More Evidence for Mass Effect on PS3

[sieanr]

Rpruett said:

Masakari said:

Darc Requiem said:

kowenicki said:

d21lewis said:
E3 megaton. Quote me.

this would be a megaton at E3?  really?

two games long since released and finished by millions?

anyway.......

 

We were inundated with tips this week about supposed "proof" that code found within Mass Effect 2 on PC "confirmed" the presence of a PS3 version of the game. It does not.

Seeking to clarify the situation, a statement on BioWare's forums reads:

The Unreal Engine is cross platform, hence the PS3 code. This was brought up back in Mass Effect 1 days as well.

Mass Effect is for the PC and Xbox 360.

LOCKDOWN!

Lockdown indeed. If you check the code for other Unreal Engine games - like Gears of War - you'll find the same thing.

I was looking for something referencing this. I remembered the old ME1 and Gears to PS3 debates and someone bring up the PS3 code found on disc. Good find Kowenicki. ME2 is on it's way to becoming the PS3 version of the MGS4 to 360 speculation.

It's not becoming, it already is. Frankly, Bioware/EA have little reason to put this on PS3, the first game wasn't, its widely considered a 360 series, it's a hit on 360, Dragon Age on PS3 sold half of what 360 sold, etc. And if there's some sort of extended timed exclusivity a la Bioshock, Lost Planet, and others, it will sell poorly on PS3 anyway.

I don't see the point, really. Specially porting ME1, people who really, really wanted to play ME either got it on PC, or bought a 360 for it (like I did back when it was released).

The point is money, money, money.  That's it.  Especially if the game is a hit.   It's like the EA sports franchises or anything else.  Sure Madden sells incredibly well on the 360.  It would sell well if they released it only on the 360.   But it will sell more if they sold it on the Wii/360/PS3.  

This may or may not mean anything towards Mass Effect coming to the PS3 but if these codes really are on the disc.....(What do these specific codes have to do with the 'Unreal' Engine in the first place by the way?) .   Bioware  has been very, very  un-definitive when it talks about Mass Effect on the PS3.   

 

The cost of porting a completed Mass Effect would not be out of this world.  If the cost of porting Mass Effect + making it run well + time spent would  equal a net profit to EA you'd better believe that they will port it as soon as they find the time. 

Except Bioware and MS had a contract guaranteeing the series exclusive. What the details of that contract were aren't public, but getting out of it is likely costly.

And money isn't the only thing at play here. EA porting ME to the PS3 would sour relations with MS considerably. Given how closely the companies have worked in the past - madden at 60fps on 360, madden being shown off at MS E3 press conference, ect = I can't see them endangering the relationship for what will likely be a negligible profit. Remember whos the head of EA Sports now?

As for the 'codes' on the disc, Unreal is a multiplatform engine that mass effect is built off of. Epic games created it with a whole bunch of code for all 3 platforms. Oftentimes a good amount of that is just left over since its more of a pain to remove then just keep. You'd be surprised by how much unused data you can find in a typical game.