How important are exclusives

[Shaissa]

With this generation and next generation of console gaming, it has occurred to me that many companies are stopping the support of only one system and are jumping to doing multiple platforms. Square Enix's Final Fantasy XV and Kingdom Hearts III are both going be multiple systems, Metal Gear Solid V is going be on multiple systems, the list can go on.
The only company that seems to be able to keep the exclusives is Nintendo as long as they are in the console wars that is, for they own almost all of them, Mario, Donkey Kong, Kirby, etc. etc.


So in this generation, next generation, and future generations of gaming, how important do you think exclusives will become? Will the few "big" exclusives be enough to sell a system, or will it just become a race for who can present the games better?

For me as long as Playstation has most of the RPG's that I want, I feel like I will stick with them, (granted this generation was the first generation I didn't buy all consoles, the Xbox360.) I just feel like Microsoft will cater to the action gamers more, like the FPS people and so on, for those are the companies and games they are seeming to support.

In the end I feel like exclusives will become a bigger deal as more companies stray away from doing just exclusives.

What do you think? Exclusives going to matter more or will it come down to the "better quality" of games like Call of Duty, Metal Gear Solid, and all the others that are multiform.

 

[Sheechiibii]

I really think it depends on what exclusives there are. There only needs to be one big one and it will influence sales. I know that many of the people who are going to get the Xbox One are doing so purely because of Halo. They don't like the system, but they don't want to miss out on that one game. I know if Final Fantasy XV was only on one system, I'd have to buy that system. I actually think that a few bigger exclusives matter more than lots of smaller ones. But I really think it will depend how well each system does, which way the gaming companies go with future games. If one system well outsells the other, then I would assume there will then be more exclusives for that platform.

 

[Linnaete]

I think if Sony manages to hold a good number of third-party exclusives, then it will be a remarkable job well done to them. It's Microsoft who is going to be the behemoth with the deep pockets showering big dollars to as many developers and publishers as they can for the Xbone exclusives. At the same time, they will offer just as much money if it means delivering what they claim to be a better service, and better features. Expect to see, particularly as Microsoft gets more and more desperate, a plethora of exclusive features for Xbone versions of games, or at the very least, timed exclusives.

Do I really care at the moment? Not really. I didn't really make a fuss about some of Sony's lost third-party exclusives - a wee bit of a shame for them, I am sure. I suppose that was to be expected. Sony wasn't about to keep tugging the moving locomotive by the rear buffers like Microsoft would. But if it widens the field for more people to enjoy a game, then I've no reason to campaign against that. None of the Xbone exclusives scream "I must purchase this!" - Insomniac's Sunset Overdrive can be great and I wouldn't care. I've known them for their Spyros and Ratchet and Clanks, and with what they've been doing lately, they're dead to me anyway.

I think the only time I will be disappointed is if the PC gets a great exclusive, or if the game is not available for the system I own. I've always wanted to get The Witcher 2 because it does look fantastic, and it's lauded as a definitive RPG, but it's only available for the 360 and PC. I wasn't going to open my purse for a 360, and though I would love to own a decent PC rig, it's not on the cards at the moment. As for the Wii U, I have a vague interest in Bayonetta 2, Wind Waker HD, the next Zelda, and unless Monolith drops the ball, X. I'm just not sure if I want to dip for a Wii U though, unless it's really, really cheap. Sure, Nintendo consistently delivers on the exclusives, but it's virtually the same things ad infinitum, but with more glitz and the most minimal of new ideas.

 

[Rapture]

I really don't care about exclusivity on the consoles anymore because I realized long ago that I wasn't going to cry myself to sleep or put myself into a permanent state of depression if I couldn't play the Gears of War or Halo series. Microsoft can keep it's highly stylized action-heavy FPS's, I've never been wowed by them in the past, and for the price of their retarded new console, I surely don't plan to be in the future.

I am a bit shocked to see SE moving XV and KH to the Xbone though. I just don't see the market for them there. I have no clue how well XIII and XIII-2 sold on the 360 though

Oh well, it's all about money for any company nowadays. I don't believe the exclusivity of certain titles for certain consoles is going to remain in effect for very long, yeah it might boost the sales of one console or another depending on how much one desires a certain title over another, but in reality I'm sure the game companies will get a bigger boost on their investments if they don't stay exclusive to just one console.

Or you can just be fortunate enough to be grossly rich and get both, like I'm sure some people will

 

[The Welsh Paddy]

I'd say exclusives would be incredibly important to Xbone because of their crack down on used games. Myself personally, I'm not all that fussed. Of the Xbone and PS4, it will be the PS4 that I eventually get, and the games I'm excited for on that console are apparently non-exclusives. I've already gone a few generations of missing out on games because of not having a certain console, and I haven't made a fuss about it then, nor would I ever to be perfectly honest.

