Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Mobile

Limbo hit Xbox Live Arcade before PlayStation Network because Sony wanted to keep IP

Anthony John Agnello
By
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The reason OUYA, Boxer8’s proposed $99 Google Android game console, sounds so appealing to video game developers in comparison to Microsoft’s Xbox 360, Sony’s PlayStation 3, and Nintendo’s platforms is that it’s a conduit to living room players without restrictions. Restrictions abound on Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo’s devices, something that isn’t likely to change on the next round of consoles. The size of games like Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath keeps them off of Xbox Live Arcade. Nintendo’s byzantine submissions process has killed releases like La Mulana on WiiWare. On Sony’s machines? It’s the company’s insistence on taking ownership of developers’ intellectual property.

Speaking at the Develop conference, Pete Smith of Playdead said that his studio’s eerie indie hit Limbo was at one time going to be a PlayStation Network exclusive. It certainly fits with Sony’s stable of independently developed downloadable titles. The grim and subtle game is of a piece with Sony-backed titles like Journey and the PixelJunk series. Limbo eventually went to Microsoft’s Xbox Live Arcade well before Sony’s PlayStation Network. Why? Because Sony wanted to keep the IP.

Recommended Videos

“I maybe shouldn’t say this, but we had issues when we were trying to sign Limbo because of the IP,” explained Smith. “There are obvious benefits to keeping [IP], but also to giving it up: You’re way more likely to get the deal. Remember: 100 percent of nothing is still nothing. A publisher is much more likely to commit to marketing and merchandising if they own the IP. Sometimes all we want is protection so [devs] don’t make a game, finish it then go to one of our rivals. We look at IP on a case-by-case basis. With a bit of common sense, you can find common ground.”

Related

Smith’s words carry a certain logic; thatgamecompany’s Journey became the fastest-selling PlayStation Network game ever when it released in March, but that game had the full might of Sony’s international marketing machine behind it, guaranteeing promotion to press, directly to consumers through the PlayStation 3’s most visible advertising slots, and broader mainstream media coverage.

That support put thatgamecompany on the map as much as Jenova Chen’s signature ethereal style as evidenced in previous PlayStation exclusives from the studio like flOw and Flower. Eventually though, it seems that greater control of intellectual property is more appealing. thatgamecompany did not renew its exclusive contract with Sony upon completion of Journey, seeking a broader audience and greater control of IP on different platforms.

Greater support of digital distribution isn’t the only thing console makers need to embrace to survive. They have to fundamentally change their relationships with developers.

Source: Edge

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Anthony John Agnello
Anthony John Agnello
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Anthony John Agnello is a writer living in New York. He works as the Community Manager of Joystiq.com and his writing has…
I keep forgetting about the Apple Watch Series 9’s coolest feature
Apps on the Apple Watch Series 9's screen.

I’m just going to come out and say it: I love the Apple Watch Series 9. A couple of weeks ago, I returned to wearing it every day after an extended period of not doing so. And you know what? I was surprised by how much I’d missed it.

But one thing has bothered me this time around: There's a feature I haven't been using. Not because it’s bad, but because I tend to forget it's there.
Effortless to own and wear

Read more
3 foldable phone deals you should seriously consider today
The Google Pixel Fold with the screen open.

For those who are thinking about getting a foldable phone, we've rounded up three foldable phone deals for you to consider as your next purchase. Motorola is currently selling the Motorola Razr at $200 off, which brings its price down to $500 from $700, and the Motorola Razr Plus at $300 off, which lowers its price to $700 from $1,000. Meanwhile, the Google Pixel Fold is available from Best Buy with a $500 discount that slashes its price to $1,299 from $1,799. You can be sure that you won't regret purchasing any of these devices because they're all included in our roundup of the best folding phones, but you need to hurry because the offers may expire at any moment.
Motorola Razr -- $500, was $700

The Motorola Razr features a 1.5-inch external OLED display and a 6.9-inch Full HD+ internal pOLED display, with decent performance provided by its Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor and 8GB of RAM. It's got a 64MP main camera and a 13MP wide-angle camera at the back, plus a 32MP selfie camera inside. The folding phone features a metal chassis that's surrounded by soft but durable leather, and it folds without a gap.

Read more
The OnePlus 12R is still one of 2024’s best smartphone deals
OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact Edition in hand.

OnePlus is still quite new to me, as I was a lifelong iPhone user until I joined Digital Trends. However, OnePlus has a pretty solid reputation in the mobile world, and now I can see why, as the OnePlus 12 is one of my favorite smartphones that I’ve used so far this year.

But the OnePlus 12 isn’t the only phone that OnePlus launched in 2024. There is also the more affordable value option, the OnePlus 12R, which even comes in a cool Genshin Impact Edition.

Read more