| twintail said: Just because you don't like something doesn't make it anti-consumer. Anti-consumer would be any action that provides no benefit to the intended consumer. First party exclusives can't be anti-consumer, since software designed for your hardware is expected. This happens in pretty much any industry. If you are going to claim that exclusive are anti-consumer, then surely I could argue that hardware is too? How an exclusive would be anti-consumer would be if the game was intended for release on multiple devices but then out of nowhere became an exclusive, as an example. You could argue Rise of the Tomb Raider was anti-consumer. Why? Well the original game sold better on PS3 than X360. The remaster sold better on PS4 than X1. Yet RoTR is now exclusive to the console with lesser sales of the previous games? This is anti-consumer because it takes away the opportunity for buyers on PS4 to buy the game, and this in term requires them to buy another device to continue the series. Epic getting sole rights to Metro Exodus on PC could be anti-consumer, considering it was intended for release on Steam but pulled because Epic decided to get release rights. Bayo 2 and 3 are arguably not anti-consumer. The game wouldn't exist without Nintendo getting the license to fund the game. Should the make these games available elsewhere? Maybe, but it is their money and where the game goes is their prerogative. There is no black/ white situation for this. It all comes down to the situation surrounding the decisions being made. |
Consumer friendly is when you go out and buy a DvD movie at a video store and it will work in any DvD player you own.
Not consumer friendly is when you are forced to buy into hardware to watch and play a product you brought just because companies don't want you playing there games on other devices.
In the gaming industry, you need to buy into multiple devices to play all the games, if a game comes out that interests you but made by a brand that you don't own, you have to spend more money to play it. Much like how the companies are pulling out from Nvidia NOW (Streaming) due to they all want to make there own Streaming service to nickel and dime there customers. This is the same mentality as console makers. Want to play there game than buy there $400 device and also subscribe to them to play the other half of the game (Multiplayer)
PC Gaming has been showing the way for years, yet many devs still want to avoid it because they want to sell you Hardware that expires and requires the next model to continue playing there software. That is not consumer friendly.
Rise of the Tomb Raider was not consumer friendly, neither was Street Fighter 5 which was even worse. All timed exclusives and brought out games are anti-consumer.
