Exclusives are not the blight of the gaming industry, here's why

Some argue that making games exclusive to a single platform is stifling the game industry. Here's a different perspective..

[WalterWJR]

Never heard anyone argue that exclusives are the blight of the industry.

[lord zaid]

Thats a first for me to.

[nix]

Exclusive content are. Exclusives aren't. i think that's what they want to say, i'm guessing.

[ZodTheRipper]

I think that timed/temporary exclusives (like Titanfall, PvZ: Garden Warfare) are... spending money for marketing advantages instead of actual game development is "a blight" of this industry.

[HanCilliers]

I've heard it after the Destiny PS4 deals exclusives were announced.

[plut0nash]

I concur. Sour grapes from gamers more than anything else.

[DARK WITNESS]

exclusive games are not.... exclusive content that really ads nothing at all to the game at all is, in my opinion.

If you are going to do exclusive content, at least make it worth while.

Timed exclusive is even worse though. I really and I mean really don't see the point to that at all. It's only a hook for people who have no patience at all.

exclusive games are the reason I own both systems and it's the best reason to own both systems, but I wish timed exclusive content would just go away.

[plut0nash]

I don't think timed exclusives work either. At least on a large scale. Most people are willing to wait for a release on their own platform.

[DARK WITNESS]

agree, as in timed exclusive games you mean?

[plut0nash]

Yes Timed exclusive games, like Limbo's creator's new game. It's disappointing to see that but there was some kind of benefit for them to push the game onto Xbox One first. Still, it gives people an idea whether the game will be any good.

[Mikelarry]

"Timed exclusive is even worse though. I really and I mean really don't see the point to that at all. It's only a hook for people who have no patience at all"

the only logical analysis is because if its coming out on multi-console the platform holder has to find ways to entice the consumer to get it on their platform rather than the competition understandable from that point of view but still very annoying fad that needs to die a horrible death

[DARK WITNESS]

I think there is more of a benefit for developers because they can focus on developing for one platform first and then the other platform after.

From that point of view I can understand it.

As a gamer and consumer though, it does nothing for me. The platform holder still has to entice me either way because it's still the same content anyway.

If I know the same content is still coming out on my system of choice later on down the road, they are still not going to benefit because I will just hold out till it's on my platform of choice.

so there has to be something else on offer to entice me.

it's a really bad trend in my opinion and one I wish would stop

[DualWielding]

timed exclusives work, as long as you don't tell people they are timed... For example, Resident Evil Revelations on 3DS, it came some months after to other platforms but nobody knew it would... by the time the HD ports were announced it had already done its trick helping console sales

[DARK WITNESS]

@ ferthepoet

I don't think we are debating so much whether they work or not, more that fact that they are annoying.

I would say not telling or telling does not make as much difference now as it use to because people have noticed the pattern.

It's just generally not a business practice that a lot of gamers seem to like.

[KakashiHotake]

They use it as a tactical tool to be able to say they have the most exclusives, and whats worse is people actually believe that garbage. Microsoft and Sony are both guilty of this but Microsoft is the one who started it and is the worse by far.

[plut0nash]

It's clever, but pretty badly principled. A pet dislike of mine.

[DARK WITNESS]

Ya, it's even worse that people have not learned from the last generation.

I remember when I was a 360 fanboy (Yes I really was many many moons ago) and I was telling my friends how awesome oblivion, Bioshock and all those games were. My friends would be like "Ill wait till it comes out on ps3" and I would be like it's xbox only mate... little did I know... 6 months later, a year later.. boom all those games I was shouting about crossed over.

Don't get me wrong there were games on the PS that I thought would never cross over so both sides got their share.

What really annoys me though is when the devs are sooo adamant that a game is going to stay exclusive, like no.. it's not going to happen and then boom!

now I know better. Unless the IP is owned by fist party or its been published by sony/MS, anything else is fair game!

Even when a game is being published by sony/ms, if the IP is not owned by them, there are still ways it may cross over to another console. My favorite example of this is what happened with Ninja Gaiden + Ninja Gaiden Black exclusive = Ninja Gaiden Sigma on ps3. At the time I was like WTF!! How!!? but there you go, anything is possible I guess.

[KakashiHotake]

@DARK WITNESS, Ninja Gaiden Sigma was a perfect example. At the time all I played was Playstation but one of the games I always coveted on Xbox was Ninja Gaiden. I remember seeing my friends play it on the 1st Xbox and my mouth would water. You couldn't imagine how happy I was when I saw Sigma coming to PS3. Infact Sigma was my 1st game on PS3 ( that and Resistance Fall of Man ) and was basically a system seller for me and even now still one of my all time favorites.

I see the same thing happening with Titan Fall. Which I'm curious how the public will react cause there's a lot of strong feelings surrounding that game and it ain't all positive.

[zsquaresoff]

Exclusives are the main reason why I and many others have preferred Playstation over Xbox.

[plut0nash]

Fair point. Those exclusives were amazing too. KZ2, KZ3, TLOU and uncharted were all great titles. Great way to sell a console imo.

[zsquaresoff]

Not forgetting the original God of war. That's the game that made me decide on a ps2.

[LordMaim]

Don't forget Metal Gear Solid 4. That's one that still rankles a lot of Xbox 360 owners.

[ShaunCameron]

I bought my PS3 for Ratchet & Clank really. But God Of War III was memorable.

[HoldenZA]

I'm on the other side of that fence. I really liked the Xbox exclusives like Gears of War and Halo

[LordMaim]

Its funny that Microsoft only bought the Gears of War IP from Epic after Mark Rein joked with Adam Boyes about playing a match and the internet exploded with rumors about GoW coming to PS4. That kind of irked me at the time.

[HanCilliers]

Yip, and that's the other side of the argument, a LOT of people do as you

[Seafort]

I think 1st party exclusives are fine as both consoles need their AAA exclusive game but I think that 3rd party exclusives are a blight on the industry.

There is no reason to lock down a game which comes from 3rd parties to one console other than lack of 1st party exclusives. Timed exclusives are just as bad as well as timed or exclusive DLC.

Both console owners do it. I just don't see the point apart from pissing off customers that don't have access to that specific exclusive content.