

[Aceman18]

i use my cable for my entertainment purposes that's what its there for. my gaming console is first and foremost a gaming console with the occasional view of netflix, and movies.

[stuna1]

But do you really think that that would really be the case if Microsoft funded more 1st party studios with unique fresh ips? I think not! I think most people bought their consoles for gaming, with the media hub aspects being secondary! Don't get me wrong the Halos Gears and Forsas sell consoles and all, but people would be crazy to think that the xbox 360 fanbase doesn't want 1st party exclusive titles only available to their consoles. Also it's not like Microsoft isn't pushing this media hub idea.

[killerhog]

Ms and a lot of people are failing to realize, that the "core" are the ones who buy their newer product on release for a higher price, compared to those who wait for price drops or cheaper products (casual). Ms is abandoning their core and they were the ones who made Xbox what it is now, but now they are left feeling abandoned and questioning their purchase. The core is what kept Sony afloat when the ps3 released, the core is what Nintendo wants to ensnare for those day one Nintendo wiiU purchases. I find what ms is doing quite dumb so close to this generations end and the start of a new one. People who buy consoles buy them for games with everything else being second. That's why I bought my ps3 for games, didn't matter if it played Blu-ray or streamed content. I use my pc to stream/browse the web,, i hook up my iPod to my Logitech stereo etc.. The fact that most people already own a 360 or ps3 as an "entertainment system" means they wont be in a hurry to buy the new product, so it's left to the core to do so.

[AngelicIceDiamond]

@Money Right so its the consumers fault for the lack of exclusives. MS saw this and capitalized on it.

Remember when Sony was pursuing what MS has done now with there console, Sony was the first one who wanted music and movies/TV on there console.

Sony wasn't successful at first so they focused on the games. and while implementing entertainment services at the same time.

Well according to the rumors MS has been making next gen games since 2010. So I suspect that has something to do with the lack of new ip's.

[WeskerChildReborned]

Agreed, all i see is Forza, Gears, Halo and some Kinect titles, we need more exclusives!

[ItsTrue]

Correction, "need" should become 'want'.

[subtenko]

This is why PlayStation is my preferred console for gaming. I can always count on a more plentiful amount of exclusives and new IPs every year. Plus the developers are just fantastic with devs like Media Molecule, Naughty Dog, etc.

Xbox360 became my secondary console of gaming this gen, but I think next gen it may become third. Only time will tell.

[palaeomerus]

I got rid of my PS3. The exclusives were usually overhyped and turned out to be pretty forgettable and mediocre. Uncharted was good though. The rest...meh. I got tired of God of War by the 3rd one.

Multi-plats were the big thing this gen. It's probably why exclusives have been dwindling except for a few titles. They just don't compete well with the big AAA multiplats.

[srcBFMVBMTH]

@palaeomerus

"The exclusives were usually overhyped and turned out to be pretty forgettable and mediocre."

That's EXACTLY how I felt about most 360 games that came out. lol

When Gears of War was first released however. I REALLY did enjoy it's multiplayer. But other than that. Their catalog was a big giant MEH :/ Especially considering that all they have been pushing out is Kinect shovel ware these days. -___-

Each to his own I guess.
PS4 and Wii U for me next gen.

[VsAssassin]

@palaeomerus,
I'd rather have new IPs every year than only 3 sell-out titles over and over. Some new IPs aren't all that very excellent, but at least risking to launch new IPs bring potential new series. But how about focusing on a few, yearly exclusives and over time they get stale? This is why, in the long run, Sony will still prosper. And it's not like Sony is not earning from thrid party titles; They're just not over-investing on them. They invest on new IPs!

[MorbidPorpoise]

Loved Blinx, do miss Amped (Hated 3), Rallisport, Brute Force, Mech Assault and PGR... Lets not forget Rares back catalogue, as long as they arent kinect only games :P

They have enough franchises, they just need to actually use them in good ways.

[srcBFMVBMTH]

Agreed, Microsoft DO have SOME good IP's, but they don't really use them.

And considering how hard they are pushing for Kinect titles these days and how well Kinect is selling. Those IP's won't really matter to them.

With them wanting the Xbox to be a media hub and all instead of a games' console. I wouldn't be surprised if the majority of their launch titles ARE KINECT.

[MYSTERIO360]

Loved Brute force and Mech assault on the first xbox although they weren't advertised at all they were great. I would definitely consider getting back a 360 if those titles became available.

[Aceman18]

they've made my decision to not purchase their new console very easy. i generally buy consoles that define them, but when you keep releasing the same 3-4 that i have no interest well i won't have any interest in your console.

