Shortly after EA CFO Blake Jorgensen made yesterday’s controversial announcement that Titanfall would remain, for life, an exclusive title for only the Xbox One, PC, and Xbox 360 platforms , fanboys everywhere started engaging in heated debates with each other over the new IP. Microsoft fans felt a renewed sense of entitlement and took the opportunity to boast about how much better the Xbox One was over the PlayStation 4. Meanwhile, hardcore Sony fans immediately shrugged off the game as being irrelevant while secretly hoping it would bomb at retailers.
Prior to this news happening, I listed Titanfall as one of the Xbox One exclusives most likely to end up on the PlayStation 4 . After yesterday’s revelation, I decided it was time to revisit this topic and offer two perspectives on why Titanfall’s life sentence is good for both Microsoft and Sony.
The PlayStation 4 Perspective
During this current generation of consoles, the PlayStation 3 has always had the luxury of being the system with the most first-party exclusives. Sony’s commitment to providing its fans with a massive library of high-quality exclusive titles and bonus content for third-party games continues to be the key reason why many consumers love the brand today. Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us is the most recent example of the company’s excellence and is arguably one of the many reasons why you should already own a PS3. With over 180 titles currently in development for the PS4, Sony is looking to build upon that track record in both an ambitious and impressive fashion.
When it comes to the Titanfall deal between Microsoft and EA, Sony benefits in the sense that it can remain solely focused on making its own exclusives better. Respawn Entertainment reps have already suggested that if Titanfall does receive a sequel, than it’s highly possible that the game could end up going multiplatform . Often times, developers add bonus perks to certain console exclusives after releasing them on other systems to keep the overall experience fresh and immersive for new players. This was the case for both Mass Effect 2 and Portal 2 , both of which were promoted as being infinitely better on the PlayStation 3. If Titanfall 2 makes its way onto the PS4, I can totally see Sony putting aside money and resources to make the game even better on its console.
The Xbox One Perspective
When Microsoft revealed its staggering lineup of Xbox One games during their Pre-E3 2013 Media Briefing way back in June, many analysts and fans walked away praising the company’s move to deliver more exclusives to the console. Previously, Microsoft relied heavily on the Halo , Forza , and Gears of War franchises to sell its Xbox systems to the masses. While this theory will obviously remain true for the foreseeable future, new IPs such as Ryse: Son of Rome , Titanfall , Sunset Overdrive , and Quantum Break are out to prove that the Xbox One has a deeper range over its predecessor.
From the moment Titanfall was revealed, I figured that this would be a timed exclusive on the Xbox One. Now that we know this exciting first-person shooter is never coming to the PS4, I would say that Xbox fans have the right to feel a little retribution from what took place during this generation. Believe it or not, many fans are still annoyed that Microsoft failed to keep both Mass Effect and BioShock as Xbox 360 exclusives. While these titles were also on PC at the time, a majority of fans invested in the Xbox 360 primarily for new experiences such as these. Microsoft is starting to learn from its mistakes, and it’s for this very reason that Titanfall will sell extremely well on the Xbox One when it launches early next year .
Final Perspective
While this Titanfall news was bound to excite and disappoint many, it doesn’t take away from the fact that both next-gen consoles are poised to deliver groundbreaking experiences to everyone. While many consumers will only be picking up one console at launch, industry trends dictate that a lot of gamers will eventually have both consoles before next-gen ends. If you’re a diehard gamer, then you owe it to yourself to take advantage of all the quality content that both companies are offering. Then, and only then, can you truly have the best of both worlds.
This concludes my article on why Titanfall’s life sentence is good for both Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Do you agree or disagree with any of the points I made? Will you be sticking with one console or do you intend to buy both? Feel free to let me know in the comments section below.