A new nerd terror has been spreading through the internets, and no 36 sided die has come up with any reasonable explanations sans the ever famous "IMO" analysis.
First lets talk about FF13 and it's defection to the green monster. The decision was not an easy one. Even Square is saying that 360 production would not start until the game is finished on the ps3. Not to mention that this "announcement" is not even yet an official one, simply a plan for things to come.
Added to that, square is keeping japan ps3 exclusive, and the rest of the titles that revolve around the FF13 universe are so far assumed to be also exclusive. Sony seems to think that Microsoft left a couple thousand briefcases in square-enix's board room.
Others seem to think Square-Enix has finally come to it's senses and are following the trend of 3rd party multiplatform publishers.
Lets get to the bottom of this.
When S-E(square enix, then just square) released ff7 for the original playstation. Nobody could have predicted that sony and Final Fantasy would become pinnacles of gaming. With Sony selling over 250 million consoles since then, and FF becoming the most recognized RPG franchise in Video game history. This relationship grew stronger than you and your best friend could ever have if you had both been freshmen in highschool and then somehow both ended up billionaires with naught a care in the world save how you two would spend the money together and live the dreams that few kids in the world would dare.
Now, take the Japanese mentality into perspective. Japanese national business partners are even tighter than those two would be billionaire kids if they were related. Japan has a strict parent company approach where all "child-companies" like SE would gladly sink themselves before letting the parent company fall. That is tradition, and has been that way since japanese business was in existence.
Put these two factors together and you have a stronger connection than those two billionaire kids being older brother and younger, (or sisters) teaching and raising the younger brother and successfully making it together against all odds.
THAT is the situation we are talking about.
Now,
globalization has done some things to change things slightly in the past ten years, but these traditions are still mainly upheld.
Following the globalization idea, Japan knows to do what it does best, produce tech, innovate. The protect it staunchly against other countries. It is the most basic form of mercantilism at work , in accordance with popular John Nash theories to protect not only the company or the country but to protect both. (including national competitors!)
So, how did MS convert on the hail mary reception for Final fantasy 13?
Sony seems to think it was with a boatload of money, and despite how much you all may think that square enix is just doing it for sales, please try to remember that the country of japan rose from almost medieval ages 100 years ago, to being one of the strongest, wealthiest, smartest, traditional, cultural countries in the world.
You ask any economist how it was possible, and they won't be able to begin to explain, save for an idea that the Japanese are "honorable" and protect each other more than any other country around, along with the business practices i've mentioned above.
MS almost certainly paid for this game. Sony should not be blamed for this "loss", and should not be expected to pay for exclusivity which many feel is "owed" to them.
Thank you for your time, and always remember,
"Don't think you know everything about the industry unless you are Nintendo"
