It looks to me like Microsoft left an opportunity for 3rd party publishers to excell in early 2009 on the 360.  Other than Halo Wars there really aren't any major MS published titiles for the first 6 months of 2009.

Seems like it was an oportunity wasted by 3rd party developers, especially in the action/shooter game department, for not releasing exclusive software on the 360.

My reasons for thinking this:

- Everyone knows 360 sells software. And one way to make your title a "must play" is to announce it as an exclusive for a console. Also, announcing that a title is a console exclusive usually tends to push the sales on that perticular console. Anyone that wants to play Halo, has to play it on the 360 right...they cant get the PC version.

- PS3 seems to be delivering a steady amount of first party software in 2009. A lot of these games are action titles and sales of 3rd party games such as FEAR 2 and Chronicles of Riddick show that maybe it wasn't the best decision to publish a ps3 version of those games and go against Sony exclusives.

- there is no point releasing 3rd paty exclusives after MS lets go of its big guns, I mean...you may as well try to put out a house fire by blowing on it if you think you will outsell Halo or Gears franchises.

Prototype is a perfect example. Sony is getting Infamous which from the initial reaction seems great. Why would the publisher of Prototype not want to make Prototype an xbox exclusive?

In doing so, they would create a rivalry which would boost sales. Also, they would save on porting costs for PS3. And finally, the dollars that xbox360 owners spend on games would more likely go to that game than some other multiplatform action game like Wolverene or Wanted.

Any opinions on why we are not seeing more 3rd party exclusives on the 360?

You seriously don't think the sales of Prototype would make up for the port which they already have sunk cost.

you arent seeing them, because it isnt e3 yet.

Most have gone the way of the multiplatform.

They might have some announcements it is too soon to tell.

No I am not.

However Infamous was announced 19 months ago. Game development starts on a PC...and Im sure 19 months ago the PS3 port was not started.

It looks like MS invested mostly in downloadable content when you look at most of the well known games out in the last 2 quarters. I have a strange feeling that MS may not be getting as much return on investment as they would have liked and might be changing direction for the latter half of this year.

GTA4: TLAD
All 3 DLC of Fallout 3
2 DLC of Fable 2
Halo Wars
Star Ocean TLH

I think Microsoft is trying to make profits now. They have a 30 million installed base thats growing 30% YOY. There just letting the 360 do its thing now. Make MONEY!

Don't get me wrong here.

I am not crying that 360 owners don't have anything to play. Infact its the oposite. I have just finished with Outrun and will move on to Banjo and Virtual On...and thats just xbox live.

RE5, Riddick, GTA4 DLC...lots of action stuff.

But I jsut think it may be a missed opportunity for 3rd party publishers. I mean Square did SO4...but thats not xboxs main demographic. Action games is what sells best.

In my opinon, following games should have been 360 exlusives...from a business point of view.

Prototype
Chronicles of Riddick
FEAR2 (PC and 360)

I do find it rather interesting as well for most of the reasons you listed. There hasn't been any real 1st party threats to the 3rd parties on 360 this year and I figured they would want to jump all over that.

One thing I think is that MS needs to enlarge its 1st party studios for sure. At the moment it just seems kinda small to me.