Seriously, what does "Exclusive" mean to you?

[ranger19]

What I meant there is that if a game is released for PC, it's still released as a microsoft product, so it's still essentially 'exclusive' to Microsoft.

But thats not true, is the thing. Microsoft did not make money on, for example, Left for Dead on PC.

I agree with you in part then, it is technicaly considered an exclusive if the PC realese was AFTER the console realese, but not with reguard to same time realese.

How did Microsoft NOT make money on Left 4 Dead? I don't mean in royalties per se, but I mean that if you want to play a game that is released only on the 360 or for Games for Windows, you're going to have to pay money to get yourself a Microsoft machine. Either you have one (and thus have already paid for one) or you're going to buy one. Either way, Microsoft makes money, if indirectly, off you buying the game.

But you don't need Games for Windows to play any games on your PC. Chances are you already have some form of Windows installed on your pc, so Microsoft is not making money when you buy a game for PC unless they published/developed it.

First of all, Game for Windows in a marketing campaign by microsoft, Left4Dead is not a part of this, it has nothing to do with Game 4 windows, so I will assume you just mean the fact that it is a PC game, in that regard I have no comment because your splitting hairs to the extent that you could probably successfully argue that The Coca Cola company makes money off each individual TV sale because TV watchers drink coke...the mac gamer doesnt exist so yes, pc gaming occures on windows.

It's not splitting hairs at all. (I do mean the fact that it is a PC game.) Coca Cola does not make money off of TV sales, because in order to drink a can of Coke you don't need to buy a TV. In order to play Left for Dead, however, you do need to buy a PC-- so Microsoft makes money off of every Left for Dead sale, whereas Coke certainly does not make money off of every TV purchse. There's a world of difference there.

 

[Dommyboy]

It means I have to wait a while before it comes out on PC.

 

[insectoid]

If you want to get technical, the games you mentioned as being advertised as exclusive, were exclusive. At the time of sale, and the time they were claimed as being 'exclusive', they were.

When they were released elsewhere (the exact same game, not another in a series), they are no longer exclusive.

 

[Insomniaku]

Yes but from a console gamer's perspective (say he owns and only will own a 360, Wii, and a PS3) then yes games like Mass Effect, Halo, and Gear of War are exclusive to 360... They are going to put it on the box because in the CONSOLE CROWD it is only on 360... PC is somewhat separated from the console gamers (not all, but for the most part). Branding it an exclusive will also increase sales of that game and 360s in general... someone who plays on PC and stays in the loop is most likely know that the game is or is going to be on PC and knows better.

 

[squid5580]

In my experience, 'Exclusive' means "Only on our platform until a little bit later in the year, when you'll all be so distracted by shiny new toys that nobody will care anymore."

Of course, lots of companies have walked a thin line in breaking exclusivity with a suped-up version of the game (i.e. PS3 Bioshock with challenge rooms or whatever), thus delivering the double insult to original buyers of:

1) Your game is not exclusive, no matter what those old marketing items you saved say. BUT LOOK BIOSHOCK 2 COMING SOON

and

2) Your game is now subpar and, in fact, has been superseded by the version, which will now be regarded widely as the 'real', canonical version. Maybe you can hold out for a Game of the Year edition sometime.

Don't forget Alone in the Dark with thier "lets charge 360 owners 60 fuckin bucks to beta test the game before we release the improved/fixed PS3 version."

 

[Blood_Lined]

Exclusive games to me mean the big ol' middle finger to me since the best games like star ocean 4 come out only to the 360, which of course I don't own.

 

[iJosh]

I have no idea. When I read exclusive. I think I'm getting some awesome bad ass material or video in which i am only privy to.

 

[teisjm]

I would call a game exclusive if it was only released on one platform. Gears and halo are not exclusive.

A game like say LoZ:TP is nintendo exclusive, not wii/GC exclusive

If it's different games with the same name like someone mentioned then yes, they're exclusive.

The reason for this is, that it'll not really matter a lot unless you wanna use it to decide which console you wan't, and if you already have a PC it may deduct from say the x-box that you can get halo and gears anyways.