I'll just keep my 360 and purchase any old game(s) i didn't play for super cheap.

[ceedubya9]

Well, we don't know much about the new console yet, or what new games will be available for it. Now that Microsoft is a power player, we may find that they are willing to take a few more risks with the next console and may fund more exclusive core games.

[Knight_Crawler]

I said this the other day that a inside Nintendo source told me that Alan Wake 2 will be on the Wii U and I got diasrees for saying that.

Alan Wake 1 did not make MS Halo or Gears numbers so they are not intrested in publishing Alan Wake 2 so Nintendo is trying to work out a deal with Remedy.

[doogiebear]

It seems like gaming in general, is of little concern to Microsoft lately. All they care about is barely responsive Kinect games and Aps.

[stuna1]

And money! And that is not even a dig at Microsoft.

The truth of the matter is Microsoft is going to go where they think the money is! Case in point the "Casual" market is lucrative as far as there being money to make! It's just not sustainable in the gaming market, perfect example is the WII. It sold boatload, but the game attach ratio was way off.

Guaranteed that if the casual market dried up over-night, we all would see microsoft going in a totally different direction.

[SilentNegotiator]

They'll regret it next-gen. It definitely didn't help Sony that they let so many games slide between the end of 6th and this gen.

[aquamala]

How is mass effect 1 an exclusive when it's also on PC?

[RmanX1000]

And who created the OS that PCs generally run? Microsoft.

[UnwanteDreamz]

That was stupid. OS is software smartguy. Console refers to hardware. Exclusive in this case refers to hardware the software can be played on.

[ALLWRONG]

I don't know why people say the 360 has "no exclusives" when in reality (real world) it has more, in every category.

^^^fact^^^

[J_Cob]

Not hating but you should back up your comment with facts instead of just writing fact.

[ALLWRONG]

https://www.google.com/ There you go. Try 360/PS3 Wiki.

I challenge anyone to prove me wrong. I'm going to assume you wont be back after you get the facts.

Are you scared to be wrong?

[J_Cob]

LMGTFY.com is your friend. You could also, you know, just link the 360/PS3 wiki pages.

[IAmLee]

i don't even have to comment with some form of witty reply, all I have to do is tell you to look at your username and look at what you wrote. Kinda' ironic don't you think?

[showtimefolks]

All I now is this we supported MS early on and they were all about core experience just watch E3 from 2006 or 2007 and they keep saying core gaming this and core gaming that and now kinect this and kinect that. I do believe with Nintendo jumping not HD both Sony and ms will loose some fan base like those who only buy one system per gen may pick wiiu before ps4 or xbox720 is even released.

Also many people I know and around gaming sites are kind of pissed at MS for turning their backs on core gamers so whether you want to admit it or not they will loose a lot of people and potential buyers because of that

One thing in gaming community with core gamers which goes without saying is when people make up their mind about someone it stays for a long time. So IMO MS saw wii and casual gamers and forgot abut core gamers and with next gen they will crawl back to us. What's truely sad is Sony stayed with core gamers and either sold neck and neck or outsold xbox360 since than.

I don't think gets this business. They are the WCW of gaming where they want to run their competition out of business while they may hit big for a little bit but in the long run they will loose more often.

I know for me personally it's ps4 and wiiu. I love Sony exclusive content and the fact we will be able to play Nintendo exclusives in HD has me sold already.

I am a 2 system per gen and even than one system collects dustwth job and family it's hard finding time for long gaming hrs.

[cedaridge]

AGREE! Most ppl here our fooling themselves to think Exclusives don't matter to Microsoft. Let the Gears of War series come to ps3, folks on here that say ''Microsoft already Beat Sony" would be utterly SICK if that was to happen. "EXCLUSIVES Don't Matter to Microsoft YEA RIGHT!" LOL psn: cedaridge

[otherZinc]

This article is written for the stupid.

SONY has lost GTA & MGS. Mass Effect is great but ME1 is 5 years old & well played. I beat ME1 6 times! Good for the PS3 owners that get an opportunity to experience a most fantastic game instead of a comic.

PS3 owners what exclusives are so great: MAG, SOCOM, PS3 Allstars, Resistance, MotorStorm, LBP Cart, Folklore, Heavenly Sword, Warhawk 2 what, seriously...what? Those titles aren't great! GoWar, Uncharted, GT is it, period. Nothing else moves the needle at the cash register. Killzone tries very hard but that 60+mill SONY spent on that underselling Killzone 2 wasn't worth it to their bottom line!

Also, replay value. After I beat Killzone, Uncharted, Gow on my PS3, its over. Theres online & make believe co-op but it doesnt compare to the 360 replay value & especially co-op.

