exclusivity
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Microsoft's first Xbox Series X games will be cross-gen releases
It's been known for a while that Halo: Infinite will be available on Xbox One as well as Xbox Series X and PC. In a wide-ranging interview with MCVUK, Xbox Game Studios chief Matt Booty said other first-party Series X titles will also be playable on Xbox One. In fact, Microsoft's own Series X games won't be exclusive to that console for a while.
Epic vows to support 'Ooblets' studio following exclusivity harassment
Indie studio Glumberland, developer of cute and quirky life simulator Ooblets, announced its decision to sign a PC exclusivity deal with Epic Games last week. It essentially secured the company's future, but it has also become the target of widespread harassment as a result of locking its PC title to the Epic Games Store.
Paramount axes its exclusivity clauses with Sky TV
Paramount Studios has went back on its proposed exclusivity clauses with its Sky TV contract.
Microsoft confirms Rise of the Tomb Raider publishing plans
Xbox marketing director Aaron Greenberg has confirmed that Microsoft is publishing Crystal Dynamics' upcoming action-adventure game Rise of the Tomb Raider, cementing its status as an Xbox-exclusive release. Rise of the Tomb Raider was outed as an Xbox exclusive earlier this year, with Xbox 360 and Xbox One versions slated to launch in late 2015. The game serves as sequel to 2013's series reboot Tomb Raider, which was published across consoles and PC platforms by Square Enix. Rise of the Tomb Raider's platform exclusivity raised the ire of series fans when it was revealed earlier this year. Microsoft's Phil Spencer previously noted that the company's partnership with Square Enix "has a duration," potentially clearing the way for a multiplatform Rise of the Tomb Raider release once the deal expires. [Image: Crystal Dynamics]
GameStop may seek exclusive content during a game's development
GameStop is contemplating taking a greater interest in games during their development in order to secure exclusive content. Colin Sebastian of investment firm R.W. Baird recently discussed GameStop's future with the retailer, then told investors in a note that GameStop "indicated that software publishers are more enthusiastic about partnering with it." For example, publishers may offer "exclusive content on each major game release," and in longer terms, "future models may include GameStop offering exclusive gameplay" for games. While GameStop already secures exclusive content for some major releases, this means the retailer may involve itself earlier in the development process than usual. As Sebastian clarified to GamesBeat, the retailer would be "getting involved at the time of game development where there could be some content exclusive to [the retailer] included in the game." GameStop spokesperson Jackie Smith also added that the company is working with development partners "to get both physical and digital exclusives for our customers." [Image: GameStop]
The TUAW Daily Update Podcast for April 21, 2014
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get some the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the player at the top of the page. The Daily Update has been moved to a new podcast host in the past few days. Current listeners should delete the old podcast subscription and subscribe to the new feed in the iTunes Store here.
Zampella: 'Of course' Respawn will have games on PS4, just not Titanfall
Deep breaths, everyone. Titanfall developer Respawn Entertainment will eventually make games for PS4, co-founder Vince Zampella tweeted. Yesterday publisher EA announced Titanfall would be exclusive for the life of the game to Xbox 360, Xbox One and PC, crushing the dreams of many prospective PS4 players. After this news, Zampella assured one fan that Respawn will develop PS4 games: "Of course we will, just not the first Titanfall." Respawn wasn't in control of the Microsoft exclusivity deal for Titanfall – that was all EA, Zampella said. "Always MS exclusive at launch, great partner and focus is good for a startup," he tweeted. "EA made a deal for the rest, we only found out recently =(." Keep in mind that one day, you'll be able to turn those frowns upside down, PS4 players.
Netflix adds The Weinstein Company to its 2016 pay-TV exclusivity roster
2016 is shaping up to be huge for Netflix. That's when the streaming juggernaut's Disney deal starts bearing fruit and it also marks the start of a multi-year pay-TV exclusivity agreement with The Weinstein Company (TWC). This means the first stop for TWC's flicks after home video will no longer be Showtime, but (almost) everybody's favorite place to watch movies instantly instead. While the studio has a pretty impressive back catalog -- Django Unchained, Silver Linings Playbook, The Road and ... Scary Movie 5 -- it isn't in the class of, say, Universal or Fox in terms of sheer blockbusters. With the rate 'flix is signing contracts though, who knows what could happen within the next three years.
