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Pachter On Agent Exclusivity

There are reasons why some games stay exclusive to one platform while others release on all major platforms. And if you're wondering why a game like Rockstar's Agent is exclusive to the PlayStation 3, Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter has the answer…and he wonders why Insomniac hasn't gone multiplatform yet.

The info comes courtesy of a recent Eurogamer interview , where Pachter spoke about the cause behind the developer's decision to keep Agent restricted to Sony's console. First and foremost, he believes exclusives will soon become a thing of the past, but he's hardly the only analyst to give voice to that theory. Secondly, Pachter's "inside information" concerning the behind-the-scenes story for Agent is as follows:

"When Microsoft paid Take-Two to make GTA IV non-exclusive… In other words, GTA IV was going to be a PS3 exclusive, but Microsoft paid Rockstar and Take-Two to make it a non-exclusive, and they paid them a lot. The number I’ve heard, and I’m sure this is right, is $75m, and that probably includes the funding for the first DLC packs too. It’s more than the $50m that people talk about.

And Sony – I’m not sure if they had a firm agreement but they may have had a handshake – said to Take-Two, 'You’ve got to give us something else.' And the 'something else' was a zombie game that Rockstar wanted to work on. But while Rockstar was in the planning phase, Dead Rising came out and Left 4 Dead was announced. Rockstar realised they were up against a saturated market and Valve, and, 'What can we possibly do that will be any better than what Valve’s done?' They started again and that’s when they came up with the idea of The Agent, which nobody actually knows what it is. That is the back story."

Well, thanks for that. We had an inkling that the game in question was sort of like a consolation prize to Sony after GTAIV was confirmed to hit the PS3 and Xbox 360 at the same time (you may recall that past GTAs debuted with timed exclusivity on the PS2 and only later arrived on the Xbox). But right now, Pachter says it's just plain "foolish to sign an exclusive deal" and he has "repeatedly told" Insomniac that they should go multiplatform:

"As if those guys couldn’t create something – of course they could. It’s not like Sony came up with the art and graphics on Ratchet & Clank. The Insomniac guys are nuts not to do multi-platform. But they like their deal with Sony, so they’ll keep doing exclusives. LittleBigPlanet guys, Media Molecule, I feel the same way. What were they thinking selling to Sony? They must be Liberal Democrats!"

Well, now you've done it, Pachter. PS3 fans aren't gonna take too kindly to that, especially when most of them believe many developers choose the PS3 because it's the only console that has the raw processing power to bring their vision to life. How many times has a designer specifically said this very thing? How many times have we been told that games like Uncharted 2: Among Thieves , God of War III , and Heavy Rain needed the PS3's power? And why do we get the feeling that Media Molecule would say very much the same thing in relation to LittleBigPlanet 2 ?

Well, that's not really Pachter's forte, of course; it's numbers and business predictions. And it's tough to argue against the common-sense claim that multiplatform games obviously have the opportunity to sell a lot more copies. But Pachter, developers aren't necessarily stupid…they might just be sticking solely with the PS3 for a reason outside of the money realm.

Related Game(s): Agent

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Hexen
Hexen
14 years ago

Pachter is such a dumb douche.I'm sure insomniac is well aware of what they can and can't do,he doesn't get that is not just about the money.

Vitron
Vitron
14 years ago

Its about pride, dignity and quality. Insomniac has found joy in creating games, and has found it in Sony.

Snaaaake
Snaaaake
14 years ago

No love lost Pact Man because I never had one for you.

Anyway, Insomaniac might go multiplat in the future but not very soon, they did state that doing exclusives does give them an advantage which I have forgotten……

Beside, if I'm not mistaken they signed exclusive deal with Sony not long ago.

EDIT:
By the way Pact Man, there are some developers with ambitions for better games instead of more money. *cough* Hideo *cough* Kojima *cough*

So dissing some studios why they still does exclusive is just idiotic…….


