Bribes for Exclusives? Not Us, Says Sony

Jack Tretton explains how Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo differ in their approach to exclusives.

During the heyday of the PlayStation 2, Sony seldom went wanting for exclusive games from outside developers, but things haven't turned out quite the same for its new system.

Not only has the PlayStation 3 lagged in snapping up third-party exclusives, it has also lost several of the biggest ones it thought it had in the bag - games like Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed and Capcom's Devil May Cry 4.

In a candid interview with US magazine PSM, relayed by sister publication Next Generation, Sony's new American boss, Jack Tretton, said that his company won't buy exclusives from developers, as Sony's rivals are doing.

"We don't buy exclusivity. We don't fund development. We don't, for lack of a better term, bribe somebody to only do a game on our platform," Tretton said.

He added that the potential of the PS3 is what will attract third-party game creators.

Tretton wasn't shy about pointing fingers at his rivals, saying: "Microsoft is too dependent upon the third-party community, and Nintendo is too dependent upon first-party. We like to feel that we got a pretty good mix."

The issue of lost exclusives is something that has for months dogged Sony and the PS3 - a console that even its maker admits is in need of compelling games.

Reports last year suggested that the fault lay at the feet of recently departed Sony boss Ken Kutaragi, who was allegedly slow in negotiating with outside publishers to secure exclusive games for the console.

Sony has, meanwhile, made a dramatic change towards ensuring that in-house teams are responsible for many of the must-have games for the system, a list that including titles such as Killzone, MotorStorm, Resistance: Fall of Man and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune.

Naughty Dog's Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is coming to PS3 only

What many industry watchers agree is that Sony needs games and it needs them now. Recent sales figures show the console being overshadowed by both the cheaper Wii and the incumbent Xbox 360.

Recently Enterbrain, publisher of weekly Japanese games bible Famitsu, said that the Wii was outselling the PS3 6-to-1 in Japan. And in May in the US, the PS3's monthly sales dropped to their lowest since launch.

Alex Wollenschlaeger
Editor, Kikizo