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Forums - Microsoft - Can Microsoft continue to buy it's way to victory?

kitler53 on 19 February 2009
badgenome said:
kitler53 said:
Chromium24 said:
Skeeuk said:

    

    Microsoft keeps buying exclusives from third party, but how much longer can they go on doing this? Third parties will gladly accept the money to make a game exclusive to the 360, but it doesn’t come cheap, and doesn’t always pay off. If Microsoft were smart they would put the money  they are wasting on third party, and get some first party started. These days a console can’t live on just third party, especially with Sony going all out on their first party. Modern games are so expensive to make these days, that a third party would need a really good reason to make their game exclusive. 

    

This paragraph is very true. Microsofts 1st parties are almost non-existant. They have a few good exclusives, but if you look at their top games on IGN or Metacritic they're mostly multiplats like GTA, Bioshock, etc. That is excluding games like Mass Effect, Gears of War and Halo which are great.

 

I think the may point to take is - mass effect, bioshock's time exclusivity, rock band's time exclusivity, GTA's exclusive dlc, portal's dlc, ect., MS is paying for this competitive advantage.  the more ps3s in the world (regardless of market share) the higher cost MS will have to pay to keep those advantages.  how long until it is cost prohibitive for MS?  and what then? will MS's "almost non-existant" first party be the only ones creating exclusive content for the 360?

i'll be honest, i hope so.  MS, if you want to have content to define your console please spend more time making awesome content for your console and less time playing interference on the compitition.

 

I think that's a false choice, though. There's nothing preventing Microsoft from contracting out to third parties to make games for their system, at least as far as I can see. They can pay upkeep on their own studios, or they can save that money, take some of it to Capcom or Square-Enix or whoever, and say, "Let's make a game." I don't see why that's considered to be a dirty tactic or moneyhatting or whatever, and I do think it's pretty funny that first party is suddenly king to so many people now that Sony is having to rely so heavily on theirs.

I will say that I'm less cool with timed exclusivity or exclusive DLC, though. It doesn't bother me as much as it does some people, but it does sort of reek of cockblocking.

there is really nothing much i can say except that you are right.  there is nothing preventing MS from doing what it is doing but it still feels like a dick move (as a ps3 owner).



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Jereel Hunter on 19 February 2009
kitler53 said:
Chromium24 said:
Skeeuk said:

    

    Microsoft keeps buying exclusives from third party, but how much longer can they go on doing this? Third parties will gladly accept the money to make a game exclusive to the 360, but it doesn’t come cheap, and doesn’t always pay off. If Microsoft were smart they would put the money  they are wasting on third party, and get some first party started. These days a console can’t live on just third party, especially with Sony going all out on their first party. Modern games are so expensive to make these days, that a third party would need a really good reason to make their game exclusive. 

    

This paragraph is very true. Microsofts 1st parties are almost non-existant. They have a few good exclusives, but if you look at their top games on IGN or Metacritic they're mostly multiplats like GTA, Bioshock, etc. That is excluding games like Mass Effect, Gears of War and Halo which are great.

 

I think the may point to take is - mass effect, bioshock's time exclusivity, rock band's time exclusivity, GTA's exclusive dlc, portal's dlc, ect., MS is paying for this competitive advantage.  the more ps3s in the world (regardless of market share) the higher cost MS will have to pay to keep those advantages.  how long until it is cost prohibitive for MS?  and what then? will MS's "almost non-existant" first party be the only ones creating exclusive content for the 360?

i'll be honest, i hope so.  MS, if you want to have content to define your console please spend more time making awesome content for your console and less time playing interference on the compitition.

 

Is this really what you want? If MS decided to shift into hardcore First Party mode like Sony, they wouldn't create new studios. They'd do what they did with Bungie... See what they like, and start buying already established ones. That would start turning these timed exclusives into permanant exclusives. Sound good?



Strategyking92 on 19 February 2009
kitler53 said:
badgenome said:
kitler53 said:
Chromium24 said:
Skeeuk said:

 

    

    Microsoft keeps buying exclusives from third party, but how much longer can they go on doing this? Third parties will gladly accept the money to make a game exclusive to the 360, but it doesn’t come cheap, and doesn’t always pay off. If Microsoft were smart they would put the money  they are wasting on third party, and get some first party started. These days a console can’t live on just third party, especially with Sony going all out on their first party. Modern games are so expensive to make these days, that a third party would need a really good reason to make their game exclusive. 

    

This paragraph is very true. Microsofts 1st parties are almost non-existant. They have a few good exclusives, but if you look at their top games on IGN or Metacritic they're mostly multiplats like GTA, Bioshock, etc. That is excluding games like Mass Effect, Gears of War and Halo which are great.

