US, January 21, 2010 - Epic Games vice president Mark Rein has responded to criticisms from Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter over the exclusivity deal surrounding the Gears of War franchise.
When talking about the longevity of third-party, exclusive titles on a recent episode of GTTV's Bonus Round, Pachter believed Epic Games was regretful for signing a long term exclusive deal with Microsoft, saying the Gears of War franchise could have been even bigger had it appeared in PlayStation 3 as well.
"I think the Epic guys can't wait until they can start doing multiplatform games," Pachter said. "I think that Microsoft has a contract to make sure that they get [Gears of War 3], but I think Epic regrets signing the contract."
"You're up to 11 million PS3s in the U.S. and probably a similar number in Europe. You've got a 20 million addressable market with a game like Gears of War? That thing would easily sell three or four million on the PS3. That's a lot of profit," he added.
When asked for comment, Epic Games VP Mark Rein stated the company is comfortable with its current situation with Microsoft.
"We have a great relationship with Microsoft and we have no regrets,' Rein told IGN this afternoon.
In the same segment, Pachter also stated he believed the only games that will remain exclusive going forward after all the current contracts expire are first-party titles.
http://uk.xbox360.ign.com/articles/106/1062787p1.html
