Microsoft Bought Tales of Vesperia's 360 Exclusivity

[vansau]

Microsoft Bought Tales of Vesperia's 360 Exclusivity

Are you upset that you never got to play Tales of Vesperia on the PS3? Well, guess what, this is a case where it actually is all Microsoft's fault.

Namco Bandai's Tales of Vesperia never made it to the PS3 outside of Japan. This has been a sore spot for PS3 gamers who were looking for their next great RPG and/or a continuation of the Tales series. Now it turns out there's a reason that the game was a 360 exclusive in spite of numerous fans clamoring for a PS3 release: Microsoft paid for the exclusive deal.

Charlotte Toci, Namco Bandai's community manager, recently revealed the details in a Facebook post: "Microsoft paid for the exclusivity the same way Sony paid for having Heavy Rain only on PS3. It's just one way the business works, sadly. Those decisions are made really high up y'know, we do try and give them the max of fan feedback, but sometimes it's just out of our hands."

What's weird about this story is that Namco Bandai released the game for the PS3 in Japan, which means that this wasn't a situation where it was developed exclusively for Microsoft's console. Hopefully Namco Bandai got paid a lot of money for this deal, because it seems like publisher would've lost a ton of potential income by not releasing a JRPG for PS3s in the rest of the world.

Source: <a href=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2011-06-20-microsoft-blocked-ps3-tales-of-vesperia>Eurogamer

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[Grayjack]

I've always wanted to try Tales of Vesparia. Guess I can cross that off my list.

 

[Arehexes]

So Namco-Bandai lied about how they made it for the Xbox 360 first then ported it to PS3 because it was easier to do. Another reason to not trust them

 

[Furioso]

PS3, Xbox I don't care as long as they start to bring the tales games to America again, the last few have been Japan exclusive, making me a very sad panda...

 

[Azaraxzealot]

cue all the Microsoft haters (who spell it "Micro$oft) who just needed their daily dose of hating.
i don't even see the point of this, honestly, there are MUCH better titles to snag up exclusive rights to that fit the "xbox" audience (my audience) better.

 

[Baresark]

Wow, another bad business decision. Nothing like limiting your market, and creating a false shortage to make people happy? Wait... no... that's not right.

 

[drbarno]

doesn't help that i can't find a copy for the xbox that isn't at a reasonable price.

 

[GladeAnator]

If this is finally the true, official facts of the matter instead of what we had been hearing over the years, it is one of the saddest things I have ever heard in gaming. Vesperia is my absolute favorite game of all time, and I never even got to play it in full because Microsoft forced Namco to rush the development of the game to get it out according to their schedule. Afterwards, the PS3 version launched as the company had wanted to game to be, with dozens of hours of new content including the missing MAIN CHARACTERS and story that went along with them.

After all that fiasco, Namco cannot even attempt to release the game in America because Microsoft won't let them. Sure, maybe purchasing the rights to it before helped to them keep a profit over Sony for a time, but after all these years the have to have passed some sort of statute of limitations. In no way will releasing the PS3 version in America affect Microsoft. The only effect it will bring is to allow the N.A. and Europe to experience on of the greatest RPGs ever created and help Namco bring more fans to its side, something it has been struggling to do for years.

Microsoft is only hurting the gaming community as a whole and Namco Bandai by not allowing this game to be released as the development company wished/wishes, and it can only be described as disgracesful.

 

[DSK-]

This reminds me - I need to finish Vesperia!

 

[garjian]

doesn't help that i can't find a copy for the xbox that isn't at a reasonable price.

you could always download it from the marketplace...

 

[gphjr14]

Oh Noooo now I'll never get to play this generic preteen filled JRPG.

Oh well

Guess I'll have to settle for inFamous 2 and an inevitable encounter with Uncharted 3

 

[Javarock]

Damnit Microsoft, You buy exclusives to the types of games I don't like...

 

[GiglameshSoulEater]

The problem with this is...?
Seems fair enough.

I never played it, so whats so unique/ amazing/ awesome/ epic/ ultimate/ good/ decent/ ok/ godly/ special/ different about this game?

 

[RedEyesBlackGamer]

Oh Noooo now I'll never get to play this generic preteen filled JRPG.

Oh well

Guess I'll have to settle for inFamous 2 and an inevitable encounter with Uncharted 3

Actually, it is critically acclaimed and the series has quite a cult following here. Thanks for making baseless assumptions!
OP: Why that of all games? It didn't make a ton of money. Microsoft had no motivation to do it. Namco certainly did, though.

 

[drbarno]

doesn't help that i can't find a copy for the xbox that isn't at a reasonable price.

you could always download it from the marketplace...

Am I able to use points for it? from what I've seen on the marketplace all the downloadable versions of the game always show their price in the area's currency and I'm not going to stick my card details on there for one game.

 

[Maxtro]

Wow, F-U Microshaft.

Namco better have been paid a crap load of cash to lose out of all the non-Japanese PS3 sales it could have had.

360; Tales of Vesperia sold .55m across the world.

PS3 version sold .35m in Japan alone. Odds are it would have gained another million in the US and EU.

http://gamrreview.vgchartz.com/sales/18652/tales-of-vesperia/

 

[Electric Alpaca]

Incredibly clever deal making if you ask me.

Xbox 360 had very low market saturation, so definitely wouldn't have been in Namco's interest to limit its audience there (although it may have been in Microsoft's to attempt to lure more to the console). Vice versa for the rest of the world, with the box reigning supreme over the brick.

Not to mention that "Tales of" series is fairly niche outside Japan. Throw all these ingredients into a pot and you have some shrewd business making at Namco HQ.

 

[Prince Regent]

I hate these things, I don't care if PS3 users can play Halo, Gears of War or tales of vhatever. I want to be able to play Infamous and My little Planet on my 360.

 

[Eri]

I have a 360 and a PS3, but I'm not gonna buy this, just because of this. Enjoy your lost sale.

 

[Jaime_Wolf]

This is one of the most profoundly stupid articles I've seen on here for a while.

Tales of Vesperia isn't exactly the first game to be exclusive to one console and exclusivity is for monetary reasons pretty much every time. Acting as though Microsoft is some mean jerk stealing lunch money on the playground because they're doing exactly what every console manufacturer does seems petty.

Edit: Exclusivity in only a single locale isn't new or out of the ordinary either.