 

I think the may point to take is - mass effect, bioshock's time exclusivity, rock band's time exclusivity, GTA's exclusive dlc, portal's dlc, ect., MS is paying for this competitive advantage.  the more ps3s in the world (regardless of market share) the higher cost MS will have to pay to keep those advantages.  how long until it is cost prohibitive for MS?  and what then? will MS's "almost non-existant" first party be the only ones creating exclusive content for the 360?

i'll be honest, i hope so.  MS, if you want to have content to define your console please spend more time making awesome content for your console and less time playing interference on the compitition.

 

I think that's a false choice, though. There's nothing preventing Microsoft from contracting out to third parties to make games for their system, at least as far as I can see. They can pay upkeep on their own studios, or they can save that money, take some of it to Capcom or Square-Enix or whoever, and say, "Let's make a game." I don't see why that's considered to be a dirty tactic or moneyhatting or whatever, and I do think it's pretty funny that first party is suddenly king to so many people now that Sony is having to rely so heavily on theirs.

I will say that I'm less cool with timed exclusivity or exclusive DLC, though. It doesn't bother me as much as it does some people, but it does sort of reek of cockblocking.

there is really nothing much i can say except that you are right.  there is nothing preventing MS from doing what it is doing but it still feels like a dick move (as a ps3 owner).

 

 

Yeah, especially when it is so hard to own both HD consoles. I mean, an xbox costs as much as a trailer home, the wii costs as much as a house, and the ps3 costs as much as a house-with taxes.

Well, that's how it is in the states, with the crumbling economy and all.



And that's the only thing I need is *this*. I don't need this or this. Just this PS4... And this gaming PC. - The PS4 and the Gaming PC and that's all I need... And this Xbox 360. - The PS4, the Gaming PC, and the Xbox 360, and that's all I need... And these PS3's. - The PS4, and these PS3's, and the Gaming PC, and the Xbox 360... And this Nintendo DS. - The PS4, this Xbox 360, and the Gaming PC, and the PS3's, and that's all *I* need. And that's *all* I need too. I don't need one other thing, not one... I need this. - The Gaming PC and PS4, and Xbox 360, and thePS3's . Well what are you looking at? What do you think I'm some kind of a jerk or something! - And this. That's all I need.

Obligatory dick measuring Gaming Laptop Specs: Sager NP8270-GTX: 17.3" FULL HD (1920X1080) LED Matte LC, nVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M, Intel Core i7-4700MQ, 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3, 750GB SATA II 3GB/s 7,200 RPM Hard Drive

Aiemond on 19 February 2009
kitler53 said:
badgenome said:
kitler53 said:
Chromium24 said:
Skeeuk said:

    

    Microsoft keeps buying exclusives from third party, but how much longer can they go on doing this? Third parties will gladly accept the money to make a game exclusive to the 360, but it doesn’t come cheap, and doesn’t always pay off. If Microsoft were smart they would put the money  they are wasting on third party, and get some first party started. These days a console can’t live on just third party, especially with Sony going all out on their first party. Modern games are so expensive to make these days, that a third party would need a really good reason to make their game exclusive. 

    

This paragraph is very true. Microsofts 1st parties are almost non-existant. They have a few good exclusives, but if you look at their top games on IGN or Metacritic they're mostly multiplats like GTA, Bioshock, etc. That is excluding games like Mass Effect, Gears of War and Halo which are great.

 

I think the may point to take is - mass effect, bioshock's time exclusivity, rock band's time exclusivity, GTA's exclusive dlc, portal's dlc, ect., MS is paying for this competitive advantage.  the more ps3s in the world (regardless of market share) the higher cost MS will have to pay to keep those advantages.  how long until it is cost prohibitive for MS?  and what then? will MS's "almost non-existant" first party be the only ones creating exclusive content for the 360?

i'll be honest, i hope so.  MS, if you want to have content to define your console please spend more time making awesome content for your console and less time playing interference on the compitition.

 

I think that's a false choice, though. There's nothing preventing Microsoft from contracting out to third parties to make games for their system, at least as far as I can see. They can pay upkeep on their own studios, or they can save that money, take some of it to Capcom or Square-Enix or whoever, and say, "Let's make a game." I don't see why that's considered to be a dirty tactic or moneyhatting or whatever, and I do think it's pretty funny that first party is suddenly king to so many people now that Sony is having to rely so heavily on theirs.

I will say that I'm less cool with timed exclusivity or exclusive DLC, though. It doesn't bother me as much as it does some people, but it does sort of reek of cockblocking.

there is really nothing much i can say except that you are right.  there is nothing preventing MS from doing what it is doing but it still feels like a dick move (as a ps3 owner).

 

 Well its not as if Sony has not made its fair share of dick moves in the video game market. Even with just the ps3 quotes the company smacked of arrogance. IMO it seems its just Karma.



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badgenome on 19 February 2009

@kitler53: Maybe so, but that's emotional and not logical. I think Microsoft just can't win in terms of PR. If they contract out to a third party developer, they will be hated for moneyhatting. If they bought a third party developer, they would be guilty of throwing their money around. If they even help a third party get started in exchange for some support but still allowing them their independence, like they did for Mistwalker, they're still moneyhatting according to a lot of people.

