http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/837/837038p1.html wrote:One third-party title set the PlayStation 2 above and beyond the original Xbox. Sony enjoyed a trio of exclusive Grand Theft Auto releases. It's no secret that the PS2 kicked the crap out of the original Xbox on many fronts. And GTA exclusivity helped quite a bit. Oh how the tables have turned. While GTA IV will be released simultaneously on PS3 and Xbox 360, it's Microsoft who comes away smiling. That's because, for a mere $50 mil, the big MS scored exclusive rights to the first two pieces of episodic content for GTA IV. What is potentially the biggest game of '08 is going to be particularly special for 360 owners.
Of course, this news would have even greater impact on this year had GTA IV not been delayed. Originally announced for a mid-October '07 release, GTA IV was bounced into Q2 2008. You could hear the collective sigh of relief from other publishers who were once going to be forced to compete against the GTA juggernaut this holiday. The delay of GTA IV opened the door for other titles to have success. But it also means that games coming in the first half of '08 must now contend with Rockstar's big release. It's unknown how the release of GTA in 2008 will affect other publishers.
"It's unfortunate that GTA was delayed because the PS3 version was not finished in time. But hey, there are so many great games out right now that GTA coming out next spring means we will all actually have more time to play it." - Donald Mustard, Creative Director, Chair Entertainment
"I have tremendous respect for the Grand Theft Auto franchise and everyone at Rockstar. However, I think our industry is past the point of having a single banner product like GTA at the core of our universe. If anything, the slip from holiday 2007 for GTA IV could have been really good for Rockstar, because this holiday season is one of the absolute best I can think of in a long time. For me, having Rock Band and Mass Effect release in the same week is just insane, not to mention so many other great titles from developers. For us at Pandemic Studios creating Mercenaries 2, we're not focused on the release of any single competitive product - all of our decisions here are based on just one thing: What's best for our game? Mercenaries 2 will hit store shelves once it's a truly amazing experience from start to finish, and not a moment sooner or later." - Josh Resnick, President, Pandemic Studios.
Discuss.
