| ameratsu said: 1) There is nothing wrong with building recognition and a userbase. Putting a "Only on Xbox" logo on the box of a game that is exclusive for a brief period of time is misleading and dishonest. Their aim in buying up exclusives for a certain period is a sort of temporary differentiation. Nintendo and Sony spend money funding their own IPs and first party studios to produce games that will never leave their platforms. Microsoft does this as well, but in buying temporary exclusivity their aim is not to create compelling exclusive content, but the illusion that they are the only place to play that content. 2) Saying it's "just business" is such a copout. Microsoft doesn't do this to benefit their existing customers, but rather to deprive others of it or create artificial differentiation between them and the competition. Someone who already owns an x360 gains no benefit from a game not appearing on ps3, pc or wii. Like I said above, instead of funding or otherwise ensuring games that will never leave the platform, they want those without a system to think timed exclusive games are actual exclusive games. Microsoft is deliberately decieving those looking to buy a console and who want to HONESTLY compare what is available / what will be available for the console. It's absolutely an anti-consumer tactic. 3) I won't argue that Microsoft has more significance in the industry than before, but how you tie this point to timed exclusives is haphazard at best. Please clarify. 4) Of course businesses are here to make money. While their motive is profit, I would say Sony is doing a better job of securing actual exclusive content and listening to their customers. Microsoft entered this generation a year early in an attempt to beat competitors to the punch, cutting corners in hardware design in the process. That was a "business" decision but it doesn't mean that those who experience RROD or who are wary of unreliable hardware have to put up with it because Microsoft is out to make money. Same goes for Sony cutting ps2 playback in the ps3. 5) When Sony (or whoever) buys a company, they are actually funding and taking a risk in creating new games and content. While Microsoft did (I think) fund the GTA DLC, the focus with buying companies or funding new games is to produce original content that differentiates one system from another. Microsoft tries to sidestep this with timed exclusives. Of course to the casual observer this sort of thing is fair game, and it works. Someone who wants to buy a system compares what is available for each system, and buys the console with the most features/games/whatever they're looking for. Since at any given time Microsoft has a number of games that appear to be exclusive, there is a benefit they get from it. Doesn't mean I have to like it or defend their actions. edit: I think I fixed the formatting now. |
1. Its not exactly false when the game is printed. In addition to this you can argue that because they let the developer keep the I.P it can flourish better in the future and transition to other platforms. People are better off with timed exclusives than had they bought full exclusivity to these I.P.
2. What about the games which were made better due to the funding/help? Bioshock and Gears of War come to mind. Also consider a studio like Mistwalker which exists now and a brilliant developer can actually make games now due to their funding. A lot of people have benefited from it and not just people with Xbox 360s.
3. The timed exclusives of Oblivion and Bioshock were significant at the time. You can see their impact on the sales per week graphs.
4. How have they been better at listening to their fanbase? Most of them abandoned Sony. Oh and all 60GB PS3s are also doomed to failure as well, its the nature of the early solder joints from both companies.
5. Its better for everyone to rent a developer than to buy one. If a company buys a developer all gamers without that console manufacturers system are deprived of their games. The only way a console manufacturer can aquire a developer without harm is to create their own studios. Sony caused a lot of harm by buying developers up last generation, you cannot deny this. More harm infact than Microsoft has done from the fact that the damage is permament.
Tease.
