Even though we knew full well that PS3 is the lead development platform for dystopian parkour adventure Mirror’s Edge, and that only on PS3 would we be able to utilize SIXAXIS motion control to keep protagonist Faith balanced, it only took a few minutes for the PC version’s superior control scheme (and surprisingly low system requirements) to win us over.
But knowing how fickle a gamer’s heart can be, EA chose this moment to drop the other shoe. Eurogamer is reporting that that though Mirror’s Edge is not a timed exclusive on PS3 (as some had rumored) the title will receive exclusive downloadable content via PlayStation Network.
The spokesperson who revealed the DLC deal also made elusive reference to an “exclusive marketing agreement” between Sony and EA.
In a July interview, president of Sony Worldwide Studios Shuhei Yoshida suggested that the company would not begin paying for third-party exclusives, citing the financial pressure driving third parties to go multi-platform. (Yoshida mentioned EA specifically as one company particularly likely to eschew exclusives.)
When Microsoft paid a reported $50 million for the as-yet-unreleased Grand Theft Auto IV exclusive DLC, it seemed to be an isolated incident — but with these latest Sony deals, we may be seeing the beginning of a trend. If first parties cannot afford a big enough moneyhat to purchase exclusive titles, perhaps they will go after exclusive downloadable content instead.
In related news, Yoshida told videogaming247 that the exception to the rule — Media Molecule’s PS3-exclusive LittleBigPlanet — will be huge.
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