Rumor: Respawn game exclusive to next Xbox
The first game from Respawn Entertainment, the studio formed by former Infinity Ward heads Jason West and Vince Zampella, is reportedly exclusive to the next-generation Xbox. According to Kotaku sources, Microsoft's coup keeps the unannounced game off Sony and Nintendo platforms. One source told the site there'll also be an Xbox 360 version.One of Kotaku's sources says Respawn's game is, surprise surprise, a multiplayer shooter, with battles featuring giant mechanical walkers called Titans - it was recently revealed Respawn trademarked the term 'Titan.'Whatever it is, Respawn's game is under EA's co-publishing Partners program. Despite the label reportedly shuttering, the studio says everything's going "fine" for its next game. Presumably in response to Kotaku's story, the studio's official account tweeted "Wow! Lots of speculation tonight. Great to see excitement about our project but you'll all have to wait for E3 for details."So... not May 21, then? Having said that, there's no denial there either. In any case, we've reached out to Respawn for comment.
Exclusive launches are sometimes necessary, Papo & Yo creator says
Papo & Yo cost developer Minority Media $1.5 million to make, and its exclusive release on PS3 in 2012 earned back some of that cost. It came to Steam last week, and during GDC creator Vander Caballero told us the PC launch should "cover the whole cost of the game." If it weren't for Sony and that exclusive PS3 launch, however, Papo & Yo may have never seen the light of day."If you are an independent you have zero marketing money," Caballero told Kotaku. "You have nothing. Then you need someone to support your project. So, if someone asks you for exclusivity and it's going to help you to bring out your product into the market, I think that can be good. Sometime, I think it's the only way to get something out."Caballero's next game with Minority is Silent Enemy, an exploration and puzzle game set in a harsh, mystical Canadian tundra, but with a message about bullying. Minority doesn't have any platforms locked down for Silent Enemy just yet, but Caballero is considering PS4, PC, tablets and Ouya.
PAX East 2013: Diablo III console video sizzles, Blizzard hints at other platforms
Diablo III's console edition is the cornerstone of Blizzard's booth at PAX East this weekend (but by no means the only product on display), so it stands to reason that the team would have cut together a new trailer to promote the coming console conquest. As we mull over the prospect of Blizzard winning over large swaths of the current console market, the PA Report discovered that Diablo III might not stop at just the PlayStation 3 and 4. In an interview, Blizzard did not want to make any official announcements but did state that the Diablo III console edition was "not necessarily a Sony exclusive." You can watch the "sizzle reel" of Diablo III with the adjusted UI after the jump! Massively's on the ground in Boston during the weekend of March 22nd to 24th, bringing you all the best news from PAX East 2013. Whether you're dying to know more about WildStar, DUST 514, or any MMO in between, we aim to have it covered!
A Mild-Mannered Reporter: Champions Online, Lemurian events, and you
Every so often, I'm told that I don't understand an issue under discussion, and it's entirely true. There are a lot of issues out there, and the best I can do is get some of the information, form an opinion, and then change that opinion based upon new information. So I do my best, but I'm going to be wrong sometimes. Other times I'm told I don't understand an issue when I actually do, and the problem is that the issue under discussion is not the most relevant issue. So let's talk a little bit more about Champions Online and the Lemurian Invasion. If you haven't been paying attention, this spawned a little bit of controversy among the playerbase and more when I said that the people raising a stink were wrong. They still are, even if they're also right about an unconnected issue I only brushed against before.
Leaked training videos peg Lumia 920 as AT&T exclusive for six months, shows off City Lens, wireless charging
Itching for Nokia's latest piece of Windows Phone kit, but aren't ready to saddle up with Ma Bell? Get comfortable: according to a leaked AT&T training video, you'll have to wait six months for the Lumia 920's exclusivity contract to expire. The unofficial Windows Phone 8 flagship is due out next month, though mum's still the word on its actual ship date. The trio of videos also give AT&T employees a brief run down of Nokia City Lens, wireless charging and the handset's NFC features. If you simply can't wait until spring, Verizon and T-Mobile are serving up a pair of mid-range alternatives, the Lumia 820 and 822, respectively. Otherwise, head past the break to see the videos for yourself and test your patience.
DUST 514 claims five-year roadmap with expansions
DUST 514 Executive Producer Jonathan Lander is in it for the long haul, as is his team. Lander said that CCP has a five-year roadmap for the upcoming console MMOFPS that includes expansions and enough "crazy ideas" to last for 20 years. "The whole way that we're doing our development process is so that we can push out expansions on a regular basis," Lander said. "We're not going to ship a unit and then in six months it's off the shelves and people have stopped playing it." Lander said the team's been working closely with Sony to overcome technical challenges and make sure that it's as stable and accessible as its EVE Online counterpart. DUST 514 is currently exclusive to Sony's PlayStation 3. Of course, the big unknown is what will happen to that exclusivity if DUST 514 outlives the console's lifespan.
