‘the success of our console’- the reason behind FFXIII on 360, states Microsoft
August 8, 2008 | Filed under Gaming, Sony Playstation 3, Xbox 360
A fresh interview has appeared from E3 in which Xbox global marketing director Albert Pennello has stated that the company has not used any ‘behind the scenes’ tactics to secure FFFXIII on the 360, but instead commented on the success of their console being the main factor.
“I think a lot of people assume a lot of things about why Square made that announcement,” he said, talking in MundoRare. “I think the most obvious reason that they made the announcement is just looking at the success of our console. I mean, we’re the leading console on a worldwide basis; we’re more than double the install base on the US.
“I actually think it’s a great partnership. Square has done games for us in the past, and I think there’s a point where Square just has to look at the Xbox 360, the install base and attach rates that we’re seeing and actually has to make a decision on their own that it’s the right thing to do for them.
“So, I think people make a lot of assumptions about what they read or the rumours that go around, but the reality of a lot of this is that we’re doing very well, we have a great install base, we have passionate gamers like you guys that buy a lot of games, and a publisher like Square can’t ignore that.
“I think it’s easy to assume that something’s going on behind the scenes, I think the more obvious answer is we’re doing really well and the game creators want their games to be where the most people and the most consoles [are], and right now that’s the Xbox 360.”
You can’t argue with his comments in relation to the success of the Xbox360, However hearing more details on how Square handed over its exclusive rights with Sony, is not something PS3 gamers want to keep reading about.
Head on over to Videogaming247 to watch the video.
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Surely the leading console on any basis is the Wii..?
It’s also funny that they do not mention that there is a global contract concerning the exclusives such as Infinite Undiscovery and The Last remnant, which includes also FFXIII going multiplat.
Surely MS are smart enough to realize that if it was only a Market based decision, the decision to go with a 360 version wouldn’t have been a last minute one, and FF Versus XIII would logically fall under the same premisces, which it doesn’t.
MS is lying by omition. There wasn’t a money deal for FFXIII exclusively, but there was indeed a big one for several titles, including FFXIII, and coming from a video game informer, the amount of $$ involved was nothing less than staggering.
So what if money was involved? It’s business, just like the rumored $400 million Sony paid Warner and the others to end the HD format war. I guess if Sony does it it’s ok, if MS does it they’re evil.
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again…Screw Microsoft. I’ve been complaining about their inhouse studios and a sudden lack of “true exclusives’ recently. I have all three consoles, so I really shouldn’t complain, but I like exclusives for no other reason than I don’t have to choose buying a game on one console or the other…exclusives make that decision for me. More important to other people is that Microsoft’s and Sony’s true exclusives usually make the other company try to best them with their own games (Forza vs GT-Prolouge for example) and results in better games for us consumers.
For a while it seems that Microsoft has sent their inhouse studios on holidays and rather than producing 360 true exclusive they are just buying the ‘Multi-Platform’ status of previous Sony exclusives I’m all down with FFXIII, but why concede that FFis the RPG out there?! Why do they need to cherry pick Sony when they could have easily started development of their own RPG a year before the 360’s release date…but did they? No.
I don’t know why so many people seem to think that having Microsoft, Sony & Nintendo competing is good for consumers but fail to see that there are not a he!! of a lot of good game developers/publishers. Sure, hardware will be competetive, but what about software? Most games that come out that do well are made into a franchise….which isn’t all that bad, but they are franchises that started on earlier platforms and recreated on the new-gen consoles; p!sses me off to no end.
I know that Microsoft has a bank account bigger then most third world countries, so why don’t they start another inhouse gaming studio and start competing with EA, Ubisoft, Midway or even directly compete with Sony’s studios so we have a better selection of games and each developer has more incentive to start pumping out GREAT QUALITIES GAMES all year round, rather than leave us waiting for one great game every four months?!
The gaming industry would really benefit from more studios to create an even more competative environment, rather than have EA repackage Madden every year, or let Midway get away with have some of the worst server troubles in the industry. Oh well, it’s not going to happen so I guess we all have to feign our enthusiasm for Mircosoft and Sony buying each other’s exclusives while innovation in the indusry is nowhere to be found these days.
**Stop fanboyism; hang yourself**