exclusivity
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Rock Band nabs 'exclusive' Jimi Hendrix experience
[Jimi's last Guitar Hero appearance] True, he once exclusively rocked the World Tour, but there just ain't no telling with that Jimi Hendrix. Today, following the reveal of the Jimi Hendrix Experience DLC album Axis: Bold as Love for the Rock Band platform, MTV Games and Harmonix announced, "Jimi Hendrix's music is now exclusive to Rock Band with more songs coming to its industry-leading platform in the future." (An MTV Games spokesperson reiterated to Joystiq that "moving forward" Hendrix music-game releases will be exclusive to Rock Band, but declined to offer specifics on the deal with Experience Hendrix LLC.) Previously, several Hendrix tracks, including a DLC pack, and a digitized version of the, uh, "No. 1 guitarist of all time" were featured in Guitar Hero: World Tour, which, due to licensing restrictions, can't be imported into other Guitar Hero games. Even a Hendrix-themed Guitar Hero game was once allegedly in the works, having apparently slipped into the sea.
Analyst: Apple will sell 35m iPhones next year, with or without Verizon
One of the questions that always seems to come up during our TUAW Talkcast and TUAW TV Live sessions is "When do you think Verizon Wireless is going to get the iPhone?" According to recent comments from Merrill Lynch analyst Scott Craig, the answer to that question is irrelevant to Apple. Craig anticipates that Apple could sell 33 million iPhones in 2010, and that number would rise to 35 million in 2011 even without a second U.S. carrier. However, the upside to Apple in selecting a second U.S. carrier -- possibly Verizon Wireless -- is that the number of 2011 sales could rise to as high as 55 million. Other Wall Street analysts believe that Apple's decision to stick by AT&T for the iPad indicates a vote of confidence for the carrier, with analysts at Credit Suisse even going so far as to say that there's a 75% chance that AT&T will keep iPhone exclusivity for another year. While the analysts don't seem to see a real downside risk for Apple, Credit Suisse recently downgraded Verizon from Outperform to Neutral based on the absence of the iPhone from their product line. It would definitely be in Verizon's best interest to make an agreement with Apple to carry the iPhone; however, Apple is unlikely to make agreements with non-GSM carriers such as Verizon Wireless until they are well into a transition to the 4G LTE technology. [via Cult of Mac]
Analysts see iPhone remaining exclusive to AT&T, spurring sales of anti-depressants
Those among you hoping for an impending dissolution of AT&T's exclusive hold (or testicular constriction, if you will) on the iPhone may want to sit down before reading the following words. According to AppleInsider, two separate analysts are making similar predictions that the iPhone will remain shackled to AT&T's network, offering the iPad-AT&T partnership as evidence. It's ok, I wept too. Vijay Jayant, of Barclays Capital, was quoted as saying "(The) launch of Apple's iPad on AT&T's network is a vote of confidence in AT&T's network by the equipment maker." I don't know which part of that statement I find more shocking and disturbing. The possibility of his prediction being accurate, or the notion that someone has confidence in AT&T's network? That's infreakingsane! Jayant, however, sees this pact lasting only through the remainder of 2010, as do the folks at Credit Suisse who echoed similar projections last week. I suppose we can hold out hope for another 10 months. Personally, I'm going to deny this rumor exists in hopes of preventing its materialization. I cast thee out, demon, and unhear your blasphemy!
iPhone to be sold by Tesco in the UK, hemorrhages cachet
So we know the iPhone has been slumming it and selling itself on Walmart shelves in the US for a while now, but it's retained a somewhat more dignified cachet over here in Europe. Until today, that is. Just "in time for Christmas," British retailer Tesco will make it possible for you to buy your socks, no-frills groceries, and shiny smartphone all in the same place. You'll still be riding O2's network, thanks to the Tesco Mobile service, but the department store chain is likely to price its contracts more aggressively, as it already has a £30 per month plan that includes unlimited calls, texts, and web surfing. Maybe there's something to this whole "competition" thing after all then, eh? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
The end of exclusivity leading to big iPhone sales in Europe
Go figure, right? You get a relatively hot phone out onto more carriers, and just like that, sales increase. It ain't rocket science, buster. As AT&T grins happily while enjoying a death grip on Apple's cash cow here in the States, things are a lot more wide open for consumers across the pond. In both France and the UK, the iPhone has been given the all-clear to be sold on multiple carriers, and according to research from Bernstein, the "widening of the distribution has boosted Apple's value market share to 32 percent in the latest quarter from 21 percent just three months earlier." The notes also mention that Apple's increase is coming at the expense of RIM, with over 600,000 iPhone handsets being sold during Q3 2009 in France alone. The point to all this madness? Oh, not much -- just to tell Sir Jobs that he can count on quite a bit more dough should he decide to sell this elusive "iPhone" device on Verizon in the US of A.
