Sony Invests in Bigger Picture
With the recent announcement of the formerly exclusive Grand Theft Auto IV DLC coming to the PlayStation 3, exclusivity has been called into question. With roughly $50 million dollars spent by Microsoft for only 1-year of exclusivity on the content, the difference in strategy between both Microsoft and Sony have become as apparent as ever. While both strategies could be considered successful to this point, gaming enthusiasts are heavily impacted by these corporate decisions.
On one hand, Sony has had a strong history of deeply involving first-party studios such as Insomniac and Naughty Dog. On the other hand, Microsoft has been pushing hard to secure multi-platform titles from other platforms and also have notoriously spent millions on both exclusive and timed-exclusive titles. When asked about exclusivity after the Grand Theft Auto IV DLC was announced as exclusive on the Xbox 360 more than a year ago, Sony Computer Entertainment UK director Ray Maguire replied with the following:
“One thing to remember, nothing is ever exclusive. Things get wrapped up for a period of time for a large amount of money and if it’s a strategic decision by competition to do that then we have to live with that.”
Now that time has passed and big titles such as Grand Theft Auto IV DLC and Bioshock have eventually made their way to the PlayStation 3, it seems like exclusivity has become a thing of the past. Although first-party studios have truly remained exclusive for obvious reasons, third-party titles have quickly shifted to other platforms.
When asked about Sony’s business strategies, Ray Maguire added the following:
“Obviously, what we have to do is make sure that our business plan is adhered to and we have the amount of money to invest in games rather than investing in stopping other people making games and progressing. So I would much rather that we were investing money into making sure that we’ve got great R&D and we start producing games like LittleBigPlanet, rather than paying other people a huge amount of money to stop people playing their product.”
With unprecedented first-party line-ups in recent years, it seems that so far Sony hasn’t been swayed by the recent business climate. With blockbuster games such as The Last Guardian, Heavy Rain, God of War 3 and arguably the most anticipated title this generation Gran Turismo 5 scheduled for this year, the late release of timed-exclusive titles seems like just a speed bump rather than an obstacle. If history repeats itself as with Grand Theft Auto IV DLC and Bioshock, PlayStation owners across the globe will continue to be rewarded for patience while Sony invests their millions in the bigger picture.
[Source]
11 Responses to “Sony Invests in Bigger Picture”
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January 29th, 2010 at 8:12 PM
Dont Forget Mass Effect 2 is pretty much going to be on ps3 Sooner or later and Mass Effect 3 is almost a given to.
January 29th, 2010 at 11:44 PM
It’s simple…MS thinks they can buy the video game industry like they buy everything else and in so doing are screwing it up for everyone. They don’t care about quality (look at the original Xbox and the 360…mine has died 6 times and I know 7 people who also own a 360…and all of them have died).
They don’t care about innovation and they don’t care about the gamer. It’s about cash and control.
They want to be the next box top set in your living room. They want to be on the list of utility companies that you pay a monthly bill to. Zero rights for the consumer and complete control with zero responsibility for MS….and they’ll do whatever than can to achieve that goal no matter how dirty they have to get. I’m not saying Sony and Nintendo are saints but they have given more to the gaming community than most (not forgetting you old Sega either).
Sony and Nintendo both have a history of investing in the bigger picture and they support what they make. Sometimes it’s bitter fruit but most times it’s very tasty.
If you look at the fruit that grows on the mighty MS tree you will see it is full of worms and rotten.
January 30th, 2010 at 1:24 AM
Man, I know we bash on MS, but to hear it straight from a Sony rep is fan-tastic.
It gives me this warm, pleased feeling to see Sony rise from the ashes. This is the company that has incurred LOSS on every single ps3 system they have sold, and then doesn’t try to get money by paying off devs, but encourages them for their quality games.
Respect +5
January 30th, 2010 at 7:09 AM
“It’s simple…MS thinks they can buy the video game industry like they buy everything else and in so doing are screwing it up for everyone. They don’t care about quality (look at the original Xbox and the 360…mine has died 6 times and I know 7 people who also own a 360…and all of them have died).
They don’t care about innovation and they don’t care about the gamer. It’s about cash and control.
They want to be the next box top set in your living room. They want to be on the list of utility companies that you pay a monthly bill to. Zero rights for the consumer and complete control with zero responsibility for MS….and they’ll do whatever than can to achieve that goal no matter how dirty they have to get. I’m not saying Sony and Nintendo are saints but they have given more to the gaming community than most (not forgetting you old Sega either).
