“I wouldn’t say that platform exclusivity is a dead concept,” Capcom marketing VP Nique Fajors tells Next-Gen.
With hefty development costs and no single dominant leader in terms of installed base in this console war, the third-party exclusive seems to be a dying breed.
But there’s still room even in today’s industry for third-party platform exclusive titles, according to Capcom, as long as the title uses the hardware right and costs are reasonable.
“Exclusives are driven by gameplay functionality and cost,” Fajors told Next-Gen in a recent phone interview. “If you get your gameplay functionality and costs right, exclusivity can work.”
Capcom remains a big believer in multiplatform development, nonetheless. The game maker recently made waves by announcing the Xbox 360 million-seller Lost Planet is now on its way to PS3. Devil May Cry 4, once considered a big exclusive for PS3, is now also on its way to Xbox 360. A wide array of other publishers have brought franchises that were platform exclusive in previous generations across multiple platforms.
“We have so many viable options for development, and consumers have so many choices,” Fajors said, adding that it seems that consumers are becoming less loyal to one single platform.
“I can remember when I was younger, I was committed to Sega. I wouldn’t buy a Nintendo platform. So I rode all the Sega platforms, from Genesis through Saturn and all the way up. I think consumers increasingly don’t have that kind of loyalty anymore.
“…Fundamentally, do I think [platform exclusivity] is dead? No, I don’t believe it’s dead. It goes back to economics, consumer interest and unique playability.”
Capcom’s slate of platform exclusive titles and franchises includes Zack & Wiki for Wii, Phoenix Wright for DS and Dead Rising for Xbox 360.
Halo 3 developer Bungie, who recently became independent of Microsoft, said that is has no plans to work on any platforms other than the Xbox 360 at this time.
In a live text interview with our sister site, Eurogamer.net, Bungie's Jonty Barnes indicated that Microsoft has been good to them and hopes the relationship continues to be their strongest one.
"We're really focused on continuing our collaboration in making the best games we can, and that right now is on 360," he said.
He also indicated that Bungie currently has no plans for Xbox Live Arcade titles, although admitting they'll "never say never."
Responding to criticism of the cost of Halo 3 downloadable content which was recently released, Bungie's Frank O'Connor noted that the pricing decision was not made by them.
"It is an expensive business with most of the Bungie team being involved at one stage or another, so I'm not surprised Microsoft is trying to recoup its costs," he said. "The maps will be free in just a few months, so the patient can simply wait it out."
O'Connor noted that there are at least two Easter Eggs on 'Stand Off,' and also said that Forge can "certainly contain toys unavailable before.
Infinity Ward has released a new patch for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare which addresses the issue reported by community member Uzi Kidding which now catches some files bypassing the pure client test.
In addition this update will set properties so that Anti-lag is always enabled upon map loads, an optimization for Sniper Rifle accuracty at certain distances, as well a fix so text chat between rounds of multiplayer will no longer cut out at the end. The 1.3 patch will also include all previous fixes from previous patches.
One of the main features we put special attention to while creating Warhound is the AI behavior. A special system currently in the state of intensified production and testing makes AI behavior increasingly indistinguishable from those of soldiers on a real battlefield.
There is no room for scripted, predefined enemy behavior in the next-gen games. The artificial enemy is to be no different from the real one, especially when it comes to combat. The player should have no doubts that he fights a real soldier, not a predictable bot, who repeats a certain sequence of operations over and over again. An improved AI system intensifies the feeling of realism and amends visual experience.
The system is built of several modules which must collaborate precisely.
The primary one is an expanded animation module which explicitly models even the slightest details of human behavior – gestures and body movements through various actions, face mimics and even eyeball movement.
The module essential for the realistic gameplay is the Integrated Combat Behavior System. It includes all the basic movement types – walking, turning, crouching, crawling, running, passing obstacles, etc. All these must fit in well with the weapon held. There is a huge difference between the movement of a person with a big rifle and a person with a pistol. Realism also implies a wide range of behaviors depicting the combat itself. Current technology allows every single AI to scan the visible area and decide on the usefulness of nearby objects basing on their size, shape, and even material they're made of. The analysis of this data lets AI find the nearest safe cover, and react appropriately to current situation on the battlefield. Distance to the enemy, weapon held, sight and hearing range or enemy visibility are only a few factors for the system that chooses the optimal action for the moment.
All “Grand Theft Auto” fans will get their next look at the eagerly anticipated “Grand Theft Auto IV” with the release of the third official trailer, "Move up, ladies" on Xbox.com and Xbox LIVE Marketplace.
At 3pm EST, 6th December, gamers can get another glimpse at Grand Theft Auto's colorful world in HD on Xbox.com and Xbox LIVE Marketplace. While online you can also check out the first two trailers, screen shots, and a preview of the “Grand Theft Auto IV” Marketplace theme.
“Grand Theft Auto IV” is the next chapter of the award winning “Grand Theft Auto” franchise from Rockstar Games and will be coming to the Xbox 360 on day one. In addition to online multiplayer, a first for the series, gamers will experience hours of additional gameplay with two downloadable episodes exclusively available on Xbox LIVE following the release of the game. Focused on the story of Eastern European immigrant Niko Bellic, “Grand Theft Auto IV” takes players back to Liberty City and promises a cinematic story told like only Rockstar can, an extremely vast and detailed world to explore and gameplay like the series has never seen before.
When it comes to comparing price per value, Xbox 360 wins against PS3 and Wii. That's the philosophy of Don Mattrick, Senior Veep of Microsoft Interactive Entertainment.
"On a price per value basis, I think we win...relative to Sony (PlayStation 3) and Nintendo (Wii)," he said in a recent interview with MSNBC. Naturally, his opinions might be considered a tad skewed by some since he is a Microsoft employee.
"Of course, I'm biased given the role that I'm in but if I really think about it using my consumer instincts and the experience that I've had, this is the best blend of performance, price, online and games - by far," he explained.
Now that the red ring of death nightmare has subsided, he feels that there's nowhere to go but up.
"I think we're getting to the point of critical mass in terms of the number of hits. I think we have the highest rated content ever to exist on a gaming system," Mattrick bragged.
Dune: Awakening Shows Off Stunning Unreal Engine 5 Gameplay & More Funcom (@Funcom) revealed a stunning new gameplay trailer and featurette for Dune: Awakening, the first episode of the new Dune: Awakening Direct series. Embark on a breathtaking journey across Arraki..
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But there’s still room even in today’s industry for third-party platform exclusive titles, according to Capcom, as long as the title uses the hardware right and costs are reasonable.
"We're really focused on continuing our collaboration in making the best games we can, and that right now is on 360," he said.
View more Grand Theft Auto IV Screenshots
"Of course, I'm biased given the role that I'm in but if I really think about it using my consumer instincts and the experience that I've had, this is the best blend of performance, price, online and games - by far," he explained.