SONY is throwing a bunch of S*** at the wall hoping something sticks like Halo! SONY doesnt have a Halo or Gears, if they did they'd cut all these projects that combined cant outsell Gears of War 3!

343 Industries is the most expensive exclusive studio to date! Its a money maker with a massive following. M$ invested in a money maker.

Nintendo has Mario, money maker, huge following.

SONY has absolutely nothing to compare to those 2. So, SONY must continue to throw S*** at the wall to create such a Character/Title, right now they have nothing.

Also, what PS3 owner is excited about this holidays line-up of PS3 Titles: LBP Kart, PS3 Allstars, & remake compilations? I'm not. I'd rather have Halo 4 & Forza Horizon.

Keep trying...

[Deathdeliverer]

So what you're saying as a "GAMER" is that you would rather have two or three excellent SELLING games a year, than a list of FUN, and NEW titles that all sell well? No one can be mad at microsofts focus on being a media hub, because people like you help them lose focus on REAL GAMES. I have this issue where I get all consoles because I want to be in ALL the good exclusive stuff. I don't play sales, I play fun games. How can I justify my day one 360 purchase, when I get shit on year after year with less to play exclusively? All that talk about Gears being published by MS$ so it will never be on PS3 has just gone out the window. Thats what happens when the checks stop coming. The 360 has got to be your first and possibly only console. There is NO WAY a gamer that has been around since at least PS1 or Sega Saturn would settle for such a a small list of actual playable fun exclusives. (I've been playing since Atari btw) I guess the same way the quality of music declines with time, so does the quality of gamer if you are anything to go by.

[PirateThom]

Are we still pretending exclusives don't matter?

[Carl_Shocker]

Looks like it even though back shortly after the PS3s launch people were laughing that "Sony had no games"...now that they've done it better then MS those same types of gamers are saying it dosen't matter.

Fact is...it does and thats because it shows a gamer how much the company cares about you as a core gamer and how much their willing to support their console.

[Tyrus_91]

Did you guys read the article? My opinion is that exclusives matter and that Microsoft's lack of care for creating new IPs in-house or facilitating new IPs with second or third-party devs, as well as keeping existing ones that they themselves published (such as Mass Effect 1 and Ninja Gaiden II) from jumping ship to their primary competitor, the PS3, is embarrassing and concerning.

[CommonSenseGamer]

"Embarrassing"? Really?

How much more revenue will MS earn from a now 5 year old game by allowing it for sale on another platform? Remember, software is where the REAL money is, not hardware.

I really hope MS and Sony come up with a single console next gen as having to buy multple devices is a pain for consumers and developing for multiple devices is more expensive fo developers.

[UnwanteDreamz]

Monopolys are supposed to be a bad thing people. Imagine only being able to buy food or clothes at one place. Without choices consumers get screwed.

Very simple concept. No competition would be the death of gaming. Please rethink your stance and add more common sense, gamer.

[EVILDEAD360]

@ Pirate Thom

Are YOU pretending that ANYONE says exclusives don't matter?

Are people pretending they read the article which the title changed to incite flame?

But, lets say you did read it..

Are you pretending the original Mass Effect
DOES matter now that two have already gone multi-plat?

Exclusives matter, which is why the 360 has done as well as it has this gen. Mass Effect has and still will always be on the 360.

Evil

[yesmynameissumo]

Yes Tom, we are. Now, of course, this is only in regard to Microsoft. Nintendo and Sony are doomed to share a bunk with Hitler in hell if they lose exclusives. Microsoft for some reason is above it by having the same games everyone else does besides Halo, Gears and Forza. I'd say Fable too, but the games simply decline with each release.

[HarryMasonHerpderp]

Guys read the article.

I never thought the PS3 would get the original Mass Effect in a million years.
Seems that Microsoft don't even care anymore.
Maybe they have some big IPs ready for next gen. Maybe not. We will have to wait and see.

[LAZL0-Panaflex]

When cable companies stream there wont be exclusives anymore.....probably consoles neither....ps5 and xbox 4 wii 3....what i meant

[DeadlyFire]

They have one new one I believe. We will have to wait and see if its Kinectable or not. That is my main concern.

[Shadonic]

Well if you think about it there has been a lot of info about xbox exclusive studios creating games for next gen games. Plus theres the free to play games being developed for 360 that i belive are exclusive. Either way this article does have some truths to it. Hopefully they will come around next year. I'm going for the next gen scenerio though, theres a lot pushing towards that scenerio where MS will announce new IP's to go along with Halo 5 and probably they will bring that fortnite game from epic to the next xbox.

