The History of Xbox Exclusives. Do consoles really need exclusives?

[Angelus]

Yes and no.

Exclusives matter on a couple of levels, for one they help shape marketing image of the system, and it's important that image be associated with quality. However, you only really need a one or two big hitters for this. Gamers will always associate Nintendo as the home of Zelda and Mario, regardless of what other great games they might make. Likewise with Xbox and Halo, Sony and GT (though I suppose these days their image is mainly associated with Naughty Dog). Point is, you need a big name you can attach to your box marketing and say "that's us, that's what we do."

Now once you go beyond that, exclusives matter primarily to the hardcore gaming fans. People that will go out and buy a lot of new games every year and have the time to go through them fairly quickly. If you buy like 10+ new games a year you're probably in that category. Hell, if you're on a gaming forum, you're probably in that category. We're the guys that buy new platforms at or around launch, and the guys that are always looking for the next great game 5 minutes after we finish the last one. Things always have to be newer and better, and a nice looking exclusive is by default better than a nice looking multiplat, because you know not everyone can play it. But you can, cus you bought the right box. Instant gratification. You made the right choice.


On the flip side, no, they don't matter. Joe public mainstream gamer will buy maybe 5-6 new games a year (if that). They will be an assortment of annual sports titles and shooters to play with their friends, whatever game is the new hot item of the year (Fallout, Elder Scrolls, GTA, etc...), and maybe 1-2 spontaneous pick ups. The only time they will really care about an exclusive, is when/if it fits into one of those first 2 categories. The only thing they really want is a box that's a cheap as possible, has all the yearly multiplats they like, and all their friends in the same place.