Last edited by Snaaaake on 5/16/2010 10:08:34 PM

godsman
godsman
14 years ago

I don't think developers make the exclusive deals mainly for the ease of focusing on one platform. I think the real reason is because I have heard Sony publishers are really nice to their developers, while Microsoft are complete jerks.

I'm not sure if that's the same reason Bungie left Microsoft, but there is a bigger picture than just racking up cash in the present. You have to build a strong bond with the publishers that you have worked with in the past, present, and future. An exclusive deal is the best way to show your loyalty.

Danny007
Danny007
14 years ago

Hopefully Insomniac/ Media Molecule will go multiplatform when Valve goes multiplatform. Never.

Kowhoho
Kowhoho
14 years ago

Media Molecule is now owned by Sony, so you don't have to worry about that!

Qubex
Qubex
14 years ago

The guy that thumbed down Danny007 didn't get it though!

Q!

"play.experience.enjoy"

SmokeyPSD
SmokeyPSD
14 years ago

how is this insider info? I bloody knew Agent is being given to us due to GTAIV going nonexclusive. I really hate this guy.

OPHIDIAN
OPHIDIAN
14 years ago

It's astounding to know that MS paid R* up to $75 mil.

@Ben:

Just one question, grammar wise, sorry. Can you put an 'and' after a full stop or is that just an American thing?

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

You may begin a sentence with "And"

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
14 years ago

It's a gray area. Technically, you're not really supposed to, but it can be used sparingly for effect. I admit to using it a bit too often, though.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

In writing classes we were told to use it sparingly as well, but that you could.

OPHIDIAN
OPHIDIAN
14 years ago

In England we're strongly advised against it. There are a lot of grammatical differences in comparison with the USA though. For example, using 'z' instead of 's' in words like 'emphasise.'

Thx for your help though. Ben, you must get peeved by ppl like me after a while?

Orvisman
Orvisman
14 years ago

Commenting on this as an editor/writer who has been in publishing for 17 years, Ben has hit the nail right on the head. Use it very sparingly.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

orvisman, hire me for something.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

Liberal Democrats ftw.

Obviously these fools don't understand that we want the best game possible, and exclusives are always better quality. With the freedom of Blu Ray Agent will have the ability to both optimize for PS3 and be ridiculously massive without cutting content.

Furthermore, there is this thing called artistic vision, which gets lost when going multi-plat because of the lowest common denominator factor.

This may be a business, but it's an art too. A fantastic exclusive has a pretty good chance of outselling a multiplat as well. I'll be surprised if Enslaved even matches the Heavenly Sword numbers.


Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 5/16/2010 10:15:09 PM

Kowhoho
Kowhoho
14 years ago

About the Multiplat vs Exclusive, with regards to sales: just look at Quantum Theory. When it was an exclusive, people at least had an interest in it but now that we know it's not, nobody cares as much.

MyWorstNightmar
MyWorstNightmar
14 years ago

"Liberal Democrats ftw"? What do we win?

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

You win the argument according to that quote above, if Media Molecule are Liberal Dems for selling to Sony then that makes them winners in my book.


Last edited by WorldEndsWithMe on 5/16/2010 11:34:22 PM

godsman
godsman
14 years ago

Is there even any information on this game? I don't even know if this game will be the scale of GTA. What if it's just a small $10-20 million production, which is small considering $100 million GTA IV.

Is Rockstar giving PS3 the exclusive game scored in the 90's? or in the low 80's? I'm not excited if we sacrifice GTA IV DLC just for a mediocre game. We will find out E3 2010 i guess.

Jawknee
Jawknee
14 years ago

Myworst, we win the privilege of being an indentured servant to the every growing nanny state. So bend over and take it like a man!

Besides, Pratcher seems more like the Liberal Democrat. He's the one rooting for mediocrity NOT Media Molecule.

🙂

JK!


Last edited by Jawknee on 5/17/2010 2:55:16 AM

Vitron
Vitron
14 years ago

In exclusives, competition fuels the developers to give us the best games unlike multiplats that are mostly made half-assed..