[Statix]

Cool, I didn't even know they were bringing Mass Effect 1 to PS3. From a lot of people I've talked to, that is the best game in the Mass Effect series, so I look forward to playing it.

[chuckyj1]

Wow...a game that came out what 5 years ago is jumping ship? Maybe MS just wanted cash amd got a settlement from EA...Owning an exclusive 1 game in a series of 3 isn't a major coup....

Developing exclusives or new IPs this late in a consoles life cycle doesn't make good business sense. The 360 maybe has about a year left.

If MS is further expanding the works of Rare or creating exclusives for the 720 they would be much better served then trying a new IP at the end of a consoles life cycle.

So let's wait and see until E3 shall we.

[theclaw]

People always happen to "forget" that MS did not publish the PC version. A proverbial elephant in the room even MS's own statement didn't address.

[chuckyj1]

My point is wheather or not if Mass Effect 1 went multi-plat at this point in time doesn't matter. Mass Effect 1 available on the PS3 isn't going to get anyone at this point in time going to change their mind on way or another.

Me personally I own 360 and PS3 I play games not consoles....

Just saying everyone is acting like it's a huge deal....and it's not..

[from the beach]

Well first off, you shouldn't be presenting that headline in such a way that it can be misinterpreted as a quote.

I think that if MS doesn't care about Mass Effect no longer being an exclusive it's because it has been for five years - resulting in a bizarre situation where PlayStation (and Wii U) gamers got a story-heavy, choices-led series missing the first instalment. It's good news all round that Mass Effect is now multiplatform in its entirety.

[the new king 74]

why would microsoft worry about exclusives after this generation? Microsoft beat Sony with less than 10(being generous)exclusives. This is not the ps2 days anymore where exclusives decided a consoles sales. Multiplats had a larger impact than exclusives this Gen. Going forward i don't think exclusives will impact next Gen either

[zebramocha]

I've been to wiki to see how many consoles they both sold,Ms at 67 mil,Sony at 63 mil,if these numbers are right than Ms didn't beat Sony,even with a year head start the difference in units sold is not much.

[ClimateKaren]

Actually exclusives are a big part of what helped the 360 get such a strong head-start. Exclusives are a major characteristic of a console's library that makes it totally unique from its competitors.

If the Wii-U is going to be able to hang with the next iterations of the Xbox and Playstation (which will remain to be seen for some time), then exclusives are going to matter more than ever. With most of the great ones belonging to Nintendo and Sony platforms, MS would do well to start showing a renewed interest in them.

[jetlian]

exclusives didnt do much last gen either. People act like sony was a AAA developer back then. Best series from them is GT everything else was 3 million on down.

Crash bandicoot was high for a little bit during ps1 but that was when ND wasnt part of sony. Gow came out at the end of last gen and thats sony 3rd best exclusive series. Uncharted is 2nd best and it came out this gen.

Sony success came from 3rd party devs. Sony had 1 year GTA time exclusives That helped them. they had full blown japanese support last gen. DMC,TEKKEN,VF,RRacer,ace combat,mgs etc.

Alot of those series went MP this gen and sony couldnt cope. Alot of it had to do with japan not taking online seriously. Thats why their so far behind

[MrBeatdown]

Remember that commercial that featured Halo 3, BioShock, and Mass Effect 3 from 2007? Remember how Dead Rising, Saints Row, Gears, Lost Planet, and Crackdown were some of the real standouts during the 360's earlier years? Remember how MS put a huge emphasis on taking away Sony's biggest exclusives? Anybody remember MS's E3 GTA4, Rising, and Final Fantasy announcements?

Exclusives were HUGE this generation.

Today, there's less of an emphasis because there are so many third-party games, and the type of gamer who really cares about them has already bought the consoles for games they were interested in.

But when next-gen comes along, and game libraries are small, exclusives will play a much bigger role than they do today.

Odds are we won't see major gaps in hardware features, pricing, and launch dates between the next Xbox and PlayStation. That would make exclusives an even greater differentiating feature.

[TongkatAli]

Remind me why people want PlayStation dead ? I'm buying this day one for PS3. My 360 will have Halo 4.

[Jazz4108]

Anyone that truly wanted to play masseffect one in the last five years has and ms allready damaged sonys chance of picking up more when they had to put a cartoon in place. The fact is this does not matter now and will barley make a bleep in sales. If I was ms and tbe money was right then why not? Masseffect will be multi from here out and masseffect 1 effectiveness time has long passed. Stupid article.

