So according to Kotaku, Germany’s Xbox 360 product manager Boris Schneider-Johne says exclusives aren’t as important anymore.
I dunno what he actually says since the interview is in German. “What we see today is that the influence of exclusive titles on the sales curves becomes ever smaller…Now Sony makes its own games for the [PS3] console, we make our own games for the [Xbox 360] console. The titles are exclusive, as they are also attempts [to] turn out the best of the console, but someone like Electronic Arts or Activision can have a business model of rarely developing for a console exclusively. Therefore, the exclusive title is a little less important.”
This guys lumps the PS3 into the mix, but really, the only one who doesn’t need exclusives is Microsoft. Sony does. Microsoft have got themselves into a rosy situation this gen, while Sony are pretty much fucked. What happens is that when a game isn’t an exclusive (which is most of them), it’s Microsoft that benefits. I have all of the consoles, but when a game is multi-platform, chances are I’ll get the game on the 360. They tend to work better on it, have the same or better graphics, xbox live is miles better than PSN, it has achievements (though Sony is now starting to copy this, like they do with everything) and most of my friends get the 360 version. What does the PS3 version have going for it? Nothing, aside from the dualshock being better than the 360 controller. And for the average gamer, add to that the fact that the 360 is cheaper than the PS3.
So when a game is multiplatform, people are going to get the 360 version. This is great news for Microsoft. It basically means they have to do shit all and they’ll still win. But Sony is in a tragic situation in which they absolutely need exclusives if they hope to have any chance. It’s the only way to validate the PS3. So how are they going to get themselves out of this hole they’ve dug into? I don’t think it’s possible anymore at this point. Unless they can make the PS3 grill burgers. Then they might be able to turn it around.
So no, what’s-your-name. I’ma call you Josh. Exclusives are still important. Just not if you’re Microsoft.