Evangelion Unit-01
Master Chief
In light of the Avenger’s discussion and Final Fantasy rumor I’d like to have a larger discussion around paid exclusives. These are not first party titles like Halo, Uncharted, or Mario nor are they published exclusives from third parties like Ori, Dark Souls, and Bayonetta. These are instances when a platform holder pays a third party publisher for some form of exclusive content.
We have three types of exclusives:
Service/Store Exclusives: Games that are tied to a particular store or service but can still be played on other platforms. These can be service launches such as Destiny or Dragon Quest launching on Game Pass the same day they go up for sale. On the PC side this would include timed and permeant store exclusives, for example, Control which is only available on Epic Game Store. Finally, while we haven’t seen it yet, I do expect that at some point in the future we may see content that is exclusive to PSNow/Game Pass.
Timed Platform Exclusives: Timed exclusive games such as Final Fantasy VII Remake, Ghost Wire Tokyo, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Bioshock. This can also include timed DLC or in game content like the DLC for Control or the PS4 exclusive strikes and weapons in Destiny 1.
Permanent Platform Exclusives: This can include full games like Street Fighter V or in game content, like the Avengers Spiderman DLC. I would also use it to describe first party enhancements to games such as the Zelda sword and clothing items in Skyrim for Switch or the exclusive platform specific characters for Soul Calibur 2.
The short of it is, right or wrong, these deals are effective and have an impact on people’s purchasing habits. If someone was interested in Avengers they are now more likely to buy a PlayStation. This also makes them a potential PS+, PSNow, and MTX customer-Sony has effectively locked in a customer. This customer will likely generate digital revenue-all because of Spider-Man and some skins.
So GAF, what do you think about these deals? Is there a line when it comes to what is and is not appropriate to purchase exclusive rights for? Who has the better strategy? Is Sony too aggressive? Is MSFT too passive?
Please do not turn this into a console war-I want to have a real discussion about this. Look at this through an objective lens. I don’t care which console you like. This is not about you or your plastic box. This should be a discussion on the market as a whole.
We have three types of exclusives:
Service/Store Exclusives: Games that are tied to a particular store or service but can still be played on other platforms. These can be service launches such as Destiny or Dragon Quest launching on Game Pass the same day they go up for sale. On the PC side this would include timed and permeant store exclusives, for example, Control which is only available on Epic Game Store. Finally, while we haven’t seen it yet, I do expect that at some point in the future we may see content that is exclusive to PSNow/Game Pass.
Timed Platform Exclusives: Timed exclusive games such as Final Fantasy VII Remake, Ghost Wire Tokyo, Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Bioshock. This can also include timed DLC or in game content like the DLC for Control or the PS4 exclusive strikes and weapons in Destiny 1.
Permanent Platform Exclusives: This can include full games like Street Fighter V or in game content, like the Avengers Spiderman DLC. I would also use it to describe first party enhancements to games such as the Zelda sword and clothing items in Skyrim for Switch or the exclusive platform specific characters for Soul Calibur 2.
The short of it is, right or wrong, these deals are effective and have an impact on people’s purchasing habits. If someone was interested in Avengers they are now more likely to buy a PlayStation. This also makes them a potential PS+, PSNow, and MTX customer-Sony has effectively locked in a customer. This customer will likely generate digital revenue-all because of Spider-Man and some skins.
So GAF, what do you think about these deals? Is there a line when it comes to what is and is not appropriate to purchase exclusive rights for? Who has the better strategy? Is Sony too aggressive? Is MSFT too passive?
Please do not turn this into a console war-I want to have a real discussion about this. Look at this through an objective lens. I don’t care which console you like. This is not about you or your plastic box. This should be a discussion on the market as a whole.