Ben-DutkaThe highly anticipated Titanfall is exclusive to the Xbox One, and publisher Electronic Arts says it'll stay that way.
However, that doesn't mean future installments won't go multiplatform. As for why the first title is exclusive to Microsoft platforms, EA CFO Blake Jorgensen explained it as a "basic business agreement." He elaborated during the UBS Global Technology Conference (as cited by IGN ), and said that it's a "process that's been done through the industry for many years." In other words, it's not uncommon.
Basically, the idea is that you work with the first-parties to "make sure the economics make sense for all sides." But moving forward, Jorgensen said that potential sequels could come to the PlayStation 4 and other platforms:
"So obviously it's the first title that's committed to a single platform."
This wouldn't be the first time a franchise has began its life as a platform exclusive. For example, the original Mass Effect was exclusive to the Xbox 360, but the ensuing sequels came to the PlayStation 3 as well. And let's not forget that EA published those games, so…
As for Titanfall , that's scheduled to launch on March 11, 2014.
For the record, massive publishers like EA just don't do exclusivity anymore. All major franchises HAVE to be multiplatform in order for these companies to make their billions.
Hence, if Titanfall becomes a series, it's absolutely inevitable that it'll come to the PS4. Even Microsoft can't afford to pay EA enough to keep it exclusive; the amount they could make by taking it multiplatform is far more than Microsoft could ever give them.
Initially, that isn't true, because the user bases of the next-gen consoles are so low. EA isn't missing much by not bringing Titanfall to maybe 5 million PS4 owners. They're missing a LOT if they don't bring it to 20 million owners. Know what I mean?
What's funny is that the guys at Respawn said that the "power of the cloud" was the reason why the game could only be possible for the MS consoles.
I'd love to see what they are going to say about this when the sequels, which I'm pretty sure will be made, are released on the PS4… or maybe they won't say anything about it. I don't really care for yet another FPS anyway.
Personally, I think apart from the $$$ they got from MS, EA is doing Microsoft a favor as well. EA (and other third party publishers) needs both Sony and Microsoft to be successful. Sony have seemed to have the upper hand up to this point, so this exclusivity could really help MS a lot.
I just don't see how it has anything to do with cloud power, or that it's just based on money alone. If it's just money alone, as you say Ben, they would benefit much more to go multiplat instead. Then again, I hear MS is willing to invest billions in third party exclusive. In the end, it's a business decision and I can only speculate.
This is exclusivity though.
Ben why are you responding to your article?
Godsman, in this community, it's typical that people will discuss the article after it has been published. It isn't really a chance to "write to the editor" so to speak. Ben, as would be clear to regulars here, is initiating the conversation by starting discussion about exclusivity from major publishers like EA.
Hope that cleared it up for you.
Yeah, I just wanted to add a bit of opinion and explanation, that's all.
Oh god…. it's Mass Effect all over again…
You simply do not release a franchise on a without the first title. I stated this problem about Mass Effect all this gen and it wasn't until late last year we got a trilogy boxset – which is now a rarity in itself… No thank you TitanFall.
Last edited by Vivi_Gamer on 11/20/2013 11:49:50 AM
Isn't this an online only game though? What I'm implying is that if this game even has a story that matters as Mass Effect did. If it's just an online shooter without a story to care about, I think it wouldn't matter that we haven't played the first one. I mean like CoD, do we care to play its previous iteration in order to play the latest one?
It is online, but the missions are story missions, though I can't imagine the story matters as much as in Mass Effect.
Yeah I agree, this is primarily a competitive multiplayer game so it can't really compare with Mass Effect.
But it sure looks crazy fun. Xbox sure got a winner there, I'll give'em that.
Whatever man, we got enough online shooters as it is. If Respawn needed MS's money to become successful devs then I say more power to them.
MS is bad for gaming in general but if some people need to take their money to get started that's fine with me.
It's the kind of game I would get if it was on my platform, and definitely not the kind of game that makes me shell out hundreds of dollars for an additional platform to play. Competitive multiplayer just doesn't hold my interest, and while I love giant robots as much as the next guy, and this game really does look good, I'm not going to get too worked up about missing this first iteration.
Infamous releases around the same time, and Destiny comes out a few months later. I'm not going to want for huge games in the first half of 2013.
Oh no! Not that human/robot love game that looked meh! I wanted that game day 1 soooooo bad!
Keep your FPS game EA.
I'm just relieved that it's confirmed for PC too. So it doesn't really matter *that* much to me that Microsoft got exclusivity on it.
I'm happy I'm going for the PS4+PC combo.
I guess making a 1080p resolution game was just too taxing for Respawn So they opted for 720p on the inferior console ….
Online only…no real story….lower rez….Keep It.
Meh.
the first one is the one made with the 360 in mind as well. so perhaps everyone is better off waiting for a truer next-gen Titanfall offering.
i have come to expect nothing less from EA they are well profiterring to the MAX mugrals for the most part and they just happen to have some good or great devs. so i doesn't surprise me that they are siding with MS as they have the PC platform as well and i think they figured out that guys who have ps4's also have good and half way decent computers and will get titan fall on PC anyway. but yeah it wud only make sense that the next titan fall will all platforms this is EA we're talk about here more platforms more money its not hard to do the math on this one
happy gaming =)
"basic business agreement." No mention of the power of the cloud? Or how microsoft would better help them realize their vision or something of that sort? That's…awfully sincere of them.
Remember MS has set aside $1 billion to buy games and fund new studios. Titanfall, Killer Instinct, Dead Rising 3 and Ryse were all purchased by Microsoft. I wonder how much they have left after those four games.
I'm glad the PS4 will probably get the sequels. It will have all the bugs and balance issues worked out of the game by then.
I will still pick this up on my PC probably, because it looks pretty fun.
Titanfall the new Mass effect
yeah yeah, we heard this for Mass Effect already and all the games are now on PS too
You'd want to play a online multiplayer game while it's hot. Not five years later.
Last edited by Beamboom on 11/21/2013 3:25:28 AM
Then again, we also heard that for Splinter Cell:Conviction, Dead Rising 1, Gears of War series, Ace Combat 6, Last Remnant, etc.
Oh for Christ sake! We get it, okay!? It's not coming to PS4, just shut up and talk more about Battlefront then. geez.
Well, Microsoft surely paid EA to make Titanfall an exclusive game to X1 because MS doesn't have enough studios to make an exclusive game for them.. Titanfall is an fps game, so I don't particularly care if I miss playing the game..