Qubex
Qubex
14 years ago

Lol World, what you wrote is so true! We want exquisite quality, vision and depth to our games, do we not?

Q!

"play.experience.enjoy"

BikerSaint
BikerSaint
14 years ago

Who the f*ck is pacman to tell ANY developer what they should do or that the PS3 is a lessor machine than the 360, by his own insinuations???

The only bit of common sense that Pacman could ever spout off, is that he's finally taken his foot out of his mouth, so he could kick himself in the a$$ with it!!

chedison
chedison
14 years ago

somehow I like reading your comments much better when I'm not staring at that ugly hairless chihuahua with a needle in it's mouth…

Metallisnake
Metallisnake
14 years ago

ur right though patcher doesnt know squat games like mgs4 and uncharted 2 beat production values out of many multiplat games even though not all multiplats r half assed like gta 4 which to me is one the best of the series

Anonymous
Anonymous
14 years ago

Maybe instead of seeing this as telling a developer what to do, it is him expressing an opinion. So, what you are really asking is who is he to voice an opinion. Who are any of us to do such a thing. It is in our right. Is it not?

Naztycuts
Naztycuts
14 years ago

All the analysts look at everything from a profit perspective, otherwise he'd see the advantages of being an exclusive developer. You have to weigh the pros and cons of being an exclusive developer. I dont know what M$ has except money to keep their exclusives (besides the studios they own obviously) PS3 has built in Hard drive, HD capability, 3d capability, more storage space on discs, an online store with unlimited upload space for indie dev's (I seem to remember an article I read here saying something about that). I wonder if Sony will be pissed at Pachter for trying to talk one of their studio's into going multiplat?

godsman
godsman
14 years ago

If a developer can easily be talked out of exclusivity, their games are not worth playing.

God, this generation would have so many more awesome games if an HD console can dominate sales like PS2 did.

Mavfan321
Mavfan321
14 years ago

Zombie genre is oversaturated in all media at this point. I respect Valve but I do not enjoy Left for Dead whatsoever, this is not fanboy elitism, it's something I've maintained since the day's of still playing PS2.

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

true but we I think we only have 1 zombie game on PS3 and it's a PSN title. I wouldn't say no to a good zombie shooter, especially from Rockstar, since Valve and their stuff is so antiquated.

Alienange
Alienange
14 years ago

Um Pachter? Sony's machine is better. Maybe some devs like that?

tes37
tes37
14 years ago

It appears that Pachter doesn't understand the type of support that game developers receive from Sony. He should do a little research about the subject before making statements like this.

Ben you wrote "the" twice at the beginning of paragraph 2.


Last edited by tes37 on 5/16/2010 10:40:23 PM

mike rlz
mike rlz
14 years ago

Great.

/waits for Jawknee

Victor321
Victor321
14 years ago

Just like Bobby Kotick, this guy doesn't know games, only money. It's sad that they sound so arrogant, no matter how polite and formal they may sound in interviews and statements, and whatnot.

And not all game developers are in the business for the money, first and foremost. If that was the case, there'd be no such term as "first-party game" or "New IP", in our language in this day.


Last edited by Victor321 on 5/16/2010 10:45:50 PM

Anonymous
Anonymous
14 years ago

Well I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be designing games if they weren't getting paid for it.

Money makes the world go round.

Victor321
Victor321
14 years ago

But it doesn't make the world what it is. However, in this day and age, it does, for better or worse =/

Fane1024
Fane1024
14 years ago

There is a difference between doing something to get paid and doing something and getting paid for it.

Industry suffers when its PRIMARY objective is creating revenue rather than creating quality goods and services.

Jalex
Jalex
14 years ago

I swear, whenever Pachter speaks out about something, it seems to boil down to this:
'Developers need to stop being so creative and start pandering to all the gamers with short-attention spans. Just think of the money!!'

