Paskil wrote:
Tarv wrote:
they get paid alot of money by the console manufacturer
Yeah and I understand this, but for the most part, highly anticipated games like FFXIII would sell so many copies on multi-platform it kind of nullifies the incentive to stay exclusive. I'm sure this is the case with Sony not being able to convince someone somewhere along the line with chucking out another however many mil when they've already lost billions on the PS3. Especially in the case of the PS3 which has only sold around 13 million units worldwide-to-date.
Regardless, I've pretty much lost faith in the Final Fantasy franchise. IMO, they have been utter sh*te since IX. The only saving grace on XI is the fact that it's a MMO.
Believe me, they have a lot of accountants going over the potential sales on the XBox 360, and they can do a startling good job. You better believe that SE was asking more than that amount to keep it only on the PS3 because that also helps Sony in the long run keep more 360s on the shelves.
However, Microsoft, it's being speculated, offered a crazy amount of money to get a port of it. This move has next to nothing to do with America, and everything to do with Japan. Microsoft needs something to happen soon in Japan with the 360, or they will forever be the distant 3rd place (like the Gamecube was in America).
With huge 3rd party games like the Final Fantasy franchise, it's all about long-term strategies for the system manufacturers. Sony has obviously been paying so much to keep FF on its systems, it has probably been chalking up near losses, even after licensing fees. However, in the long term, they make back huge profits from the decision. That's what talented executives get paid for: making the financially frightening decisions that pay off in spades. Final Fantasy was one of the vital pillars that made the first 2 Playstations the juggernauts they were.
Edited, Aug 1st 2008 4:41pm by dacypher