[Smootherkuzz]

Who cares? Xbox or PS they both have great games and most games are released on both consoles anyway. if It means that much then just own both consoles.Titles that use Kinect like Mass Effect,Forza,Madden etc. can be played without Kinect plugged in so I don't understand why there's misunderstanding about that, sometimes I use it sometimes I don't.All I what say is keep the games coming.

[Godmars290]

When devs aren't looking to develop a console's hardware, exploit one platform, what's the point?

[ChunkyLover53]

Never did Biorware ever say Mass Effect would never go to another platform. Once EA bought out Bioware I figured it was only a matter of time before it went to other consoles.

Its not the same situation with Gears Of War or Alan Wake, which have seen both of those companies come right out and say those games will never appear on a Sony platform.

Microsoft actually owns plenty of IP's if they ever want to put out something exclusive, they also have over 20 studios now, most of which are working on next generation games. I think had Bioware not sold out to EA, Mass Effect would probably still be exclusive, just like Jade Empire and KOTOR were exclusive to the Xbox last generation.

Not that I blame EA for trying to get as much money as possible out of the Mass Effect franchise. As for as this generation is concerned, its pretty much over and it is what it is. Honestly, I bought an Xbox 360 for Gears Of War and Halo, and I've not been disappointed. I'm looking forward to seeing what they have to offer on the 720.

[Gridloc]

Name the 20 studios and the games they are working on. Of those 20 studios how many are making Kinect games? How many are new IP's versus new studios making games from old IP's ie Halo,Forza, Gears of war and Fable. People forget Sony is supporting 3 pieces of hardware, and seem to put out a ton of new IP's. I am awaiting your response.

[Ben_Grimm]

Why ask Chunky to name the 20 studios and the game they are working on. How is that relevant?

MS has put out multiple job offers for engineers to their studios for upcoming next gen titles.

And why can't the Kinect titles count as exclusives?

People forget that MS came out the gate strong with a huge amount of exclusives and are now winding down while Sony has been opposite, they started off weak and lately now ramping up with games but a "ton" of new IP's, come on now.

it's no secret that the 360 is nearing the end of it's cycle. Just like what we have seen with the Wii, there won't be any major new IP's from the company.

[Clarence]

Sure they don't. Thats why they keep making halo and forza every year, and paying for exclusive timed content.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

look... this is not as cut and dry and some would think. MS had Mass Effect on lock down for 5 years. I repeat 5 yrs. How many will really care about getting this trilogy edition? The damage was done on this trilogy long ago for the exclusive side of things. For all the huffing and puffing Mass Effect as a trilogy is by in large looked upon as a 360 series. Sales reflect that. Now after the 3 games have all been released and those that really wanted to play the games have done so.... Sales on this box trilogy will not be earth shaking regardless of platform.

MS allowing the original to go multiplat is probably more of a strategic move from MS toward EA than anything. Clearly EA has aligned with Sony in the 2nd half of this gen when it comes to shooters to counter act what MS did with Activision. My guess is MS wants to get back in bed with EA for the next gen so they needed to toss EA some bones... this was an easy choice.

[Imalwaysright]

LMAO the whole trilogy has always been multiplatform. Mass Effect 1, 2 and 3 playable on the 360 AND PC. Mass Effect 2 and 3 playable on PS3 with ME1 just announced for it and if im not mistaken ME3 was also announced for the Wii U. How in the hell is Mass Effect "large looked upon as a 360 series"? It never was a 360 exclusive to begin with, not even the original.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

Yes, yes it was on PC... but sales clearly show this game thrived on 360 on all 3 games.

[baodeus]

Then why are people on here busting ms for not keeping exclusive when it wasnt in the 1st place?

[Imalwaysright]

@ baodeus Its clear that MS haters just want to make MS look bad. MS lost nothing but fanboys want to make it look that they did. I personally dont take fanboys seriously and dont give a crap about what they say. I appreciate the fact that MS published the original Mass Effect and because of it i got to play 3 great games.

[nchizimbi]

NO, the loss of Mass Effect isn't indicative of Microsoft’s lack of care for exclusives. There's so much we don't know that goes behind the scenes in the games industry. I'm sure some serious business talks happened between Microsoft and Electronic Arts about the original Mass Effect when Bioware was bought... they must have agreed on a timed console exclusivity before Electronic Arts could acquire the rights of the original.

Whatever the case, Microsoft can't afford to go to war with EA on keeping Mass Effect to themselves,... Mass Effect is EA's product. Besides, EA being a multiform company, the Xbox 360 needs them. You always have to play nice with third-party companies. For these two companies to go to war, we could see cases of EA favoring development on the competing platforms.

