One of the video game industry’s most grating trends is timed exclusivity, when a console manufacturer like Sony or Microsoft pays a publisher money in order to deprive content from other platforms for a certain timeframe. It looks like Red Dead Redemption 2 will be following suit.

Today, developer Rockstar announced a bunch of bundles and pre-order bonuses for the much-anticipated Western game, and buried amongst all the stuff about outfits and GTA Online cash on the PlayStation Store is this line:

PlayStation® Exclusive: Play select content first on PlayStation®4. Details to follow.

We don’t know the scale of “select content”—could be hats, could be a full expansion—but if it’s anything like Sony’s arrangement with Destiny, it will be a pain for Xbox players. The company behind the PlayStation 4 paid Activision to keep guns, maps, and even full strikes away from Xbox players for years, then did the same for Destiny 2 and several Call of Dutygames. Microsoft has pulled its own “timed exclusivity” nonsense for Dragon Age: Inquisition as well as other big multi-platform games—also including Call of Duty—over the past decade.

Now, it appears that Red Dead Redemption is following that same trend. Rockstar didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

https://kotaku.com/red-dead-redemption-2-will-have-some-sort-of-timed-play-1826536689

Still dislike this kind of deals, I would get it anyway on PS4 so personally this doesn't affect me.

I wish these types of stupid deals would just stop.

Pretty unnecessary deal, was always going to sell more on Playstation.

Interesting how these types of articles were not popping up left and right last gen, when MS was starting this trend. Now, all of a sudden that Sony has started doing it, it's horrible and can't be tolerated. Oh, but we'll throw in a quick line about MS, just so we can say we mentioned it.

Waste of moneyon Sony's side, the only way this kind of action is tollerable is if Sony or MS help a third party develop a third party game. Since this is clearly not the case since Rockstar swims in money this is just a weird move.

Year 1-2, i would call it a strong move, fit for the moment you want become the number 1 console, but, due to current playstation advantage,  it fells unecessary. For real, ps4 is making more than 2:1 on xbox life time sales and it's selling almost 3:1 along the year, this is "overkill bully" toward xbox if true, but... you can bet your money Xbox would do the same is they get the chance.

PS4 Marketing? :O

Not a fan of the timed exclusive content. I would rather see Sony and Microsoft buy full exclusivity for the year, or not bother at all. As was said above, when it is something like Bayonetta or Street Fight which would not have happened without Nintendo and Sony paying for the development, then I consider it a plus.

All I can say for this, is hopefully they get something worthwhile. The Destiny stuff was not worth whatever they paid.

1. Yes they did, maybe you just weren’t looking for them, or are looking at these articles in a different light.

2. There will obviously be more articles now because we’ve had a longer time to get tired of these stupid deals, and also these deals have sunk to an even lower level with what Sony and Activision did for Destiny.

On topic, they’re already locking single player content behind a $20 “Special Edition”. This added on makes it enough for me to say fuck it and wait for a used copy to show up somewhere, can’t support this 1-2 combo of shit.