
Ladies and Gentlemen, I have an exciting announcement to make. Thanks to years of support from my partners here at N4G, the success that that partnership has brought both myself and everyone on the site, I'm proud to announce that the proceeding blog will be posted exclusively on N4G.com.
https://www.youtube.com/wat...
Yeah, no one cares. The topic of exclusive content just keeps coming up. Over and over and over and over and over.
Whether it's Assassin's Creed, Destiny, Witcher 3, or Rise of the Tomb Raider, there's some kind of exclusive content B.S. going on, and we have to stop being pancakes about this.
Look, exclusive content is not a good thing, for anyone. If you're sitting there, all gleeful that you're an Xbox One fan who gets Rise of the Tomb Raider first, or Witcher 3 exclusive items; if you're a Playstation 4 fan who's elated that you get exclusive AC Unity or Destiny content; you're the problem. You need to realize that your elation can quickly turn to tears once you see that these companies don't give a damn that you're happy about it because they are perfectly capable, and willing, to flip the script and offer exclusive content to the platform you DON'T own.
All exclusive content is B.S. It benefits no one but the company being paid to offer that content. It hurts EVERY gamer. How? Well I already mentioned that the companies have no ethics that would stop them from flipping the script, but let's also think of this at a consumer level.
Exclusive content means that some people are getting access to a full and complete game for the full retail price, while others are not getting a full and complete game but still have to pay the full retail price. This has already set a precedent. Developers and publishers know what they can cut out and get away with doing so while still charging full price for the game.
Why do they care to give you a full game when all they have to do to please you is just flip flop with the next game? You're sitting there championing your console getting exclusive content, you're buying it, you're justifying their actions with your money. Then it happens to you and you proceed to whine about it? You had the chance to nip this in the bud by not supporting this kind of action when it was happening to the other platform and you didn't take it. What kind of support do you think you'll receive?
I watched a video by a supreme corporate a$$ kisser named Rich on ReviewTechUsa who practically begged Microsoft to ensure that Rise of the Tomb Raider DIDN'T come to any other platform. Taking the stance of the corporate a$$ kisser, Rich said that keeping the game exclusive to the XB1 would be a brilliant business move for Microsoft, and he facepalmed when he found out it was a timed exclusive because he said that now people have no reason to buy the XB1 for the game if they can get it somewhere else if they wait.
An alleged gamer said that. An alleged gamer said "it's a good thing to piss off 10 million PS4 owners and millions more PC owners to try and force people to buy an XB1 for one game." A gamer said that completely oblivious to the fact that he is not a Microsoft employee (that we know of), that the XB1 keeping that game is of no benefit to him personally, that he is not a majority shareholder in any of the companies involved in the deal (again, that we know of). A gamer tried to tell Microsoft, Crystal Dynamics, and Square Enix that it would be an awesome idea to keep a 3rd party title out of the hands of AT LEAST 10 million gamers.
Why? I'd love to hear some opinions on that.
CD Projekt Red is giving the XB1 fans that purchase Witcher 3 exclusive items in game. Items no other platform will receive. The game is being released on PC and PS4 too, and both platforms will have to pay their equivalent to a full retail price, yet 2 of the 3 platforms are receiving an incomplete game. Why? Because Microsoft has always promoted the Witcher games so much.
The PC has no marketing team. Games are promoted by their own developers on the PC platform and that's just due to the reality of the platform having no owner. PC gamers shouldn't be left out because of that fact, even if they are happy with getting the best version that can also be modded, they're still getting an incomplete game. Even if the items are non-essential items, they are still items purposely left out of two versions of the game and yet the userbases of those two platforms are expected to pay full retail price?
This is the first Witcher game on a Playstation console. Sony has never even been given a chance to promote either Witcher 1 or 2 previously, and what incentive do they have to do so with the Witcher 3 when CD Projeckt Red is simply throwing the love to Microsoft?
It's the same B.S. with AC Unity and Destiny. Why should Xbox One and PC gamers pay their equivalent to full retail price for games that are shipping to them incomplete? This matters for timed exclusive content as well because no one is getting a timed discount price.
The P.R. responses also need to go. None of us are stupid. Every single reason you companies try to invent to explain away these decisions are immediately seen through. Look on any gaming news site that posts stories with these "clarifications" and "explanations" and you'll DEFINITELY see "Microsoft/Sony/Nintendo drove some trucks full of money to the developer's doorstep" in the comments section, probably repeatedly.
Stop patronizing us. Your shareholders are not the ones buying these games (they might buy the games, but they aren't the demographic being targeted). They aren't the ones you market your games to and they aren't the ones you're taking money from once the game releases. They are the ones making money off of your games. They already know they're getting a huge bonus of money thanks to whoever is money hatting content. Every time you offer us some lame P.R. response, the only thing you succeed in doing is angering us and creating further division. Funny that, considering all you execs party together like you've always been best buddies, you create such divisions between gamers because you see money in it and then criticize US for said divisions.
We need to stop supporting companies that use these tactics. How can we expect the publishers and developers to respect us and our wishes if we can't even respect ourselves and the value of our money? I detest PC elitism and elitists, but credit where it's due they know how to be patient and/or boycott anti-consumer moves until they get those discounts, those sales, and all of that content.
I recently stated that the only way SE and CD would learn a lesson about what they did with Rise of the Tomb Raider, because it's honestly not Microsoft's fault for offering, it's SE's fault for accepting; is if Xbox One fans do not buy the game. At least not until it's released on PC and PS4. That would be a showing of solidarity, and a statement that not only do gamers support other gamers' rights, but they also support their own rights to not be cheated in the same way from some different game in the future.
I was met with a "yeah, I'm not doing any of that." Of course, one can't be blamed for buying a game they want when they want to, but you're just setting yourself up for a future backstab.
There's too much flip flopping on this. Too many people praise a company for it with one breath, then complain with the other.
Any kind of exclusivity involving a 3rd party IP is wrong. Praising it is praising the fact that you're happy that millions of other gamers DON'T get to play a game. Praising it is praising it when that company inevitably turns on you in the same way. Contrary to what the corporate a$$ kissers will tell you, these deals benefit no one. They don't even benefit Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo because they had to spend money to get that content and most people will not spend hundreds of dollars for one game, or one item, or one mission. Not unless they literally have more money than sense.
There are always exceptions to any rule. Like Bayonetta 2 for example. It wouldn't even exist had Nintendo not approached Platinum and said "we'll fund the development." But when you take a game that was always multiplatform, that was going to be developed anyway, and you lock away content from an entire userbase or you lock away the release date for months so that another userbase gets it first, that's unacceptable. It's also wrong.
All I can say to those that support these moves is that you'd better not complain when it happens to you. We all have our chance to stop this. We just have to take it.