[ClimateKaren]

"NO, the loss of Mass Effect isn't indicative of Microsoft’s lack of care for exclusives. There's so much we don't know that goes behind the scenes in the games industry."

Ah, but you know those things, don't you.

[nchizimbi]

No, I don't know "those things"... this is all speculation of what I THINK probably went down and BELIEVE it has nothing to do with Microsoft's lack of care for exclusives.

Microsoft lost the rights to Mass Effect when Bioware got bought. The only thing Microsoft could claim (excluding the two future installments) was the Mass Effect 1 title; besides, they funded the development and marketed it... Microsoft needed their investment to pay off for a timed exclusive, which I am certain they agreed with Electronic Arts.

This is what I THINK.

[ConstipatedGorilla]

I'm more of a 360 fan, but I will admit that their amount of exclusives are weak. Halo, Gears, Forza, and Fable are the only ones that come to mind. Crackdown too, but it doesn't look like they're interested in making anymore of those. With all the money MS has, you'd think they'd make at least a few more.

[Allsystemgamer]

While their exclusives are great I do agree they are not system sellers unless they are your favorite franchise. I mean the only reason I have a 360 is halo. Plain and simple.

If m$ bought cod it would be a system seller for sure. I may not like cod but it definitely sells.

[MySwordIsHeavenly]

Why SHOULD they care? People are still buying 360's for some reason...

They don't even have to release that many games! People just buy the things! Lol. I don't understand it, but people do it!

[KMCROC]

It's this word, what's the word Oh it's Preference.

[baodeus]

and that is why Sony are having such a hard time This Gen catering to the so call hardcore.
1. they want tones of exclusive not to mention lots of variety, constantly innovating or evolving, etc
2. They refuse to pay for online to help Sony make the service better. they only support PS+ because it give them discount and free games instead of buying them new (when Sony could have reap more benefit then) when those games were released like years ago.
3. When Sony want to expand to the casual market with the Move to make more money, the hard core only want "hard core games" while chanting to the "motion gaming are fad /gimmick" anthem.
4. when ever 3rd party games go multiplatform,previously exclusive to and define PSs brand previous gens like DMC, FF, GTA, they threaten developers, boycotting the product, etc...how would that help Sony to keep good support from 3rd party developers?

Now look on the Xbox and wii side, people just buy games or pay for services SIMPLY because they enjoy those games and they just like it. They dont need a reason or make demand before they buy them.

I feel sorry for Sony to have to put up with such demanding fan during this economy crisis time no less. It is about time that u fanatics rethink how u go about to support Sony like u said u would? u can start by realizing that Sony is a business company and not a charity organization.

[Ben_Grimm]

You know what I love about pcp3gamer's post?

Is that he thinks Baodeus is a 360 fanboy. Oh the irony and casualty of these console wars.

[tigertron]

Let's hope that MS secure a bucket load of exclusives for their next Xbox.

[BabyTownFrolics]

there are hundreds of thousands (if not more) people playing on their xbox 360 and PS3 consoles right at this moment. You know what they are doing, they are having fun while gaming.

You folks should try gaming more and moaning less.

[QuantumWake]

Well said. You start to realize that SOME people don't care about exclusives and all they want to do is play with friends and have fun.

I'm not saying that MS should completely abandon exclusives, but obviously this will all come down to preference and how much fun you're going to get out of the system.

[IQUITN4G]

MS do very well with the exclusives they have and lets not forget xbla is host to hundreds to choose from. MS has a Healthy thriving business with the biggest seller of course being COD. The moment this strategy stops working is when things will change

I think the bigger question is how much difference these PS3 exclusives are actually having

[KMCROC]

Steve Ballmer & Phil Spencer need to get their heads out the ass & start funding some new IP & Stop letting the one we have from going any where . if this shit happens w/ Gears i will make Oregon & Idaho beach front property Ala Lex Luther concept.

[InTheZoneAC]

If you are a casual gamer just buy the console that's cheaper in price.

If you're someone who enjoy s broad range of games with quality first party support buy from nintendo or playstation.

If you enjoy a variety of games and want something more competitive obviously the choice is playstation.

Nintendo won me over in the late 80's/early 90's because of the exclusives compared to sega and whatever other console was out like atari.

Sony won me over with the playstation(I was a late buyer) when the N64 released because I could not stand the gimmicky controller and the obsession with 3d graphics where character models and the environment looked bland.

I'm still sticking with Sony, but I might have a Wii U join me if I'm able to play with a normal controller for the exclusives, Zelda, Pokemon, Mario, etc.