H8WL3R
H8WL3R
14 years ago

Not that I personally know the guy or hold any ill will towards him. However it's a bit funny that in the quote it's Sony related devs/titles he mentions and how it's silly for them to do exclusivity, but yet mentions L4D and Dead Rising. The latter titles, thus far, being exclusively available on XBOX360 and he doesn't seem to say how they should've been multi-plat from the get go. It's also interesting to note that the few vids of his Pach Attack that I have seen the game cases stacked behind him are of the green (XBOX360 variety from the looks of it) and no Sony PS3/Blu-ray variety (or so it seems).

That being said, I've seen him on GT from time to time and wouldn't call myself a fan of the guy but don't hate on him either. I just thought I'd post my slight observations.

If I've somehow mistaken or misinterpreted, plese kindly let me know if you'd like. Thanks for reading my post. Later.

Scarecrow
Scarecrow
14 years ago

I wish the Japanese would take over v-games again

Now that Western devs have the upper hand, it's all 'bout how much more money a v-game company can make.

Really sad. But worst of all is how people like Pachter can actually influence the downfall of gaming quality.

Dancemachine55
Dancemachine55
14 years ago

Scarecrow…

That is the best thing I've seen on this comment thread so far.

When it was the Japanese developers back in the 90's, some of the greatest games ever were released to the world.

Money was just a small topic in the back of their minds. Artistic creation and producing the game of their dreams was the greatest accomplishment in their eyes.

I miss the old days of Nintendo Vs Sega Vs Sony for videogame supremacy. Back then it was about who had the better exclusives and the best games, not about having the most money and buying the most timed exclusives.

Is it just me, or did the whole industry get F***ed up when MS entered the competition? All they did right was introduce solid online play on consoles with Xbox Live.

Money and unfair bashing of the competition suddenly became huge when MS stepped in. Sony is our last shining ray of artistic hope in a world of increased greed for a quick buck.

Kowhoho
Kowhoho
14 years ago

So beautiful and so true, dancemachine.

Vitron
Vitron
14 years ago

Ah… those days, I must say they have passion and pride on what they are doing. Kinda miss Squaresoft though

Jawknee
Jawknee
14 years ago

Pratchers the fool. Not the developers. If everyone went multiplat there be nothing left but mediocrity.

Vitron
Vitron
14 years ago

Thats what I'm afraid of..

Jawknee
Jawknee
14 years ago

Don't worry too much. Sony will be doing what Nintendo has been doing for decades. Relying on their 1st party IP's. We won't see 1st party exclusives die, probably just 3rd party.

The X Factor 9
The X Factor 9
14 years ago

Am I the only one who believes that we are blowing everything out of proportion?
We as Sony fans should know that Sony has PLENTY of first and second party studios that will create exclusive games for them.
I love what Sony has done. Sure they might be in 3rd place (hardware) at the moment, but with respect to software, they've got the best games. And they don't seem to care that 3rd parties have gone multiplat or do timed exclusives with Microsoft.
When your studios are pumping out games like God of War 3, Uncharted 2, MLB: The Show, Ratchet and Clank, Heavy Rain, Demons Souls, Little Big Planet, Resistance, etc at a consistent pace, who cares what the 3rd parties have to offer?

maxpontiac
maxpontiac
14 years ago

Indeed. It's why I personally don't care what Pachter has to say.

I am an exclusive PS3 user. My 360 has been delegated to a glorified DVD player (at least it found a purpose in my house). I know the level of quality that is represented in PS3 exclusives.

I just wish Rockstar would have given Red Dead Redemption to Sony…


Last edited by maxpontiac on 5/17/2010 12:59:11 PM

SayWord
SayWord
14 years ago

I hate when people say exclusives are going to die, blah blah blah. Exclusives are where its at! Most of my collection this gen is all exclusvies, multiplats will never suprpass what a sony exclusive can do! Like jawknee says we gamers have been playing games way to long to settle for lower quality software.