With the recent announcement from Sony that they have sold 20.2 million units of the PS4 world-wide the system continues to show support from the gaming community which have made it the top system in terms of sales ever since it launched.
Looking at the impressive numbers, this is something that will likely have huge ramifications for PS4 fans down the road as it is simply a number that is too large for any developers to ignore. Case in Point, Titanfall. Microsoft paid to keep it an Xbox exclusive and with the exception of the PC release, the game did not appear in any other format despite word that the developers wanted to put it on the PS4 after seeing how well that system was selling.
Now we get word that Titanfall 2 will be on the PS4 as well and that Microsoft is forced to try to do a timed launch deal, similar to what they do with DLC for Call of Duty in which they would get it first before it appears on their rival system.
This is a shift in how business is going to be done as companies will not be so eager to sign an exclusive deal as even with the understanding that some PS4 owners have an Xbox One, the numbers are so staggering that developers simply cannot afford to put all their eggs in one basket and exclude a huge segment of the gaming population.
Some will say Street Fighter V is an example of how this trend will not change, and if so, I can see that if thirds parties do exclusives, they may be more likely to look at Sony first now than in years past simply over pure numbers. While they may not want to do exclusives, a 20.2 million sales base does make it easier to be willing to look at Sony over Microsoft if one does go the exclusive route.
Going forward this means that the emphasis will have to be on internally developed exclusives as third party developers will not be so quick to go the exclusive route anymore.
We may also see a run on smaller developers as Microsoft and Sony attempt to bring them in house to ensure more exclusive content but the cost of doing this may be too prohibitive for this to become the norm.
In the end this is a win for gamers plain and simple as it means that they can look forward to more content for their PS4 system than ever before and with the announced release of the VR headset, Morpheus in 2016, a bolder and brighter future in gaming is ahead.
I very much doubt we are seeing the end of third party exlcsuives, rather I very much think it will be the oposite. Sony and MS need to difertiate each other as much as possible to remain competitive. No doubt we will see many more deals in the vein on Tomb Raider and Street Fighter V in the coming years.
Thank you. I edited it a bit as thanks to writing it up early this morning, I had to make some changes upon reflection. I meant to say fewer for Microsoft and more for Sony are more likely and possibly fewer overall.
If anything, we’re going to see more third party exclusives for the Xbox One now that they are basically merging Xbox with the PC (Windows 10 and DX12).
And like someone already said, MS has money where Sony is bleeding it from all orifices.
This is a poorly thought out article, sorry Gareth.
I think many people agree that 20.2 million is too large a market to ignore. MS. Has to address the fact that many games look better and run faster on the PS4 and must show Win 10 is a stable and viable OS. Win 8 was a bad offering and people will take a wait and see approach.
Money talks and bullshit (the Sony variety) walks and MS has addressed it very well with DX12, now it’s just the developers that need to make use of it and don’t continue to deliver half arsed ports. That’s the message I take away from all of what I’ve seen of gaming in the last 30 years.
I’m sorry for the PS POOR people that can’t afford to be a real gamer and afford multiple devices, but MS has the right strategy in combining with the PC, that will give them all the support they need. Windows 10 is already proving to be a very worthwile OS with their current public tests and there’s no wait and see approach you’re speaking of when you see the tester numbers MS is quoting.
I’m sorry, but having 70% more marketshare doesn’t mean anything and MS has the means to make it very hard for Sony even if they are selling more and have the support of all the crappy indies.
Then how do you explain Call of Duty PS outselling Xbox despite MS throwing millions at Activision for branding and first DLC releases? MS may have money and resources but that has not helped them gain much ground on the PS4. I have both by the way as do many of our staff at both main offices. MS dug a hole with their initial announcement and E3 reveal and have played catchup ever since. They thre tons if money out to keep Titanfall an exclusive property and failed.Yet several name publishers are doing 3rd party Sony exclusives. I am looking forward to DX12 fir my PC gaming but I need to see more about it on the Xbox One.
I’ll do it this way because there’s no reply button under your comment somehow (probably a bug in your script which you should check or it’s intended to avoid long trees IDK).
Yes, of course with more marketshare the software sales increase. You just made an article saying that thrid party exclusives would be disappearing because PS4 is hard to ignore, which is ludicrous as there are third party exclusives on the Xbox One as well and still being announced.
Elite Dangerous is launching on the Xbox One now and not on the PS4. This is what the One Windows strategy means, easy porting with low level access between all devices with that OS. If anything MS has an unrivaled ecosystem now and you’re going to see this happen more and more because PS4 needs more work.
I know you’re not a mindless and scared Sony drone like John Nemesh for example, but you should have thought this one out more. As long as the EDD doesn’t run massive losses for MS, they’re going to continue to spend on third parties and the exclusives will continue to come.
I will check with the code team on That. There will always be exclusive titles, I just think major third party exclusive titles will be less frequent going forward unless the gap in sales closes. Elite is a prime example, small developer taking money, thats good business. I do not see 2K, Activision, EA, etc being as willing currently to enter into exclusive deals. The main advantage is to gain cash to offset development costs which is why both companies snap up studios when able.
What you will find is that it will cost Microsoft MUCH, MUCH more to buy exclusivity. You will still see some developers choose Playstation exclusivity just because there is a larger installed base…ESPECIALLY in genres like JRPGS. If the developer isn’t American, there is a much higher chance of the Xbox being skipped altogether. MOST so-called “AAA” games will be multiplatform, but, like we saw in the PS2 era, you will still see FAR more games for the dominant console.
I think that pretty much sums it up as you underscored and highlighted all of the main points. I would love to know how much companies pay on average for an exclusive.
Fewer third party exclusives? Fewer for Microsoft maybe, but more likely there will be a lot MORE games like Street Fighter V, Final Fantasy X & X-2, Bloodborne and other huge third – party games going PS4 exclusive.
I can understand developers not wanting to keep their games as Xbox exclusive because the Xbox has been such a disastrous flop at retail they would lose a ton of money by missing out on the 20 million PS4 gamers out there. However the PS4’s superior install base is only going to encourage developers to work more closely with Sony.
You’re forgetting Megamoney (M$ as the poor Sony fanboy people write it) can buy whatever they want. They’re not poor dying $0N¥ (CWUTIDIDTHERE) that attracts all the low IQ people with lies and overhype in their add campaigns. You’re still going to see quite a few exlusives from third parties down the line.