AT&T Mobility CEO suggests iPhone exclusivity will end... sometime
Well, it's not much, but AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega doesn't exactly have to go too far out on a limb to attract attention when he's talking about something as big as an end to iPhone exclusivity. His latest, and seemingly most extensive ruminations on the matter came during a conference call with analysts this week, where he reportedly said that AT&T has a "legacy of having a great portfolio...that will continue after the iPhone is no longer exclusive to us," and that he thinks AT&T's ability to drive results "will continue after the iPhone." He did seem to dial things back a bit later in the call, however, switching to langauge like "even if we lose exclusivity" instead of "after the iPhone," and going on to extol the virtues of the iPhone, noting that "others will try to emulate them [Apple], but that device by far is the best in terms of ease of use."
O2 issues brief, cold press release on Orange's iPhone win
Think of it from the perspective of the media relations team: after a two-year run dating back to the original iPhone, your network has just lost its exclusivity with Apple -- perhaps the highest-profile company to do so. Do you pretend it didn't happen? And if you do decide to address it, how do you spin it? Well, sit back, ladies and gentlemen, and observe O2's PR gurus at work -- because they've just spit out a terse two-paragraph release on the matter that makes no mention of Orange whatsoever, and only a veiled reference to the exclusivity loss at all. Instead, they're boasting that they "always knew that iPhone exclusivity was for a limited period of time" and even throw in a mention of the Pre, another high-profile model that's about to become an O2 exclusive, closing on a high note: "We also offer award-winning customer service and benefits, which is why more people choose O2 than any other network in the UK." You just had to play the subscriber count card, didn't you, guys?
Palm Pre coming to the UK and Ireland October 16, Germany October 13, all O2 exclusives
It might be about four months late, but the UK is finally getting its slice of the tasty new Palm pie. There'll be no shortage of outlets to buy this from, with the Carphone Warehouse, Phones4U and O2's online shop all stocked up, but the carrier options are limited to just one. You'll find tables of UK and Ireland pricing after the break, and you'll be happy to know that the Pre can be had for free on two-year contracts charging £34.26 per month, which come with "unlimited" mobile data and free access to the BT OpenZone WiFi service. [Thanks, Andrew] Update: Good news for our Teutonic brethren, as O2 Germany has also let slip news of the Pre hitting Deutschland on October 13, with the device priced at €481 without contract or cheaper with.
Rumor: Microsoft exclusivity deals funding PS3 development in Japan
What do Vampire Rain, Tales of Vesperia, Lost Planet, Eternal Sonata and Enchanted Arms all have in common? Aside from being developed in Japan, every one of them landed on the Xbox 360 "exclusively" first, only getting ported (sometimes with additional content) to the PlayStation 3 a year or so later. One Japanese developer claims the exclusivity agreements are being used in lieu of financial help from Sony for game development -- essentially saying that Japanese developers are using Microsoft's capital to develop temporarily exclusive 360 games with the intention of inexpensively porting the games to PS3 later on. "It was easier developing for the Xbox 360 ... if you sign an exclusive contract with Microsoft (you won't release it on other hardware for a year or similar), they will give you a lot of cash for development," read a Japanese developer's post (the original post has since been removed), translated by Sankaku Complex (site NSFW). "As a result, first you develop for the Xbox, reducing development costs. But the Xbox version won't sell [in Japan]. So they port it to the PS3 ... it's cheaper as you already have the game done." Though they didn't work on it, the developer claims to have seen this policy in practice with Tales of Vesperia. As Kotaku points out, it's quite possible that the dev did see such a practice on Vampire Rain, a game the mystery developer says they worked on.
