| starcraft said: - How much do you believe Sony paid for MGS4 exclusivity? - What form do you believe these payments took? - Will the hardware boost to the PS3 be worth it? |
Yes they paid for it. I don't think it was just out and out cash. I think a number of expenditures happened here. Full support from Sony Games studios and hardware and software developers available. Purchasing product placement in the game itself (the mentioning of Blu ray, Sixaxis, PSP, and ton of sneaky stuff). Some advertisement fund (sure as hell not in the U.S., unless I am just not of the right stations.) for the game. I am pretty sure Sony wavied many fees that it would normal charge for a game. Sony probably is not really making anything off of any its license agreement, maybe a few cents here and there. The subsidizing of the bundle probably cost them money. Sony probably bought every copy of MGS4 that is pack into the box, meaning Konami already sold how ever many game units that is in production of the bundles. That could be three - four millions units (figuring a million bundles for each territory) purchased.
Then you just have the long partnership and Japan "good ole boys" mentality that play a factor in it. Just like SE, Konami has had a working relationship with Sony for a long time and I don't think that all Sony resources and influences didn't come to bare when Konami hinted at MGS4 going day and date multiplatform. That is also why they could pull the same trick with Take Two and GTAIV.
Side note, will we see MGS4 on the X360? Its a good possiblity but the time frame is too sketch on when. It could be in a year, like most X360 ports to the PS3 or it could be 4 years, like Ninja Gaiden (Sigma) was. I am pretty sure they have it locked down at least for a year or two until the PS3 has got its next big thing to sell system.
I'm just saying...