Nokia Lumia 920 to be a Rogers exclusive in Canada, we wonder if red is an option
Where goeth AT&T, so often goeth its one-time partner Rogers. That's certainly true for the Nokia Lumia 920: Rogers has confirmed that it will have an exclusive on the Windows Phone 8 flagship in Canada, much as AT&T has a lock on the device in the US. While there's no pricing or color options yet, the Canuck model will share the November shipping window and LTE support, and it's easy to imagine Rogers gravitating towards its signature (and coincidentally patriotic) red. Other Canadian carriers haven't chipped in about the Lumia 820; if history is any indicator, though, we'd anticipate the less expensive portion of Nokia's lineup going Telus' way.
Amazon Publishing inks deal with Ingram, opens e-book distribution to rivals
Amazon Publishing is continuing to broaden its distribution channels, as the New York-based imprint has formed a partnership with Ingram Content Group that will make the company's e-books available to competitors such as Apple, Barnes & Noble and Kobo. As you may be aware, there's some uneasy tension between the rivals, as Barnes & Noble has previously removed Amazon's print editions from its retail shelves in response to the company's former e-book exclusivity in the Kindle Store. It remains unknown whether any of the competitors will indeed choose to sell Amazon's content in electronic form. It's also worth pointing out that because deal applies only to Amazon Publishing's New York-based imprint, the company's west coast division is excluded from the distribution deal. Regardless of how things shake out, it's encouraging to see Amazon extend the olive branch -- now let's hope the competition reciprocates.
Amazon Publishing to sell series of ebooks outside the Kindle Store
It remains to be seen if it's a full-on change of policy, but it looks like Amazon is at least shifting it stance when it comes to where some of the ebooks put out by its Amazon Publishing division are sold. As you may recall, Barnes & Noble and other booksellers recently pulled print editions of Amazon Publishing books from their store shelves because the ebook versions were only sold in the Kindle Store, a stance that B&N said "undermined the industry as a whole." Now, Amazon has confirmed that its latest addition to the Amazon Publishing roster, a series of short biographies edited by James Atlas, will indeed be sold outside of the Amazon ecosystem in both print and ebook form. Whether B&N and other bookstores will actually carry them remains to be seen, of course, but an Amazon spokesperson told The New York Times that its "intention is to distribute these books as broadly as possible." That change was further clarified by PaidContent, which was told by Amazon that "the books will be available to be sold everywhere in all formats."
Barnes & Noble to pull Amazon Publishing titles from shelves over exclusivity concerns
Barnes & Noble bans aren't just for superheroes anymore. The bookseller let it be known this week that it will be pulling Amazon Publishing titles from the shelves of its 700-odd retail locations, in protest of exclusivity deals struck by the mega-online retailer. As one B&N exec told The New York Times, "Our decision is based on Amazon's continued push for exclusivity with publishers, agents and the authors they represent," adding, "Their actions have undermined the industry as a whole and have prevented millions of customers from having access to content." Barnes & Noble will apparently continue to sell some Amazon titles through its own site, but good luck using its WiFi.
KDDI may get iPhone 5, putting an end to Softbank's exclusivity in Japan
The walls of tyrannical exclusivity may soon come crashing down in Japan. According to Nikkei, "officials" in the know have indicated that KDDI is gearing up to release the iPhone 5 on its network, thus ending competitor SoftBank's reign as the iconic device's sole provider in the Land of the Rising Sun. As we've come to expect in the days leading up to official Apple announcements, the details are incredibly scant. SoftBank, the third-largest carrier in the country, has been inching closer and closer to second-place KDDI with very little breathing room left; it's understandable, then, that the latter would be eagerly awaiting the end of iPhone exclusivity to make an agreement with Apple and boost its subscriber count. As it's all hearsay for the time being, we'll just have to wait a little while longer before we know every detail on the mystery device(s). [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Battlefield 3 expansions to arrive one week earlier on PS3
Not unlike Microsoft and Activision's agreement to give Xbox early access to Call of Duty DLC, Sony and EA have arranged for Battlefield 3 expansions to arrive with an exclusive lead on PlayStation 3. However, Battlefield 3's expansions will stay exclusive to the PS3 for a shorter period: one week per expansion. The deal kicks off with "Back to Karkand," which launches "later this year" and brings with it four Battlefield 2 maps (including Wake Island) rebuilt in the Frostbite 2.0 engine. The expansion comes free with first-run copies of Battlefield 3 for all platforms, though it now seems it won't be available for download immediately. The Battlefield 3 beta opens on PC (check the system requirements), PS3 and Xbox 360 on September 29.
