(please excuse the mess as we are updating the theme and features for our 12th Anniversary and had to put things in a basic state while we work.)
PlayStation 4 owners had a lot to be encouraged over during the recent conference by Sony at E3 2014. The company unleashes a slew of impressive looking exclusives as they outline their plans for the near future to eager members of the press as well as numerous fans following online throughout the world. While the news of the new Uncharted game was a very welcome if albeit not entirely unexpected announcement, Deep Down, Little Big Planet 3, and Bloodborne, was very good news for fans looking forward to new exclusives for the system.
However despite the silver lining there are areas of concern that have emerged for fans. The Order 1886 which was expected to be a massive exclusive heading into the vital holiday shopping season has been delayed until 2015 leaving Little Big Planet 3 is the most notable exclusive heading into the holiday season.
I am well aware the extremely impressive list of third-party titles that are coming to the system not the least of which is Destiny which will have PlayStation exclusive content into 2015 giving it a leg up on the Xbox systems. However for gamers like myself it is all about the exclusives as I still prefer to play the ball of my games on the PC so I need to have solid AAA titles coming for my system on a regular basis.
When the holiday season rolls around, it will mark the one-year anniversary for the system and discounting launch titles, Infamous: Second Son has been the biggest name exclusive to date for the system. While 2015 certainly appears to have plenty to look forward to I do have to ask if system owners are being asked to show more patience than should be expected when it comes to exclusive titles for the systems.
While a remastered version of The Last of Us is great news, Xbox One has Sunset Overdrive and The Master Chief Collection coming for the Fall and coupled with the recent price drop of the system, this could allow Microsoft to cut into the lead that Sony has built up for overall console sales.
Timing is everything in business and while I applaud Sony for not rushing titles to market and taking the time to ensure that they are done correctly, I would certainly like to see a little more options available for me in terms of exclusive content. I think the pending Infamous DLC which will reportedly not require Second Son is a very nice step in the right direction as it certainly will give gamers something to tide them over.
Sony recently admitted that their sales have been hampered by an inability to keep up with demand for the system which is certainly a good problem to have in most respects. Looking at the projected launches for 2015, it appears that they have a strategy of selling as many units as they can during the holiday season with their impressive list of third party titles and the promise of the impressive list of exclusives to come in 2015.
The big question is that will gamers be content to wait for the big guns and 2015 and bide their time with the current offerings for will Microsoft reap the rewards from having two high-profile exclusives releasing in the fall?
