As Microsoft revealed that they too would be receiving a version of the until-then exclusive PlayStation title Final Fantasy XIII, the world (or at least those watching) collectively though but one thing: “Oooh, diss!”
There is no question that Microsoft has been closing the gap this generation when it comes to third-party exclusives: Grand Theft Auto IV, Devil May Cry 4, and now Final Fantasy XIII. Not that Sony’s been any slouch, either, getting Lost Planet, and… um, well, I’m sure there are others. They were on the tip of my tongue just a minute ago…
At any rate, MTV Multiplayer got ahold of SCEA Vice President Peter Dille in order to ask him about the announcement, and how it affects Sony. You can find the whole thing at the link below, as it’s a little wordy, but he describes it as a bit of a “jump ball,” noting that as a cross-platform game, it’s not really driving either platform very much.
In terms of future exclusivity, Dille says that MS seems to be opening the checkbook quite a bit as of late, but that third-party developers need to look at the global scale, which sees PS3 dominant in Japan, having passed 360 in Europe, and in a “dogfight” in the US. “[Third parties are] looking at what’s going on, they’re realigning their development resources to exploit PS3 and I think they understand that if they want to have a global return on their investment, PlayStation 3 is the only place they’re going to get it.”
