There’s still no sign of it appearing on the Xbox 360 (it was due before Christmas, remember Rockstar?). But Grand Theft Auto IV’s downloadable content (DLC) will be coming to the PS3 eventually. As will other supposedly “exclusive” content DLC for the 360, like that for Fallout 3 and Tomb Raider: Underworld. According to Ray Maguire, Sony Computer Entertainment UK’s Managing Director.
In an interview with Videogamer.com, Maguire (speaking at the Games 3.0 conference in London) said: “Nothing is ever exclusive. Things get wrapped up for a period of time for a large amount of money.” Maguire’s comments follow similar comments made by Sony Europe boss David Reeve, who said GTA IV DLC will “probably” make it to the PS3.
Maguire also said that the days of Sony bagging exclusives were over as far as he was concerned: “I would much rather that we were investing money into making sure that we’ve got great R&D and we start producing games like LittleBigPlanet, rather than paying other people a huge amount of money to stop people playing their product.”
Although all of this raises two rather awkward questions. Firstly, if Sony doesn’t care so much about exclusives, why make such a big deal of the few ones it has had of worth: Haze (before the reviews hit), Final Fantasy (before it went non-exclusive) etc.? And secondly, given the recent history of exclusives on previous console generations, how genuinely likely is it these exclusives will make it to the PS3? And if they are coming, when will it be? Microsoft may well have a serious lock on these titles for a long enough period of time to make sure that by the time any content makes it to the PS3, Sony will be launching the PS4.
I can think of 50 miillion reasons why GTA4 DLC will not make it to the PS3 and the statement “I would much rather that we were investing money into making sure that we’ve got great R&D” seems to reinforce the fact that they will not be paying for it. as for the other games, who knows? i don’t know what kind of an agreement MS has with them but let’s be honest, a vague statement like “Nothing is ever exclusive” means absolutely nothing. Following that logic it could just as soon mean Little Big Planet will go to the 360, which obviously it will not do unless Media Molecule is bought out and Sony release the rights. Bottom line, MS own GTA4 DLC through direct funding same as Sony own LBP, neither will jump ship unless MS or Sony let them.
John, as I implied in the piece, I largely agree with you. Sony’s execs are known for making this kind of bullish statement, then not following through on it. That said, MS don’t “own” GTA IV DLC. They will have bought some kind of lease on it. How long that lease is, is what’s at question. My bet? Long enough to make it very painful to Sony.
At a price of $50 million, i’d say MS own a complete exclusive on DLC for GTA4 at the very least until a new game comes out at which point neither Rockstar or Sony would have any interest in doing it.
Around the time when they made the deal with MS, Rockstar had some financial problems resulting from the Manhunt debacle, some lawsuits and the still pending buy-out attemps, i think Rockstar would have jumped at the chance to pen $50 mil in their books and i think they would have given MS more than just a short time delayed deal, that wouldn’t be worth $50 mil of anybodies money.