If you say ps3 has no exclusives then obviously you're trying too hard to simply put the system down and haven't even tried any of the games.

[chukamachine]

Truthfully the only reason the xbox made a dent in the console war was.

1+year earlier then other new systems.
xboxlive +chat etc.
Massive advertisments.

As for SONY.

1+year late
overpriced.
Worse ports day 1
no cross chat.

PS4 will be completely different from PS3.

As for entertainment hubs.

You won't really need consoles for it soon enough.

Smart tv's have all the common apps, twitter,netflix,etc. And more are getting added, browsing is easy.

I think Gaming will return to it's roots and SONY will take it there.

[YodaCracker]

And you speak as if the 360 and PS3 were on common ground. The PlayStation brand dominated last gen. The PS2 outsold the Xbox 6 to 1. For the 360 to even come close to the PS3 in sales, let alone surpass it, is the biggest victory Microsoft could have hoped for. No puny one-year headstart could have been the sole reason for the console's victory. Microsoft tripled Xbox sales with the Xbox 360 while Sony halved PS2 sales with the PS3. The PlayStation brand had so much momentum coming into this gen and Sony completely blew it. Now Microsoft has all the momentum going into next gen. The ball is in their court. Let's see what they do with it.

[MasterD919]

I don't really see why games should be limited to one console forever...It's a shame that people can't experience great games but get sequels for it no problem.

How would anyone know wtf is going on when they play a sequel to a game, but can't play the 1st game?

[Belking]

Exclusives do matter but not as much as people think. Its not about the amount but more about what the exclusive is. The next gen we will definitely see less of them. This really doesn't bother me because I buy way more multi-plat titles . The next gen will be more about the services anyway. Yes, we will still get great games but more and more people are buying consoles because of the services because 95 percent of the games are on both sony and ms consoles. I hate to say it but exclusives are starting to not matter as much as they used too.

[Ruggadagod]

Xbox 360 has no exclusives.

[bubblebeam]

I disagree. The issue doesn't lie with the amount of exclusives, just the fact that they aren't making new ones.

I only have about 40 games on the 360, but 20 of them are exclusive.

Sure, I have many more ps3 exclusives, but the thing that bugs me is they aren't making any more. Microsoft only seem to focus on the few franchises that sell, and leave other behind (crackdown...aka LETdown).

Hopefully consumers vote with their wallets next gen (I highly doubt it) and force microsoft to make some.

[ninjahunter]

Tell me, you buy an exclusive game, more than a few years later its no longer exclusive. How does this affect you?

[MultiConsoleGamer]

"...further indicates that Microsoft are not only no longer interested in securing or creating new platform exclusives (outside of Kinect or XBLA)"

Hyperbole and a direct self contradiction. Great job!

Hey, you know what this place needs? More articles that come from sites that pretend to be platform specific, but in reality are just created exclusively for trolling and black PR. It's the NeoGAF approach to journalism. Because who needs information when you can have agenda driven content instead?

[ajax17]

Lol, I don't care about MSFT, I'm just glad I finally get to play Mass Effect on my PS3!

[urwifeminder]

Im happy other people get to play Mass effect they should be able to play the better games it didnt seem fair they missed out on such a diamond ,its going to make the original 360 version more rare and collectable.

[DevilishSix]

but with MS showing little interest in IP's, I will wait awhile before I decide to get the next xbox. With the backlog of games currently and all the great games coming next year, plus I have my PS3, so I won't be hurting for games.

This will give me time to see where MS goes with the next xbox and will not plan on getting it until I see a number of true exclusives that would make it worth getting, if they don't I can play my 360 until they turn XBL function off, that should be many years down the road.

MS needs to remember with a new generation comes a clean slate. The consoles will start at zero and have to win my and millions of other gamers support all over again. If they are not willing to do so then they will be ignored.

[Knightofelemia]

Unless a studio is owned by a company or you throw out cash to make a game remain exclusive for so long only other way is to publish a title like Bayonetta 2. Most companies want to make money on games and they make more money making a title multi platform instead of a console exclusive. But Microsoft needs to start producing more titles with in house studios. Thats where Nintendo and Sony have them beat is with familiar franchises and familiar chracters.

[Funky Town_TX]

90% of what I buy are multi-plats. With the exception of God of War, and Uncharted the PS3 exclusives are just okay to me. And just about all gamers feel the same and this is shown with sales. The n4G and online community in forums can say otherwise but look at the sales. If most of you guys would do your talking with your money then what companies did would reflect just such. I always see hype for said exclusive, but the sales don't reflect that. Sony has one exclusive that I want and it drops in 2013. Multi-plats will get my money until then, and in the mean time my Ps3 will be used mostly as a 3D blu-ray player.