T-Mobile UK sneakily offering iPhone 3G to moneyed customers
We really couldn't make this stuff up -- it would seem that T-Mobile has been sneaking some hi-tech contraband into the UK in the form of unlocked iPhone 3G handsets, which it is now peddling to its most valued clientele. And by that, of course, we mean the piggies that pay up the most every month. Limited to an extremely select 150 units a week, the Apple devices are being used as incentives for high-rolling customers to renew their eye-gouging contracts of £75 per month and above, though we suspect only a few chums in corner offices know exactly how much T-Mob is charging for the handset itself.We've done some digging, and while O2 has exclusivity on the iPhone 3G until September, that does not prevent T-Mobile from essentially functioning as a reseller of unlocked SIM-free units. Further distancing itself from legal action, the carrier is only offering the handsets to upgrading customers (as opposed to newcomers), thus the phones technically come sans a SIM. So, the suits at Magenta Towers must be feeling pretty smug right about now, having danced through a loophole and secured a wildly popular (albeit older generation) phone, all in the name of keeping high-brow customers from jumping ship. While you won't hear any PR from T-Mobile on the matter, we have a full statement from O2 on the subject of losing 3G exclusivity come September. You ready? We have a multi-year agreement with Apple to sell iPhone in the UK. This relationship continues.Man, those Britons keep it short and sweet, don't they?
Splinter Cell Conviction designer on delay, exclusivity, Natal ... and bowel control?
After teasing us with the carefully scripted Splinter Cell Conviction E3 demo -- for the umpteenth time -- lead designer Steve Masters commented on the game's current status as a "March quarter" release today at Ubisoft's "Holiday Preview" event (we'll be celebrating well into 2010, you know). Masters echoed CEO Yves Guillemot in saying, "really [the delay] was just a decision to allow us to polish up and really deliver the experience that the fans are looking for.""Right now we're about to hit alpha -- literally this week," Masters confirmed. "So that means the levels are largely complete, and now it's just time to polish them up and get them looking really great, and playing really well." The current (and what better be final) iteration of the fifth Splinter Cell game has been in development for roughly eighteen months, according to Masters.On the topic of platform exclusivity, the designer continued to tiptoe along Ubisoft's party line when it came to discussing the apparent arrangement with Microsoft. "I can't really go into the details there. All I can say is that we're really exploiting the full power of the Microsoft console here, and Microsoft has been tremendous in giving us a lot of support and really helping us to utilize the full power of the 360," Masters offered. "I don't think that we're ever gonna go to the PS3. But I can't confirm or deny it."As for Project Natal and the future of the Splinter Cell franchise? "I would love to use Natal. I think there are a lot of very cool possibilities with that -- everything from doing outrageously interesting educational stuff to really-involving video games." Did he say, educational? Ah, so that's what exploring Milo is all about ... and here we thought it was just outrageous. "I've only had a very quick demo with [Natal]. I haven't had any serious, in-depth hands-on, but I know Ubisoft has been working with it."Finally, Masters fielded our most pressing question ... Who would win in a fight: Sam Fisher or Jack Bauer? Masters emphatically declared Fisher the clear favorite given his superior sneaking abilities. But if the match-up was limited to a 24-hour time frame? "Bauer does have tremendous bowel control," Masters conceded. "I think that might be the tipping point in this battle."
Bell has six-month exclusivity on the Pre?
It's been gathered, extrapolated, or otherwise assumed pretty much from day one that Sprint's period of exclusivity on the Pre was roughly six months (we say "roughly" because Dan Hesse himself has explicitly said it's not six), and it looks like things are working just about the same up north. In the case of Bell, MobileSyrup is reporting that they're being guaranteed rights to the Pre for precisely six months, actually, which means archrival Telus is probably rearing to start its kitchen timer (you know, that one your mom has that's shaped like an egg) for the countdown the moment it launches. The more interesting question, though, might be whether Rogers (and, by technological proxy, AT&T) end up with a webOS-based device of their own before that second round of Pre launches goes down.