Sony and Nintendo both have a history of investing in the bigger picture and they support what they make. Sometimes it’s bitter fruit but most times it’s very tasty.
If you look at the fruit that grows on the mighty MS tree you will see it is full of worms and rotten”
I’m putting this down because from the first day i was told that Microsoft was entering the games industry THIS was my view on the matter, MS will suck the life out of it and will only wish to stunt the progress of other companies by just pissing all over them. Who’s the better company morally?
Microsoft with their bullying methods or Sony who just wants to make games? I know it’s only going to be a while intill they take over sony and nintendo and don’t tell me it won’t happen because there’s only way out way out. MICROSOFT GOING BANKRUPT.
It’s our white whale people. The 360 gamers don’t realise it but by supporting the 360 their supporting the further destruction of the games industry. Don’t get me wrong, I like competition more then the next guy but what i hate is when the competition starts cheating by paying off companies to only make for them.
Gears of war could have benefited a lot from being on the PS3 as it could have got enough money and Cliffy B would still be able to shout off he’s little whiney mouth about Gears 3. If MS decides that both consoles can exsist side by side sure i’ll be ok with them but at the moment their just using all their money to win and that’s just sad.
Oh well their the idiots who just spent 50 Million so that people like me can proof the lengths we’ll go to get a game on the PS3 and NOT the 360.
January 30th, 2010 at 8:31 AM
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! M$ and 360 – sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
January 30th, 2010 at 10:22 AM
hello …
LOL, these sure do bring some big issues.
1 thing to do SONY, don’t care about MS & continue the good work, if needed do it yourself like for the patch of Bayonetta, just let multiplat games for PS3 be developed by good studios, yours!
we PS3 owners will always support & now you have something very important to do to secure your system & your develper’s work …. get rid of that leaked exploit the lame hacker publised on the web & secure back that system
cheers!
January 30th, 2010 at 11:17 AM
I agree with alot said above with ms spoiling it by pumping money in!
Didn’t Sony do that over Blu-Ray/HD-DvD though? I must admit Sony are really starting to turn things around I maybe late getting a PS3 but pleased I did and haven’t played my 360 since getting it!
January 30th, 2010 at 1:00 PM
this is why I love Sony and hate Microsoft…and I hate to say it, and I am American, but Microsoft is representative of most big American companies. All they care about is money and who they can take out of business next, how little they can pay for labor, and how big of a bonus they will give their corporate execs. at the end of the year. The Japanese have a very different ethics system than us (if you take a Business Communications class you will learn about all the differences) and they seem to be motivated by completely different means. Do they still like making money? Of course, but they won’t step on someone elses toes to do it.
January 31st, 2010 at 12:46 AM
I’ll repost what I mentioned earlier on an article simliar to this.
“Microsoft has made a name for themselves alright and showed everyone in the gaming industry how timed exclusives are a WASTE OF TIME!!!! The moment I started seeing Sony loosing exclusives left and right, I figured “something has to be wrong” but then it didn’t take long to realize that Sony has something that Microsoft wont even come close to playing catch up too… and that’s an arsenal of first party development studios. So while Microsoft is blowing money out the wazoo with contract exclusivity deals, Sony is keeping their money and using it to fund TOP TIER AAA FIRST PARTY titles and then end up getting the timed exclusives that Microsoft spent money on top of that!
All I have to say is, by the end of this year, if there’s any Xbot fanboy who still wants to argue that the 360 had a better 2010 than Sony, their going to need a psychiatrist.”
January 31st, 2010 at 9:22 AM
what annoys me though is that most 360 fanboys don’t see that our problem with MS isn’t the games or the system or even XBOX Live but the way they treat gamers. There’s no point in me telling you guys this because you already feel the same way. I would like for MS to just invest in first party. Also if anything people shouldn’t be devoted to the publishers.
We should be devoted to the develepment studies, fuck sony they didn’t make resistance, INSOMNIAC DID! Sony didn’t make Infamous, SUCKER PUNCH DID! Microsoft didn’t make Halo, BUNGIE DID! Stop supporting the people who give out the money and support the people who actually make the games.
January 31st, 2010 at 2:53 PM
@Timewarp
Actually both Insomniac and Sucker Punch talked about how helpful Sony has been, and it’s also Sony’s help that comes into play when it comes to Advertising and Marketing. If you’ve read the article closely, it is up to Sony to back up the projects with major funding.