Sony, on the other hand, gets tons of credit and goodwill for everything they touch, even something like LittleBigPlanet, which was the work of a third party, Media Molecule. When they do this, though, it is for some reason seen as "cultivating relationships" or something else more nuanced than naked moneyhatting.

Funnily enough, it was Sony who started this business of mega corporations muscling in on the game industry. Sega suffered a lot of self-inflicted wounds, to be sure, but it was Sony who dealt them their death blow. So I will admit, it's hard for me to feel bad for poor Sony (or their fans) if they don't get a few games due to being outspent by another company.



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madskillz on 19 February 2009

What I find very funny about all of this is - when MS sees an opportunity, they are called out for it.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but where was the complaints last gen when Sony had tons of exclusives while MS sat on the sidelines? It's business, folks.

It's called advantage. If you want your product to sell, you offer customers a unique experience for a thrifty price. That's why the 360 is selling. Folks have condemned the 360 since it dropped. They laughed at the GTA IV DLC, laughed at the exclusives because folks were sure the PS3 would just take off. Sorry, but that boat has sailed. MS is just reusing the same playbook that Sony used last gen with a twist. They can't just get an exclusive on the 360, but they can sure make a hit game a nonissue when it finally appears on the PS3.

I don't see nada wrong with this. If you want a game and it's not on your console, either buy the PC version of the game or get a 360. It's just business.



mesoteto on 19 February 2009

I cant help but picture this as I read this blog

A fat white guy , probably mid thirties, sitting in front of his computer down in his “Man Cave” (which is in fact his mothers basement) happily typing this while stroking his cat Grey Fox. He Screams upstairs “mom make sure you cut of the crust from my grilled cheese or so help me its back to the home!”

Where upon his mother yells back down, “Francis don’t you take that tone with me, I may be older now but I can still take you out back and beat the snot out of your hide…..do you hear me young man” “yes mother”, says Francis

He then steps away from the computer disturbing the air around him and causing wafting smells of old spice and old beef to spread about his “Man Cave”

“Hey Grey Fox”, exclaims Francis, “how about we log into Home as a girl and dance around until a bunch of guys show up...and then we will switch to a guy avatar and be all like….Ohh I powned you noob…man I am so cool”

Francis Mother waddles into the room, “Saint Save us Francis it smells like a butcher threw up down here. “ She then proceeds to clean up some of his empty Rockstar cans


“Mom I told you not to touch the man cave…now just leave the sandwich over there and get out, I am doing super important things here and me and grey fox cant be disturbed”


at least that is what is going on in my head



 

madskillz on 19 February 2009
mesoteto said:
I cant help but picture this as I read this blog

A fat white guy , probably mid thirties, sitting in front of his computer down in his “Man Cave” (which is in fact his mothers basement) happily typing this while stroking his cat Grey Fox. He Screams upstairs “mom make sure you cut of the crust from my grilled cheese or so help me its back to the home!”

Where upon his mother yells back down, “Francis don’t you take that tone with me, I may be older now but I can still take you out back and beat the snot out of your hide…..do you hear me young man” “yes mother”, says Francis

He then steps away from the computer disturbing the air around him and causing wafting smells of old spice and old beef to spread about his “Man Cave”

“Hey Grey Fox”, exclaims Francis, “how about we log into Home as a girl and dance around until a bunch of guys show up...and then we will switch to a guy avatar and be all like….Ohh I powned you noob…man I am so cool”

Francis Mother waddles into the room, “Saint Save us Francis it smells like a butcher threw up down here. “ She then proceeds to clean up some of his empty Rockstar cans


“Mom I told you not to touch the man cave…now just leave the sandwich over there and get out, I am doing super important things here and me and grey fox cant be disturbed”


at least that is what is going on in my head

LOLz. You left out the dozen jelly-filled donuts, dread.

 



Criminal916 on 19 February 2009

Sure.Microsoft has money.



DirtyP2002 on 19 February 2009

We are Talking about exclusives. the customer does not care if the game he wants to play is a 3rd or a 1st party exclusive!

I said it some weeks ago and I will repeat it right now. MS will go to 3rd party developers (like Bethesda as an example) and say: "develop a game for the Xbox360, here are 15 million USD, additionally you will get 3USD for every game sold. The franchise belongs to us" Bethesda will be fine with that, I guess. MS will do the same with a lot of other developers out there. Square Enix (Infinite Undiscovery) was just the beginning. This is MUCH more efficient than running your own 1st party studios.

Killzone 2 was in development for more than 4 years. Running a studio for 4 years and paying everybody working there from the head-designer to the doorman is not cheap. Of course the studio / Sony has not seen one cent of revenue for 4 years.

Pretty much the same with GT5. But GT5:p created some revenue.

And as soon as MS thinks they don't have not enough exclusive content, they simply make orders for exclusive games, like I described earlier. That is much cheaper and faster than starting a studio, looking for good developers, pay them (maybe buy them from other developers), get the facility etc.



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