AT&T CEO admits iPhone won't be exclusive forever
It may not be all that shocking from a common sense point of view, but AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson's statement that "there will be a day when you are not exclusive with the iPhone" is still quite a departure from anything he's said in the past and, given the stakes involved, pretty darn notable. That word came at Fortune's now happening Brainstorm: Tech conference, where Stephenson unsurprisingly didn't elaborate on any negotiations with Apple, and only went so far as to say that he thinks AT&T's partnership with Apple "works really, really well -- maybe as well as any strategic partnership we have." Of course, none of that means exclusivity is going away anytime soon, and you can pretty safely bet that AT&T will keep on pushing as long as it can.
Rural carriers scoff at Verizon's exclusivity compromise
After throwing rural carriers a bone last week -- seemingly in an effort to cool down federal investigations into anti-competitive behavior -- Verizon's not getting a lot of love back from the Rural Cellular Association, the group of some 100 or so of the country's smallest networks, which is saying that "the commitment does not go far enough to rectify the consumer and competitive harms caused by these agreements." The "commitment" the RCA's referring to is Verizon's promise to offer carriers with 500,000 or fewer subscribers access to Verizon-exclusive handsets after six months -- but for one thing, the offer apparently excludes products like the BlackBerry Storm, which you can imagine small carriers would have a keen interest in picking up as a hero device (with a decent firmware installed, naturally). The RCA also makes reference to the fact that about 180 million of the nation's wireless customers wouldn't see any benefit from the offer, presumably a shot at Verizon's 500,000-subscriber cap. The response from Big Red is flippant, to say the least -- "they don't need to accept the offer," says a spokesman -- so we wouldn't expect it to get any sweeter without a fight.[Via Phone Scoop]
Microsoft's early faith in Team 17 is why Alien Breed hits XBLA first
While Team 17's upcoming Alien Breed renewal, Alien Breed Evolution, will be coming to XBLA, PSN and PC, VG247 has learned that the game will be arriving on XBLA a bit earlier than the other two. "It will come to PS3 and it will come to PC as well, but initially it'll be Live Arcade," Team 17's Martyn Brown said. Why not release on all three platforms simultaneously from the get go? Brown says it has to do with Microsoft giving Team 17 a chance before anyone else would. "They showed a lot of faith in us early doors [British for "early on"] and that's kind of kept going really," Brown notes. He even goes as far as to call the relationship a "first-party publishing relationship" (which is the case for Team 17's other franchise, Worms, but not Alien Breed). Hey, Microsoft, you trying to put a ring on that finger? %Gallery-68333% [Via XboxGaming]
Verizon cutting all device exclusivity to six months for small carriers
The original plan was to max out exclusivity periods at six months for Samsung and LG products, but now, Verizon's offering an even larger olive branch to small carriers, saying that it'll limit exclusivity to half a year for "all devices." Straight-up competitors like Sprint certainly won't be reaping any benefit from this, but the little guys -- carriers with 500,000 or fewer subscribers -- will now be able to pick up the same hardware Verizon has after the six-month cooling off period has elapsed. Though it seems like a genuinely good-hearted measure, the move is undoubtedly designed to get the FCC and Congress to cool off, both of which have been taking a keen look into potentially practices by some of the nation's largest carriers -- AT&T and Verizon in particular. But hey, either way, if this means faster Wireless Coupe launches across the country, we're all for it.[Via Phone Scoop]
BioWare: EA owns Mass Effect IP (Translation: It could still come to PS3) [update]
We've been doing a lot of wondering about BioWare lately: wondering what the company is going to do with the Wii; wondering what our saves from the first Mass Effect will do to the sequel. But most of all, we've been wondering if Mass Effect 2 will be making its way to the PlayStation 3, like its dragon-infused brother, Dragon Age: Origins. So we asked BioWare's Matt Atwood directly about the possibility of the game coming to PS3, to which he responded, "We've only announced 360 and PC. At this point we're really focused on those platforms."We understand, Matt, but what about the intellectual property itself? Does EA own the Mass Effect name? "Yes. EA owns the rights to Mass Effect." And so, as far as exclusivity between Mass Effect and Microsoft, that doesn't exist? "That's right," he told us.Update: Matt Atwood at BioWare just contacted us to clarify his statements from earlier today regarding Mass Effect 2's exclusivity to Xbox 360 and PC. He says, "It [exclusivity] actually does exist for Mass Effect 2. And beyond that, we haven't announced any plans."
