Syphon Filter has popped up a few times. I've heard some rumers that Splinter Cell 5 is going to be an Xbox exclusive so Sony may be forced to ressurrect this franchise. If not, I can't see any reason to play Syphon Filter when there is Splinter Cell
my ideas present no opportunity to make immediate profit, but long-term financial success.
SkyCastleDan
Sorry Bud, but I don't see how spending money and continuing to spend money is going to somehow turn into profits. The only way to acheive long-term success is for a console manufacturer to create something that developers will be making games for, for a long time. The PS3 acheives this, we know because current games aren't even close to approaching the processing power of the PS3 or the capacity of the Blu-ray.
Aside from the obvious that PS3 hasn't sold enough systems, and the developers will want to sell more copies, I think they're going multiplatform because Sony isn't doing enough to keep them exclusive. Here's a few ideas from a business student:
1. Pay developers back a good chunk of money to cover their development costs to keep the game only on the PS3. If Sony were to tell Konami that they would pay 25-50% of development costs, that would be reason enough for the game to stay PS3 exclusive (especially if you put them in a binding contract). Sony would make back that money easily from PS3 sales that would occur because of MGS4's exclusive nature.
2. Offer promotional campaigns for developers. Maybe instead of just running special commericals for Resistance and Motorstorm, do so for games like MGS4 and Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Developers and Publishers would love to have advertisements paid for them and again, this could be grounds for a binding contract being created that if Sony took care of advertising, the game would stay exclusive.
Just a couple of ideas.
SkyCastleDan
Why would Sony offer to pay 25-50% of the development costs just to keep the game exclusive without asking for a share of profits on the back-end?
The sales of the PS3 would be enough to not only cover what they spent to help develop the game, but maybe not make a true profit immediately. However, more PS3's sold = more opportunity for the Playstation store to earn more revenue and more chance for SCEA published titles like Resistance, Motorstorm and Lair to make the company money. That's why.
Sony is ALREADY losing money on the PS3. How is spending more money going to turn into a profit. You say that it will help them sell more consoles, yet they lose money on those consoles, which means that the losses will be greater. Sony takes the loss on the console because they plan to make it back on periphereals (like the $15 memory card adapter scam...don't get me started), extra controllers, 1st party games (profit margins on games are CRAZY) and licensing fees. Let me elaborate on the last one. Sony makes money because developers pay sony for the right to publish a game on their console. So that means that Sony's profit will not be measured by consoles shipped, but rather on the number of games in the library. However, its the chicken and the egg. In order to grow the library they have to convince developers to make them by getting their console to the marketplace. Sony paying development costs is just Sony giving their revenue back to the customer.
Its up to Sony. If sales continue to lag they may decide to do it. But analysists are always just guessing. I remember when some of them said the PSP would drop to $150 before the 2k6 Holidays. Now at the end of march its still $200.
Alyxm1
Sales didnt lag, they sold 98% of their consoles, where do u live? a rock? really. Another great point. What drives price cuts, in ANY business, is stale inventory. As long as sales keep up with production, there will be no price cut.
I think all this talk of a price cut is fueled by the "non-hardcore" gamer becoming restless and jealous of current PS3 owners. They want to believe that they are waiting for a reason. Just like those people who waited a year for their PS2 and saw a $100 price-cut. Oh man did they seem smart back then. They bought the machine when it was cheapest and just in time for MGS2 and Final Fantasy 10. I think the idea that history will repeat itself is some wishful thinking. Sony is subsidizing too much of the PS3's cost right now. the president of Sony has also said that people should not expect a price break any time soon. It makes sense to me that Sony would count on Little Big Planet, Home, and some other exclusive games to carry them through the 2007 X-mas season without a price drop.
[QUOTE="ghaleon0721"][QUOTE="bballboy986"][QUOTE="ghaleon0721"][QUOTE="jlabadie88"]So to say Sony doesn't want the "average" consumer is very ignorant on your part.
kingtito
I would direct you to the March 2007 issue of PSM magazine where this question was first asked in a letter to the editor. In this letter the author asked why are there no games targeting "younger gamers" in the PS3 library. Why are there no Spyro's or Crash Bandicoot games? The answer, PSM itself, is that the Playstation 3 is targeted towared the hardcore gamer who cares enough about games to spend $600. I'm paraphrasing obviously but the point is, that the PS3 and its current library of games is not directed at the 14 year old with a paper route. It's not directed at the college burnout who makes 6.50 an hour working at the bookstore. It's for an older, more passionate gamer, with the disposable income to invest in the system. If you're a grown up, with a job, a house, family, etc. and you have $400 to piss away on a console but not $600 then the PS3 is also not for you. It means that all you want is a stand-alone, offline, single-use game system. Fine, the Xbox 360 fits that bill very well. You are in the demographic who does not have a passion for, nor take pride in a collection of consumer electronics. If you were in that demographic, you would recognize the cross-functionality, innovation, and long-term staying power of the PS3. And I will stand corrected on one point. Saying that Sony doesn't "want" this consumer or that consumer is ignorant. Any company "wants" all the customers it can get. But Sony does have a particular market in mind.