Microsoft announced its financial results for Q3 of fiscal year 2026, including an update on its gaming Xbox business and more.
Not looking good. Hopefully Asha Sharma is able to turn Phil’s disaster around.
To me it's still quite remarkable how they can cash-in 5.3bn in revenue in a single quarter, since their hardware is basically dead.

The charity event will be streamed live from Gamescom in August.

Thanks to the slip-up of an artist working on the title, we now have more evidence that a new Injustice game is in the works.
Lol that had to be the funniest beginning to a blog I've ever read. Dragon why aren't you writing for DualShockers or the myriad of other game sites out there? Your writing style is very good.
Well, back to reading the rest of the blog...
Since the Bayonetta 2 thing I had not given much thought to the problems that arise from third party exclusivity but this blog really puts a lot of it into perspective and the intro was funny to boot. You are right that that Bayonetta would not exist without its exclusivity so not a lot can be done about it. Microsoft must have paid them quite a lot since this is a sequel to a multiplatform financial failure... not sure how they expect more success without the platform that sold ten million units worldwide. Nice jab at RTU by the way, can't stand that guy since he uploaded and deleted his The Last of Us Sucks video. :P Great blog as usual.
I do believe that corporations should strive to create their own IPs and that the only exclusive games that should exist are the ones under 1st party studios.
3rd party studios shouldn't be bought for timed exclusives or any sort of exclusivity.
Then again, some games wouldn't be given a second chance if Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo didn't pay for publishing and developing them. It's not an ideal world out there, it's a competitive business.
Just my humble observation, but it seems that Microsoft might've been the first company to buy a timed exclusive to get an edge over Sony, and Sony being pigeon holed had to adopt the same business model. To be fair, had Sony done it first, Microsoft would've followed suit, but somehow I'm lead to believe that Sony had enough games being produced for the ps3 and didn't need to secure games.
What ends up happening is that instead of creating new IPs and developing already existent ones into solid franchises, gamers are held hostage to a console until a game's exclusivity has ended (could be years) and it stifles the creativity for new IPs.
What would be a tin foil conspiracy is if all three companies bought timed exclusives just to push gamers to purchase all three consoles...lol.
I agree that exclusive content is dumb, but I'm not about to cry over it because it gets me nowhere.
As far as Tomb Raider Goes- What if people may be looking at this completely the wrong way? What if the game was on the list of gambles/financially unsure if they could continue development, or was about to be SCRAPPED?
What if Microsoft rescued them? What if although it will be a TIMED exclusive, MS is to THANK for keeping this game from disappearing COMPLETELY?
We really don't know all the details, and people who THINK they know it all, are just jumping to conclusions.
I would find it funny if Microsoft is actually the reason why ANYBODY gets to play this game, and saved it from going in the dumpster.
I think that's why Microsoft mentioned that they believe in the team, and their ambition and ideas for the Future of Tomb Raider... Because they practically are FUNDING the completion of an exciting/promising future title with a little trade off for timed exclusivity?
What if Crytek's situation made Microsoft want to think about studios differently, and they didn't WANT to see the same thing happen to Square Enix/Eidos/Crystal Dynamics, and figured out a way to make EVERYONE happy?
THEN what kind of tune would PC and Sony gamers be singing?
I would laugh so hard if people getting upset should actually be thanking Microsoft for saving a studio.
And before people say "Well why wouldn't MS just buy them out completely?"
Maybe because they see studios like to be free from ownership more than ever... for example: Studios like Insomniac?
I don't think we will ever know the full details, because maybe Microsoft wants to respect their (Square/Eidos/CD) financial situation, and keep it free from negativity- like the professional and Respectable gent Phil Spencer is?
I have no clue, but my theory has just as much probability as all the other conspiracy theories.
We really don't know why/how all the details work out for all the exclusive deals so far this gen, On PS4, AND Xbox One.
So instead of crying about it, and choosing to feel singled out, Particularly when it comes to TIMED exclusivity-
Let's just pick a good middle ground of understanding that it sucks, but we have to deal with it.
Let's at least be mature, and accept the things we can't change.
Most of all tho- let's not let these deals RUIN of enjoyment of potentially good games. With, OR without these exclusive deals going on.
How much did N4G pay you, sellout? :)