E3 console exclusivity confusion

4 June 2009

Every year at E3, Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo face off and make their big announcements, with the obvious goal from each company being to trump the announcements of the competition. While much of the year is shrouded in secrecy, characterized by a slow trickle of rumors and announcements, the first four days of June see the three manufacturers showing their cards.

One of the most coveted accolades is that of the console exclusives. Every year after the dust settles and announcements have been made, the media sits back and reflects upon which console has the best post E3 console exclusive game line up.

This year things have been a bit confusing, and here is why:

Final Fantasy Online XIV Sony exclusivity?

On Tuesday Sony announced at it E3 press conference that Square Enix is working on Final Fantasy XIV for release next year, and that it would be coming exclusively to the PS3.

Square Enix was fairly quick to respond, stating that the title will not necessarily be a Sony exclusive and that they are “considering all options”.

The game was always planned for PC, and therefore was never going to be a true exclusive to any console.

What Sony should have said when it claimed that the new Final Fantasy would be an exclusive to the PS3, is that it is currently only in development for the PS3 and PC. However Square Enix seems open to the idea of developing the game for the Xbox 360.
While Final Fantasy XIV may well end up being a PS3 exclusive, at this point making such a claim is definitely premature. Microsoft has said nothing on the matter.

Metal Gear Solid Rising Xbox 360 exclusivity

On Monday Microsoft announced that the Xbox 360 would finally be getting a taste of the Metal Gear Franchise, which has until now always been exclusive to Sony’s consoles. This lead many to jump to the conclusion that Metal Gear Solid Rising would be an Xbox 360 exclusive.

Sony announced yesterday that Metal Gear Solid Rising will also be coming to the PS3. According to Sony, it will be released on both console platforms on the same day. It is therefore in no way an exclusive to either console.

Multiplatform wins again

While many fanboys argue vehemently for their chosen console using the argument that they have better exclusives, the truth of the matter is that the vast majority of games will be released on both the Xbox 360 as well as the PS3.

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