Aside from the obvious that PS3 hasn't sold enough systems, and the developers will want to sell more copies, I think they're going multiplatform because Sony isn't doing enough to keep them exclusive. Here's a few ideas from a business student:
1. Pay developers back a good chunk of money to cover their development costs to keep the game only on the PS3. If Sony were to tell Konami that they would pay 25-50% of development costs, that would be reason enough for the game to stay PS3 exclusive (especially if you put them in a binding contract). Sony would make back that money easily from PS3 sales that would occur because of MGS4's exclusive nature.
2. Offer promotional campaigns for developers. Maybe instead of just running special commericals for Resistance and Motorstorm, do so for games like MGS4 and Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Developers and Publishers would love to have advertisements paid for them and again, this could be grounds for a binding contract being created that if Sony took care of advertising, the game would stay exclusive.
Just a couple of ideas.
SkyCastleDan
Not bad ideas, but I don't think it will work. 1) Why would Sony offer to pay 25-50% of the development costs just to keep the game exclusive without asking for a share of profits on the back-end? Also, how would they decide which games to subsidize and which ones not? With the new technology and hardware, development costs are skyrocketing, which is why games are going multi in the first place. Sony would have to do this with more than one or two games, which means that they have to put up more money, which means they have to sell more consoles to break even. Then, what if the exclusive flops? It's all too risky and too costly. 2) There is no way a developer is going to ignore 10+ million Xbox gamers because Sony paid for their 30-second commercial. No way, no how. Right now, the technology of the games themselves are about equal on both systems. No one can deny that the blue ray capacity and the processing power of the PS3 gives it an edge over the 360. So when the games catch up to the technology and developers start using that power, they will be bound to the PS3 because the Xbox just doesn't have the horsepower. That means that there will come a day when the latest greatest games will be PS3 exclusives because Sony has the better machine and not because of some profit-driven, marketing, cost-sharing deal with the developer. And when that day comes MS will be forced to create a new console to compete while the PS3 is at its peak. Don't fret PS3 fans, be patient. You have a system that will be great for the next 10 years.
[QUOTE="rahzel54"]its the fact that they will make more money this way. until the ps3's user base is large enough, it will be difficult to secure exclusives. by the end of this year, or possibly earlier (depending on how sales go) it will be easier for sony to secure more exclusives.bsin94
I still don't see how Sony will be able to secure exclusives by simply having the PS3's install base grow gradually each month. By having more devs going the multiplat route instead of a PS3 exclusive route, wouldn't that lower the PS3's chance in gaining more sales? If devs are using this logic, then I don't see Sony securing much third party exclusives in the future as the xbox 360's install base continues to grow as well. In my opinion, by having the devs support the PS3 early with exclusives, it will help the PS3 gain its install base. But by having them go multiplat, the PS3 will never be able to truly compete.
Less current exclusives-> less sale->lose even more exclusive->even lesser sales
You obviously do not understand Sony's strategy. The PS3's power and the Blu-Ray capacity is there so developers can create BIGGER and BETTER games than the competition. Right now, "next-gen game" means better graphics and online play. Once developers catch up and start using the power of the PS3, you will see more games become Sony exclusives simply because they cannot be played on the Xbox 360. We are already seeing this with MGS4. Sony's "install base" will grow in the coming years because they will be the only ones with the games that offer the highest level of gameplay experience. Sony won't grow because they are the only place to get Metal Gear. It will grow because it is the only place you CAN get Metal Gear
its the fact that they will make more money this way. until the ps3's user base is large enough, it will be difficult to secure exclusives. by the end of this year, or possibly earlier (depending on how sales go) it will be easier for sony to secure more exclusives.rahzel54
Sony doesn't "secure" exclusives. They never have and never will. They have committed to a strategy of offering a system that the public wants and that creates a market for developers to sell their games. Microsoft has done a PHENOMENAL job in positioning their system in the marketplace. They have created a situation where developers, even those loyal to sony, can not afford to ignore 10+ million potential customers
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