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[icecream]

That excuse is even less valid in 2008. Just about every multi platform game for the PS3 is released at the exact same time as the 360 version.

Hint: games are not made 6 months before they are released. Vesperia was already in planning not long after Abyss hit, and the producer already explained how they chose the 360 because it was the first console out and they were aiming for the significantly larger worldwide userbase at the cost of the much lower Japanese userbase.

While in hindsight we can all see how foolish that was, you can't fault them for trying at that point in time. Now it just means the PS3 port will have to happen sooner rather than later.

 

[ymmv]

Hint: games are not made 6 months before they are released. Vesperia was already in planning not long after Abyss hit, and the producer already explained how they chose the 360 because it was the first console out and they were aiming for the significantly larger worldwide userbase at the cost of the much lower Japanese userbase.

While in hindsight we can all see how foolish that was, you can't fault them for trying at that point in time. Now it just means the PS3 port will have to happen sooner rather than later.

Tales of the Abyss was released in December 2005 in Japan. Tales of Vesperia in August 2008. PS3 dev kits were released by Sony in August 2006. That means the Tales devs had two years to get a PS3 version of ToV up and running. That's plenty of time to port their Xbox 360 engine.

 

[F#A#Oo]

Bandai Namco should have allowed themselves to be bought out by Nintendo when they had a chance. It would have done them a ton good good...

 

[OldJadedGamer]

And you think that all the copies that would have been sold with the game multiplatform from the very beginning but haven't would not be worth a leg and an arm, or even more?

Namco seems to think it's wasn't worth it. Also, if they do multiplatform from the start I don't think Microsoft would have been so eager to loan them dev kits for cheap. So if it was multiplatform at start then they would have not only had to pay up front for their PS3 dev kits but their 360 dev kits as well. So they obviously at the time decided to get the loaned kits and save that money up front and the lower royalty rate that comes with being exclusive.

Now that Namco is established and have bought all their dev kits over time for the company for both systems, this isn't an issue anymore and you see games being multiplatform from the start of the development. Again, there are a lot of different ways to save developers money that you guys just aren't thinking about because everyone just loves to cry about moneyhats and call it a day.

If your goal is to drive from California to New York and it's going to cost you $10,000 for the car and $1,000 in gas and I loan you a car that you have to give back to me when you reach New York. Now, am I "giving" you $10,000 of my own money or saving you $10,000 of your own?

 

[icecream]

That means the Tales devs had two years to get a PS3 version of ToV up and running. That's plenty of time to port their Xbox 360 engine.

Of course! Because they weren't working on the 360 version at all during that time, right?

 

[ymmv]

Of course! Because they weren't working on the 360 version at all during that time, right?

Hmmm ... I'm sure the extra income from a PS3 port would have paid for extra programmers easily ... A multiplatform release would make more financial sense too, because they'd sell twice as many copies of the game which would make recouping the development costs a lot easier.

 

[OldJadedGamer]

Hmmm ... I'm sure the extra income from a PS3 port would have paid for extra programmers easily ... A multiplatform release would make more financial sense too, because they'd sell twice as many copies of the game which would make recouping the development costs a lot easier.

Konami didn't think so when deciding on MGS4 to be on a single platform.

 

[PepsimanVsJoe]

Konami didn't think so when deciding on MGS4 to be on a single platform.

Now that just isn't fair.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Konami didn't think so when deciding on MGS4 to be on a single platform.

The argument here seems to be that there was no money hat involved in ToV being only on the 360 while it's pretty much accepted that there was a money hat involved in keeping MGS4 exclusive.

 

[soco]

Hmmm ... I'm sure the extra income from a PS3 port would have paid for extra programmers easily ... A multiplatform release would make more financial sense too, because they'd sell twice as many copies of the game which would make recouping the development costs a lot easier.

they could also have made a wii port and quadrupled revenue, but sometimes there's other decisions behind the scene rather than just money.

there are several developers not specifically tied to one platform that still decide to make something exclusive.

 

[grandjedi6]

Hmmm ... I'm sure the extra income from a PS3 port would have paid for extra programmers easily ... A multiplatform release would make more financial sense too, because they'd sell twice as many copies of the game which would make recouping the development costs a lot easier.

The only reason Namco wouldn't port over Vesperia is if they believe the sales would not be sufficient enough to pay off the porting cost.

 

[OldJadedGamer]

The argument here seems to be that there was no money hat involved in ToV being only on the 360 while it's pretty much accepted that there was a money hat involved in keeping MGS4 exclusive.

Money hat for MGS4???? That can't be right because Sony said they don't pay for exclusives... they "earn" them. Right?

 

[dacuk]

And you think that all the copies that would have been sold with the game multiplatform from the very beginning but haven't would not be worth a leg and an arm, or even more?

You could buy a X360 if you are suffering that much for those games not being on PS3.

 

[Paracelsus]

Money hat for MGS4???? That can't be right because Sony said they don't pay for exclusives... they "earn" them. Right?

There are some differences between this and Vesperia, though.

- We sort of know Sony moneyhatted Konami, and if the moneyhat was strong enough to keep the game away from Microsoft, we can assume quite a part of the development cost was covered by them.

- That said, MGS4 shipped 4 million copies worldwide, basically as many as MGS3 did, but on a userbase way smaller, so they really cannot complain. They could have got more, but they still earned money, in a way or another.

If what you said about the non-moneyhat is true, then Namco really brought this upon itself. MGS4 on PS3 made sense, people were waiting for the game to come on PS3, decent sales were undeniable, and a port would have been a surplus, but they didn't do it so far because they were paid($$$) to not do that. Vesperia was also supposedly awaited as a PS3 game, yet it went on another platform because of? Because of cheaper dev kits? You risk your whole fanbase believing it will jump ship on a whole because of that?

I'm mostly inclined to believe what icecream said, that is that they found themselves with the wrong platform at the wrong moment, and tried a very risky bet, which probably won't pay off.

You could buy a X360 if you are suffering that much for those games not being on PS3.

Too late. And too bad I'm in Europe.

 

[dacuk]

Too late. And too bad I'm in Europe.

Sorry to hear that.
Believe me, I understand you. I felt the same when SoulCalibur 3 was announced only for PS2 (I loved the GC game....)

 

[Paracelsus]

Sorry to hear that.
Believe me, I understand you. I felt the same when SoulCalibur 3 was announced only for PS2 (I loved the GC game....)

If you consider that I played Symphonia for the NGC after Abyss, and that I paid for the copy of the game more than I did for the console itself, that pretty much seals it about how I feel about Tales of.

That said, I really wonder if I should pick an American X360. I have been lucky with my 2006 X360, no RROD or shit like that. I know a collectionist who did get one, to play Vesperia and also cheapest stuff like Zoids and Spectral Force, but he's rich as fuck, he can afford it to not have warranty. >_>