Ubisoft: Splinter Cell Conviction is 'true Microsoft exclusive'
Now that the third-party playing field is supposedly "level," Microsoft looks to be making a play for the advantage, as Ubisoft continues to insist that Splinter Cell Conviction is "a true Microsoft exclusive title." We've heard this before, of course, but this time it's with more *ahem* conviction, as an Ubisoft UK Forum Manager declares there are "no plans to have Splinter Cell Conviction on other [console] platforms." The sentiment echoes the long drama surrounding Metal Gear Solid 4's exclusivity, and we have to imagine doubts about Conviction's exclusivity won't go down quietly, either.Just as Metal Gear Solid has been associated with PlayStation (though not always exclusive to Sony platforms), Ubisoft calls Splinter Cell and Microsoft "historically linked," explaining that Conviction's exclusivity is based, in part, on "a 'link of heart.'" Aw, that's sweet -- and so is the check that Microsoft must have cut.[Via VideoGamer.com]
MGS Rising levels third-party playing field, Microsoft's Kim declares
Someday, we'll talk about third-party exclusives like the way we talk about car phones, Laserdiscs and troll dolls -- a thing of the past. That someday could be sooner than you think, if Microsoft exec Shane Kim is to be believed. "[Microsoft has] said for a long time that a key part of our strategy with Xbox 360 was a level third-party playing field," Kim tells Gamasutra in a recent interview. "Now we've effectively done that with Metal Gear Solid [Rising] coming to the Xbox 360."Short of a blank check from Microsoft or Sony -- like, what was the asking price for Agent exclusivity, you know? -- there's little incentive for a third-party publisher to release a big-budget game for only Xbox 360 or PS3. It's possible that third-party exclusives will flourish as small, downloadable games and DLC (though those GTA IV add-ons weren't cheap for Microsoft), but it's more likely that they'll diminish as cheap carnival games -- geddit? Of course, with Microsoft and Sony designing their own waggleware apparatuses, such low-grade third-party exclusives won't necessarily continue to be exclusive, either.Still, Kim argues that "exclusive content is really important." And so, it's up to the first-party publishers to essentially unlevel the playing field with their own IPs. "[It's] really not about relying on third parties, because I don't think that that is sustainable, as we've proven," Kim concludes. "And it's up to each of us to differentiate on our own."
Palm and Verizon looking to take shine off Apple and AT&T
In a minefield of failed "iPhone killers" one is making some headway on fulfilling that murderous promise: the Palm Pre. Perhaps it's no surprise: the Palm Pre was conceived by a team that includes plenty of Apple alumni, including Jon Rubenstein, who was made Palm's CEO yesterday to replace Ed Colligan. (John Gruber reminds us of one of Colligan's more famous quotes.) Rubenstein used to be the general manager of Apple's iPod division. Not only that, but Fred Anderson, Lynn Fox, and Mike Bell are all connected (if not employed by) the re-energized Palm. Valleywag's Ryan Tate says it's no wonder, then, that the Pre syncs with iTunes right out of the box. Competition is good, though, right? We'll see improvements to both the iPhone and the Pre because of the products' competitive relationship with each other. Look at the rivalry between Canon and Nikon: The result? Awesome cameras both. In the end, the customer wins. This is true with carriers, too, as exclusivity agreements begin to expire. There were rumblings that the Pre would be released on the Verizon network around Christmas, but blowback from Sprint CEO Dan Hesse pushed the rumor mill's schedule back a month to January 2010, according to The Wall Street Journal. Watercooler talk suggests that the iPhone's exclusivity agreement with AT&T expires around the same time for U.S. customers, but the Magic 8 Ball says that we might not see an iPhone for Verizon until both they and AT&T finish their LTE networks. If you're using a Pre with your Mac, especially if you're taking advantage of the iTunes sync capability, let us know in the comments how it's going.
