Sony clarifies platform exclusivity preferences
In-game content tied to PS3 is preferable to wholly-specific titles, says platform holder
Sony has shed some light on its thinking around platform exclusives, noting its preference to see specific in-game content tied to its PlayStation 3 platform, rather than locking down entire games.
That's according to Scott McCarthy, senior PlayStation software brand manager, who told ScrawlFX that ring-fencing a game for just one platform can limit overall sales - something the hardware manufacturer is reluctant to do for third-party publishers.
"We work very closely with our third-party publishers, not necessarily to lock down games exclusively, but to lock up exclusive parts of games," he explained. "A good example is Batman: Arkham Asylum, where you could only play as the Joker on PlayStation 3.
"When you make a title exclusive, you limit its promotional power; we don't want to do that. We want games to be as big as possible - it's great for the industry.
"However, we want to make sure that you play it on the best system possible, so we like to take parts of games and make them exclusive to the PlayStation system."
It's a change of policy from the PlayStation 2 days, when Sony-exclusive third party franchises included Grand Theft Auto and Final Fantasy - both of which have since made the jump to multi-platform.
One the highest profile content exclusives in the last few months for Sony was a deal with Ubisoft on Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, with the Copernicus Conspiracy containing new missions for gamers on the PS3 platform.
But Microsoft has also reportedly spent a considerable amount of money following a similar line, securing exclusive DLC for Grand Theft Auto IV, as well as timed exclusives for Call of Duty: Black Ops.