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[Man]

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2014-09-09-sony-destiny-playstation-4

Sony is treating Bungie's first-person shooter as a first-party PlayStation game, despite it also being available on Xbox.

Sony has partnered with Destiny publisher Activision to co-market the game, and has forked out for a raft of exclusive content.

...

"We're treating it, for all intents and purposes internally, as if it's a first-party release," he said. "We're wrapping our arms around it on all levels of the organisation. It's a special project and an important project and it has the power to launch Christmas. It's hugely important."

Destiny launches at an important time for both the PS4 and Xbox One. In January 2014 Gara revealed that the sales ratio of PS4 to Xbox One in the UK was 1.5:1, and eight months later this remains the case. That means that if the PS4 has sold 1m units, then the Xbox One has shifted 666,666.

The ratio marks a significant shift compared to the last generation of consoles. In the UK, the Xbox 360 outsold the PlayStation 3 by a ratio of around 1.5:1. Clearly, Sony has won market share from its competitor - and then some.

The early months of this generation's console war are well documented, and Gara's assessment of the current landscape tallies with much of the established analysis. In the months before launch, the PS4 was positioned as a "gamer first" console, and Sony did well to continue with policies it had in place for PS3 at a time when Microsoft drew criticism for doing the opposite.

"The whole way we positioned the console from the start was strong and appropriate," Gara said.

"We said, this is the ultimate machine we can create for gamers, and the ultimate machine we can create for game creators. Then we did not pursue controversial policies. The ethos we described, as 'for the players,' does mean something in the decision making. We didn't change one decision. We just kept going with the decisions we already had. But the fact we were able to cleanly execute there and not raise doubt or lose trust with the gaming community was very strong."

But there's more to the shift than that, Gara said. He pointed to a "latent love" for the PlayStation brand that PS4 sparked into life.

"What we found brewing was this latent love for PlayStation that had got, not lost, but went semi-dormant for some people at least through the PlayStation 3 era. We saw an outpouring of emotion around the announce event itself, with #playstationmemories trending, and then we created a celebratory video. The tens of millions of views that footage had is an illustration for the latent love for the brand that was there.

 

[Miles Quaritch]

The co-marketing and exclusive content is part of a concerted effort to create the perception that Destiny is a PlayStation exclusive in the minds of gamers - or, at the very least, that Destiny is best on PlayStation. And in an interview with Eurogamer, Sony UK boss Fergal Gara said the company had backed Destiny to such a degree that it considers it a first-party title.

"We're treating it, for all intents and purposes internally, as if it's a first-party release," he said. "We're wrapping our arms around it on all levels of the organisation. It's a special project and an important project and it has the power to launch Christmas. It's hugely important."

So I can only assume they weren't able to afford actual exclusivity? Timed or otherwise. Sounds like they really wanted it too...

 

[bobbytkc]

So I can only assume they weren't able to afford actual exclusivity? Timed or otherwise. Sounds like they really wanted it too...

Nobody is able to.afford exclusivity for a game like destiny.

 

[Riky]

I'm sure all the advertising helps all versions though, it's obviously not an exclusive when you walk into any store.

 

[Chobel]

For Sony, Destiny is a system seller, with the £349 PS4 Destiny bundle the main attraction

Since when is Destiny Bundle sold at £349?

 

[Nightengale]

No, it's not.

But marketing works, I guess.

 

[Zalman]

It's not though.

 

[Loudninja]

Thats not what Sony said in the title.

"We're treating it, for all intents and purposes internally, as if it's a first-party release,"

.

 

[BuggeryBugz]

I would assume most people would know that it isn't a PS4 exclusive when they walk into a store and see advertising for both versions, but I guess the extra content will sway people too.

 

[soul creator]

dat latent love

 

[Deleted member 125677]

Weird wording. It's the huge title for ps4 xmas, but "first-party" makes zero sense

 

[A_Gorilla]

No, it's not.

But marketing works, I guess.

Just look back at the the CoD franchise and marketing deal MS had. Considering how much it helped propel the 360 as THE go-to console in NA, it might as well have been exclusive.

 

[Raide]

I'm sure all the advertising helps all versions though, it's obviously not an exclusive when you walk into any store.

Pretty much. Sony obviously wanted a big new shooter to hang their banner around. Any advertising they do works to MS's benefit too. Plus the cosmetic DLC will come later anyway.

I wonder how much money MS will throw around for Destiny 2 or the DLC Expansions? They like to wrap CoD stuff up.

 

[Some Nobody]

lol, they're treating it that way because they don't have any other choice. Destiny's the biggest game to release this year like it or not.

 

[Carl]

Since when is Destiny Bundle sold at £349?

Er, since it was announced

 

[Man]

I would assume most people would know that it isn't a PS4 exclusive when they walk into a store and see advertising for both versions, but I guess the extra content will sway people too.

Graphics performance doesn't hurt either.

 

[Kysen]

They hit the 1 million mark in the UK finally.

 

[Tidus_Great]

Call of Duty is still gonna be bigger they probably should have went with that.

 

[Phlebas]

They hit the 1 million mark in the UK finally.

That's big isn't it? How long did it take the PS3?

 

[BuggeryBugz]

Graphics performance doesn't hurt either.

Are they not both 1080p/30fps?

