there's only one thread about GTA4 delay... and it's deterioting into a mario party discussion. here's a new one!
Companies and Consoles
- Take 2 is obviously the biggest loser of all. not only do they miss out on the crucial holiday season, they might have to cough up cash to microsoft. that's on top of the now increased development cost of the game , and possibly lower overall sales. Unless they push it all the way back for an entire year.
- Sony and the PS3 stands to suffer more than Microsoft and the 360. GTA rates to move more PS3 than 360, even if sales is better on the 360. The reason is clear--360 already has a larger user base, especially after the release of the unit moving Halo 3. Feel free to discuss this point.
- Microsoft must be slightly unhappy--they've done well to secure exclusive GTA content, in an effort to make people want to get the 360 version instead of the ingrained mentality that "GTA is a Playstation game", and now, the title is delayed. On the flipside, they must be happy that PS3 won't have a anchor title for this X'mas to establish a user base. Think of it this way: if GTA4 is wiped off the face of the planet, Microsoft would be happier than Sony, not including the $50 mln deal of course.
- Wii. Nintendo just need to make sure the Wii isn't sold out. Iwata must believe in Santa Claus--how else do you get this kind of gift?
- Third parties. One less AAA+ title to contend against, chance to shine. Make sure your games are good and they won't go under the radar!
Implications:
- Cost of development. We've seen multiple PS3 titles delayed now, for one reason or another. This basically means that development cost is higher than they projected--every extra month means one month's salary, and one fewer month for each programmer to work on another project. Which implies...
- More resource shift to the 360 and the Wii. 360 by default, Wii by necessity, i.e. $$$. And with Wii having a shorter development cycle, more games for the Wii--something all the studios know, but only beginning to experience first hand the importance of reducing development cycles.
Points to consider:
- The state of PS3 in early 2008. MGS4, GT5, LBP... huge, huge, huge releases, along with GTA4. If Sony sticks to the 10-year life cycle for the PS3, they could very well consider 2008 as the start of the PS3 era and make Wii looks like a transition console. It's not too late yet--but they'll need to be proactive about it--start shifting focus to the causal market in a major way like Nintendo is doing. Unfortunately for them there's no signs whatsoever they're shifting resources.
- Optimal release schedule for GTA4. Assuming they'll have the game finished before 2008 2Q... February seems like a horrible month. So do March and April. Ideally, August or September, then with 360 episodic content in December. But they're in financial trouble, so they don't really have a choice. Still an interesting thing to ponder.
the Wii is an epidemic.
