well if microsoft give payment in royalties to EA then its prolly gonna stay on 360 otherwise it will be released mabey 6 months after on ps3. the 1st mass effect sold about 1.6million copies and mass effect 2 will go over that number so Ea would have to take a look on how many would possibly sell on ps3 if it ends up being a good game. Ea`s , need for speed pro street managed over a million sales on ps3 witht he 360 version selling about 15k more than that. so it will boil down to microsoft giving money to keep it on 360, other than that i belive if its a good game, mass effect 2 would sell very well over a million copies on ps3 with increasing ps3 sales now, by the time mass effect 2 is out, the install base for ps3 will be very healthy, and a multiplatform company would be mad not to release on ps3

Doesn't really matter if it goes to the ps3 to me as long as we get a good sequel.

I hate EA More than any person Alive for buying, and whoring out bioware and pandemic. (it will happen, oh yes it will!)

...But them talking ME2 exclusivity might show that BioWare isn't giving into the whoredoms of EA yet...

Scenario 1-Mass Effect 2 gets released simultaneously. The PS3 version takes a hit in sales because no one is familiar with the story unless they also own a 360 and have played the original. 360 will take a very dominant position in sales.

Scenario 2-MS is paying EA to keep it off PS3. Likely considering Microsoft's history, but not very likely because...

Scenario 3-MS, knowing Mass Effect was a trilogy all along, secured the rights way back in the early development stages for all three. This is the most likely of scenarios, because MS would have been foolish not to have done this in the first place. It's common sense to lock all three down for exclusivity. Don't be surprised if they have a similiar deal with Silicon Knights for the Too Human trilogy. Thanks to Dark Requiem for bringing this up earlier.

Scenario 4-Timed exclusivity with PS3 version coming 6-12 months later. Bad choice. These timed exclusivity agreements don't make a whole lot of sense for the publisher because while they gain a payout, it's probably not as substantial as getting your series name on a competing console on day one. Here's how unsuccessful other timed exclusives and general time delays have done in the past:

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
360=2.4 mil
PS3=650,000

Fight Night Round 3
360=1.66 mil
PS3=520,000

Grand Theft Auto 3/Grand Theft Auto Vice City
PS2=Over 26 mil
Xbox=2.2 mil for GTA Double Pack

There are exceptions to this rule. Capcom made a lot of money back from the Gamecube when they ported Killer 7, Viewtiful Joe and Resident Evil 4 to the PS2, but a massively higher amount of PS2 owners at the time probably had something to do with it. With the PS3 at a smaller userbase right now, and EA not being known for timed exclusivity, I would think it's more likely to see them taking money from Microsoft for total exclusivity rather than just 6-12 months of it.

Out of all of those, expect MS to have written the deal to keep Mass Effect on 360 and PC long before the first ever came out. EA wouldn't necessarily make public knowledge of that, so it would have to be assumed that may be the case if we don't see a Mass Effect on PS3 ever, or that MS drove a dumptruck of cash over. 

Good analysis, Oxymeth.

The issue, I see (from EAs POV) is that generally, if the game was exclusive, as an IP earlier on, and then gets ported to a system with inferior attach rates, and userbase....It tends to do very poorly.

Mass Effect on PS3 is the same way - the X360 userbase snatched it up. Should a PS3 version of ME2 come along, chances are, it's not going to do that well, expecially given the cohesive nature of the series (versus Oblivion or FN3, which are not that way).

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
360=2.4 mil
PS3=650,000

Fight Night Round 3
360=1.66 mil
PS3=520,000

Grand Theft Auto 3/Grand Theft Auto Vice City
PS2=Over 26 mil
Xbox=2.2 mil for GTA Double Pack

and RE4 or KILLER7

==> ALL these multiplateform delayed release depend of 1 thing u failed to see (even if u mentionned it for some games):

USERBASE !!

The "primary release plateform" is a secondary parameter here (as RE4/KIller7 underline it)

all is said ...

Whatever, about ME2, I dont see why it will come to the PS3 ...

I just don't see the incentive for EA too ignore a reasonable MS payout to keep ME2 exclusive, given they'll NEVER get ME1 on the PS3 due to the original exclusivity deal, and therefor ME2 on PS3 will hardly sell.

I am pretty suprised, considering the EA buyout and the fact that the first in the series had kind of underwhelming sales.