 

[Ewan]

I think exclusives will matter more when people are thinking about buying a console, I reckon most people will just get one console so it makes sense to buy the one with the exclusives you want. I think they matter less later, if the 360 had released an awesome game I wanted to play it wouldn't matter because I've already invested in so much with my PS3, I wouldn't switch just for one or two games, these things are expensive.

Exclusives will probably always exist in some form because Microsoft, Nintendo and Sony etc are always going to want to get one over the other, but like you said, many exclusive games are becoming multi-platform like Metarru Gia Sorrido and Massu Effectu. Probably for business reasons, but I also like to think that developers want more people playing their games that they are passionate about, although I realise that is probably quite naive. I'm not always a miserable bastard.

 

[ff1-10]

I really think it depends on what exclusives there are. There only needs to be one big one and it will influence sales. I know that many of the people who are going to get the Xbox One are doing so purely because of Halo. They don't like the system, but they don't want to miss out on that one game. I know if Final Fantasy XV was only on one system, I'd have to buy that system. I actually think that a few bigger exclusives matter more than lots of smaller ones. But I really think it will depend how well each system does, which way the gaming companies go with future games. If one system well outsells the other, then I would assume there will then be more exclusives for that platform.

I agree with this. The only reason why I ever bought gaming systems/handhelds were/are because of FF, even if it was for one game. I remember back in the PS2 days, I relied on using my brother's PS2 to play games but then it broke down and he never bought another one. I never played FF10 and I wanted to, so I solely bought a PS2 for that, with the bonus of getting some other RPG's back and being able to play them. I, too, will DEFINITELY purchase a PS4 just for FF15 if it receives raving reviews and the approval of fans who know what an FF should be and feel like (like the old ones). So that shows that big titles really do matter in selling systems. Smaller, but well-made games could also sell them. Like, for me, I'm thinking of buying a 3DS if SE gives us Bravely Default: Flying Fairy. But WHY am I interested? Because it seems like FF, the bigger title that I like and prefer much more. And also because it is on a smaller system that is cheaper, reasonable for my liking toward it.

I'm not sure if this is silly, but notice how I said I'm buying the PS4 for FF15 even though it's not a Sony exclusive. I prefer it that way because it's been an FF tradition for so long and, to me, Sony means a variety of different genres of games, while "Xbone" seems to have only mostly shooting and hard-core action games. I'm more of an RPG gamer willing to try only really good hard-core'ish ones, but I'm not big on them, so I'll just stick to a console that will offer me a bit of everything. So that means it also depends on which audience the console/handheld is targeting. Also, supposedly Sony always has the better graphics, but I WOULD actually prefer playing games on the Xbox as the graphics seem to appear brighter, lighter, happier and for those reasons, better looking on screen.

 

[Tyler Breeze]

I've had to deal with this exclusive bullshit before, and I had to go with either WWE '13 on Xbox 360 with better CAW creators, or FF, KH, and WWE '13 on PS3, with less impressive CAWs. I went with the 360 and I regret that dearly. Now I have to miss out on KH 1.5. I don't think it was worth it to go with 360 only because of the better CAWs. So next gen, I'm gonna get the PS4. I'll still get my WWE games, plus whatever SE puts on the PS4 also. There aren't really any exclusives I play, like my Dad. He plays L4D, which I believe is an Xbox exclusive. So for that reason, he's gonna stick with Xbox One for potential future L4D releases. I guess it all comes down to what you like. I'm lucky that I like games that aren't exclusive to one console, while Dad isn't as lucky. As for how important they are, I'd say they're important. It's like Sheechiibii said, it could be only one game that somebody wants to play, that'll convince them to get the console.

 

[Paddy McGee]

Personally, exclusives influenced my purchase of a PS3. I primarily wanted MGS 4, and it's only available for that console...


However, I'm much better informed nowadays compared to when I was younger. My choice of console won't be decided by the selection of games anymore. It's more about personal preference. I just happen to like using Sony hardware, which is why I'll be leaning towards that direction. The games I usually play nowadays are multi platform- MGS, FF, Assassin's Creed etc. So I won't be exactly missing out on much, imo.

Plus, I'm definitely going to have a friend or two with the other console... So, if I'm near-fatally in need of playing- say- the next Halo, I'll just pop over to them.

 

[Sir Kenneth]

Totally unimportant if you ask me. If you go back to the days before the PS3 and the 360, then yes, you could definitely make an argument for the importance of exclusive titles. Back then each console had a distinctive selection of games you weren't likely to see on any other platform. Today, more or less everything is multiplatform unless it is made by a studio owned by the console manufacturer.

It's great though, now we can focus on getting the superior hardware instead. The Playstation 2 for example, was pretty underpowered compared to the Xbox and the GameCube. It also wasn't the most stable system in the world and the disc drive gave up quite easily. Yet a lot of people, including myself, thought it was the superior system because of the staggering selection of games it had compared to the competitors.