 

[Chocolate & Vanilla]

Are they not both 1080p/30fps?

Doesn't mean all else is equal

 

[tuna_love]

Doesn't mean all else is equal

Oh what are the differences?

 

[BuggeryBugz]

Doesn't mean all else is equal

I'm pretty sure the average consumer won't be reading DF analysis of the game. All they will see is both being 1080p/30fps

 

[AbandonedTrolley]

So I can only assume they weren't able to afford actual exclusivity? Timed or otherwise. Sounds like they really wanted it too...

Given the plans that Activision have for this IP I don't think anyone could have afforded exclusivity on the title.

I'm sure they would have loved to have seen something like this tied up but it seems they have almost a year head start on some of the DLC.

 

[Almighty]

Seems that way. If I didn't know better and was just going off the TV ads I would of thought that Destiny was a PS4 exclusive.

 

[Riky]

Call of Duty is still gonna be bigger they probably should have went with that.

Although Destiny seems a huge deal to the gaming community at the moment it doesn't have the hype in the mainstream that Call Of Duty does, maybe that will come with time but I can't see it outselling Call Of Duty.

 

[Man]

I'm pretty sure the average consumer won't be reading DF analysis of the game. All they will see is both being 1080p/30fps

Actually more likely they will simply hear that the PS4 console has more horsepower and that's that.

 

[Chobel]

Er, since it was announced

I'm pretty sure it was £384, at least that was the price in GAME.

 

[Riky]

Doesn't mean all else is equal

DF said that the rest was equal in the beta though, so unless you know something else?

 

[Chocolate & Vanilla]

Oh what are the differences?

No idea. Just saying there's more to games than frames and res.

 

[Sephiroth_GR_]

Just look back at the the CoD franchise and marketing deal MS had. Considering how much it helped propel the 360 as THE go-to console in NA, it might as well have been exclusive.

This. Activision treats Destiny to PS4 the same way Call of Duty was treated to xbox 360.

 

[Savantcore]

That's big isn't it? How long did it take the PS3?

Four more weeks I think. 46 compared to the PS4's 42.

 

[glaurung]

Good. Why is this such a big deal though?

Marketing gonna market.

 

[Loudninja]

Good. Why is this such a big deal though?

Marketing gonna market.

New IP from Bungie on the PS4 is a really big deal.

 

[smurfx]

Call of Duty is still gonna be bigger they probably should have went with that.

doesn't microsoft have some sort of contract with activision for cod exclusives? maybe that is why sony hasn't gone after cod exclusives.

 

[NemesisPrime]

Where is Jim now?

 

[bebop242]

One of my son's friends at school (age 10) who has an Xbox One at home, was telling my son how much it sucks that destiny is exclusive to Playstation. lol.

 

[Rurunaki]

Not surprising seeing as Microsoft is trying to get the word out that this game is also available for the Xbox platform. The marketing for this game has already done its job of making Destiny look to be a Playstation exclusive for the general consumers.

 

[Tu101uk]

I'm pretty sure it was £384, at least that was the price in GAME.

They reduced the price of the white PS4 bundle a few weeks back to match the black one, which other retailers were selling for much much less.

 

[terrier]

sony doing what MS did last gen, partnering with the right games so people associate with their console.
They really learnt a lesson or two from previous gen. And MS allowing it is kinda surprising.

 

[REV 09]

This makes no sense. It isn't exclusive. If anything, it speaks to Sony's lack of holiday exclusives. It's sorta like MS saying, "we got CoD this fall".

Destiny is quite good so far though!

 

[Shpeshal Nick]

While it technically isn't an exclusive, to be honest, it might as well be.

I'm fairly confident sales will reflect that. You might even possibly see the PS3 version outsell the 360 version WW.

 

[adin75]

You would think it was an exclusive. When I picked up my copy this morning PS4's and and Destiny where flying out the door. I didn't see that much activity on launch day.

 

[Guymelef]

Since when is Destiny Bundle sold at £349?

There is a temp offer dor Europe, until September 16th.
399€.

 

[plasmawave]

Driveclub am cry.

 

[corrosivefrost]

Nobody is able to.afford exclusivity for a game like destiny.

And yet, it's currently console exclusive.
Do I think it will remain so? No.
But that doesn't change the fact that it currently is.

 

[Toki767]

And yet, it's currently console exclusive.
Do I think it will remain so? No.
But that doesn't change the fact that it currently is.

So what, are you saying Sony and Microsoft got together to pay off Activision to only release Destiny on their systems and not on PC?

 

[Trey]

It might as well be a Playstation exclusive. Sony wasn't playing around with that marketing deal.

 

[catashtrophe]

Since when is Destiny Bundle sold at £349?

http://www.base.com/buy/product/ps4...S7j00Ch4YUVltwU2PSyktQ7s_1oHKK5jDUaAnkI8P8HAQ

http://www.tesco.com/direct/ps4-destiny-bundle/409-3635.prd?pageLevel=&skuId=409-3635

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00L3YYYCM/

also at Shopto and few other places

 

[smurfx]

sony doing what MS did last gen, partnering with the right games so people associate with their console.
They really learnt a lesson or two from previous gen. And MS allowing it is kinda surprising.

so did microsoft not go after destiny because of titanfall?