S.T.A.G.E. said:
This is true Reasonable, but Microsoft was the only company that truly had nothing to lose, because they had to bring more variety to the 360 and try to win over Japan in Sony's time of neglect. They held fast and are now Sony gets to enjoying easy console sales, whilst ignoring the Japanese audience for god knows how long (which is one of the reasons the consoles sold slowly in the first place). |
Couple of points, and remember I'm still taking these comments with a pinch of sale in terms of whether this is an isolated case of something more widespread and probably related to titles like SO:4, etc. But again, assuming for the moment the comments refer to a more widespread practice:
1) I don't think Sony was particularly ignoring the Japanese audience, it simply wasn't willing to get into a bidding war. MS apparently tried hard (using cash and additional support incentives) to deny Sony access to certain titles. Sony couldn't make a title like ToV available to PS3 owners if MS tied it up with a 12 month exclusivity, could they?
2) MS approach I believe stands a chance of backfiring in Japan. Essentially, the approach outlined here translates to me as MS effectively hiring companies who were willing to become like temporary 2nd party developers - i.e. focus on us and give only us a game for 12 months. The reason I could see this backfiring in Japan is that it was unlikely 360 would gain enough traction from this to then withstand the backlash as titles started to appear one after the other on PS3 with extra content. I suspect in Japan many gamers are coming to the conclusion it's better to wait for the PS3 version.
So I don't see MS as 'holding fast'. I don't think they should have been induldging in signing up timed exclusives at all. ToV should either have been fully exclusive to 360 or should have launched on both consoles at the same time.
Sony, I don't see in any way as the 'guilty' party here. They are faced with a competitor using cash incentives and simply demand that if a title comes late to PS3 is has to have some new content. I believe MS themselves have a similar policy.
In the end MS tried hard, I'd argue too hard using too aggresive a Western approach, to break into Japan. In the end they probably made some short term gains in console sales and somewhat inconveniencing Sony, but I get the feeling that in the longer term this approach is going to have made more of a bad impression in Japan vs a good one.
I know hindsight is cheap, but rather than timed exclusives if I was MS I would only have chased full exclusives and looked to fund new IP specific for my console in the region. I know MS did fund new IP as well as secure timed exclusives, and I actually salute that, I think that's a true 'putting your money where your mouth is' approach.
But trying to buy off developers to delay release on another console to force consumers towards their console - it's fair in business, but it's not an approach I condone or look fondly upon.
On another note - I saw SO:4 is now supposed to be launching on PS3, I wonder whether that will have new content or whether SE will get a pass from Sony so long as FFXIII remains exclusive in Japan? Now that's some potential Sony orientated machinations you might want to ponder if you do want to look for Sony as 'the bad guy' - which is what you seem to want to do.
Try to be reasonable... its easier than you think...