[Drainage]

Ive always said that Xobx360 was garbo when it comes to games, when all those people were "ps3 has no games LOL" many years ago. BUT , I have a feeling that the next Xbox is gonna start with some good exclusives....and lets hope its not Timesplitters4 (rumored). I mean, they seriously can think that showcasing their next console with Gears6 and Halo9 is smart.

I see them showcasing 2-3 exclusives with the rest being music/video and ESPN nonsense like a tv thing ,etc.

[banjadude]

All I know is, I had tears of joy when I heard this was coming to PS3 - I'm REALLY anxious for ME1.

[StreetsofRage]

Where are all these Sony exclusives people keep talking about? I haven't bought an exclusive ps3 game since Uncharted 3 and looks like it's going to be like that for the foreseeable future. For the most part, this gen has been the multiplatform game era. Only a small percentage of exclusives are worthy of even discussing.

In saying that, I sometimes wonder what the suits in Microsoft land are thinking. They are sitting on amazing franchises like Killer Instinct, Kameo, Crimson Skies, MechAssault, to name just a few. I'm so curious how the launch lineup for the next xbox is going to be since Halo, Gears, and Forza won't be in it.

[ShaunCameron]

The truth is most PS3 owners don't really care about exclusives like they say they do. It figures when 14 of the top 20 highest-selling PS3 games to date are MULTIPLATFORM. And there's not one exclusive that cracked the 10 million mark yet.

In all fairness, the only exclusives 360 owners care about are *gasp* Halo, Gears Of War, Fable and
Kinect Adventures. And they make up about half the top 20 highest-selling XBox 360 games to date.

[IWentBrokeForGaming]

I love multiplat games... but I SERIOUSLY love exclusives!

I'd love to see a consoles sales purely off of multiplat releases when a consoles competitor is offering that and then some with exclusives!

Exclusives suck the air out of the room for the competition!

[OooHJohnny]

More exclusives means more games for me to play. That's it. But for some gamers, it is more important to get "the best version, 'cause it has 4 more pixels here and here" than an exclusive full game.

[ShaunCameron]

And it is of no concern to me since my 360's most likely gonna be active for the rest of the year and 2013 provided the games' full single-player campaign are one-disc affairs. And GeOW:J aside, the games I'm hoping to get are multiplatform.

Resident Evil 6
Epic Mickey 2: The Power Of Two
Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance

[fourthpersonview]

To MS its not a big deal since the developers always makes the better version on the 360. On the other hand Sony, badly needs exclusive to attract gamers and keep their business afloat.

[sdplisken]

ive always wanted to play the 1st mass effect
now i dont have to get a pc or 360 to play it!

ps3 FTW
now if we could just get a witcher collection please :)

[horndog]

How old is mass effect? Over 5 years now? Good on MS for not making a
big stink about a game that most of it's fanbase has played or chose not to. Mass effect is a
Goodie but don't think 360 owners care about it going multi after so long . The only ones that get excited about this are ps only owners who finally have a chance to play the best game in the series.

[ThatsGaming]

People don't realize one major thing. Exclusivity by third parties devts that own their IP is pretty much dead. You can count the number of quality third party exclusive games this gen on one hand.

It costs too much money to devt games and the sales of an exclusive game don't justify it.

Contractually none of the console vendors can mandate exclusivity forever if they don't own the IP. It simply would not hold up in court in the USA because the USA laws state exclusivity is anti competitive and non-exclusivity is pro competitive.

Third party devts that own their IP decide how long a game remains exclusive, not MS.

[AD705]

Exclusives make the game.

I bet that most people who own a 360 probably bought it for halo (just like I did) nowadays it's like they don;t matter even though it's the reason why we buy them in the first place. I didn't buy a console to watch tv, sports, and use dumbed down versions of facebook, twitter, youtube, and many other apps that I can use 1000 times better on the pc.

Lets just be honest here kinect has been disappointing ever since it came out. Every person i know that owns a kinect never plays it. Dance central is the only game that doesn't have response and lag issues and every feature MS adds to XBL is something that I already have. Last gen MS had lots of games

crimson skies, mechaassault, blinx, sudeki, jade empire, brute force, the best ninja gaiden game ever! they had tons of games and this gen they have nothing.

[AD705]

Maybe when they start giving us games I'll go back to the xbox. Untill then they're just gonna rehash the same halo/gears/forza crap that barely changes with each installment and a slew of dumb kinect games no one even really wants.

If it weren't for exclusives I would never touch consoles at all. i would just be on my pc 24/7