Announced at the Sony E3 2009 press conference, Take-Two’s Agent is an “ultimate action title” developed exclusively for the PlayStation 3 by Rockstar Games. While exclusive third-party titles are typically seen as a thing of the past, the GTA giant had vivid justification to make the project a PS3 exclusive.
“At this phase in the cycle, when you’re trying to launch a new franchise, exclusivity can really help you launch the franchise. It can give you the kind of platform that you need to start exclusive, start in the right kind of way with the right kind of partner. Exclusivity does work,” said president of Take-Two, Ben Feder”
We certainly cannot argue with this logic. Sure, being multiplatform gives a game access to a larger install base but there’s littler guarantee that it’ll be a success, particularly since it’s a new IP. Even now, there’s still debates over whether franchises like Metal Gear Solid would have done as well as they did if they weren’t PS3 exclusives.
However, there is a positive aspect to only choosing one platform to concentrate on. The development team can literally double their efforts by focusing strictly on one platform, rather than spreading them over two. Being exclusive also ensures support from the platform holder, including advertising support.
Ben Feder of Take-Two expressed why he believes Agent will benefit from being a PS3 exclusive:
“I have a lot of confidence in Sony. I have a lot of confidence in their ability to lead the market, as they always have. Their console is a terrific platform to be developing for, and Agent is a great testament as to our belief in what that platform can do, and what they can do with us as part of a partnership.”
Since Feder believes that this is only the beginning of this generation, it is obvious that Take-Two believes Sony still has time to, and will, end up being the leader of this generation.
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