just a question i was thinking about^

im thinking which option out of the 2 below would make most profit for a publisher/developer i will use tales of vesp as an example.

1. moneyhatting from microsoft for timed exclusivity, then release on ps3 mabey 12 months later.
2. both simultanious release.

above is just an example, im not saying tales of vesp is coming to ps3, its just an example thats all.

it would be quite clear that ps3 version in this instance wont sell as much as 360 version if released 12months later, simply because the (new game) freshness would have worn off.

and if that was the case wouldnt that have hurt the publisher/developer ie, loosing units sold overall?

and would the moneyhatting involve compensating for them losses?

^

Don't know.. you should ask Rockstar... Timed exclusive with GTA on the previous generation on the PS2.. simultanious release now on the 360 & PS3... with what did they make more money with?

 I think he meant this gen... with the consoles being so close.

both simultanious release, imo.

yes thats what i was thinking, i highly doubt a moneyhat includes possible looses of revenue from other platforms

it would be to much to pay out and not make that back in return.

It depends on the game.... if it is a game that sells based on hype, like GTAIV, then it would hurt sales a lot to be timed exclusive, sure it would have increased sales on the first platform, but by the time it released on the other console the hype would be gone and it would lose sales because of it.

Of course that might not mean much to the dev/publisher if the moneyhat is large enough to negate the loss.

I think it's less about maximizing profit and more about minimizing risk. A moneyhat is a guaranteed reduction in the cost of production, which looks a lot better than hoping for solid sales on two platforms.

If publishers didn't think it was a good deal, they wouldn't sign these contracts.

It's a good deal for publishers, bad for smaller developers.
For a publisher it's basicly just an investment that they would have spent anyways. For developers it's a crutch.

1 word= Bioshock.

Moneyhatting= a bird in the hand. Also, a very snazzy hat. For unproven franchises like Bioshock or Infinite Undiscovery, I say TAKE THE MONEY! Plus, perceived exclusivity always garners more attention. I mean look at us. All we need is a title and the impression that it's console exclusive, and we will hype a game to no end!