Exclusive games are games that are exclusive or made for one particular platform. Examples of some are:
The Last of Us (PlayStation)
Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo)
Gears of War (XBOX // PC)
Exclusive games exist for a number of reasons, it could be that the hardware manufacturer owns that particular studio and so they want that studio to exclusively make games for that platform. It could also be down to deals being done with third party studios. Ultimately, they exist to sell the platform. The PlayStation 3 is a good example of this, it was a platform that was hard to develop for but the exclusives on this platform were unbelievable. Uncharted 2 is widely considered one of the best action / adventure games to exist and towards the end of the PS3 life cycle, buyers realised the full potential of the console and so did the developers.
Exclusives aren’t just limited to games however, but can also be limited to the features of a specific platform :
Xbox
• Game Pass (Games on Release).
• xCloud Gaming.
• Xbox Live Gold (3 a month).
• Microsoft store but purchasable cards available.
• Proprietary external storage.
• Kinect.
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PlayStation
• Most Immersive controller on the market.
• PlayStation Move.
• PlayStation VR.
• Most talented studio’s (Game Awards week in, week out).
• PlayStation Now.
• Non-Proprietary external storage (except Vita).
• PlayStation Plus (3-7 games a month).
• PlayStation store.
• PlayStation Vita (way ahead of it’s time).
• Remote play.
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Nintendo
• History / Legacy.
• King of handhelds.
• Hybrid console.
• Nintendo Online (access to previous console generations inc. N64, NES, SNES, Megadrive).
• Portability.
• Nintendo eShop but purchasable cards available.
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PC
• choice of peripherals (m+k, controller, vr).
• Constantly upgradable.
• choice of digital store fronts.
• No physical releases.
• Expensive to buy / upgrade.
• Game pass.
There are tons of game genres and trends in the market. To name a few you have Sports, Shooter, Action, Adventure, Beat em’ up, MOBA, RPG, RTS, MMO. Although all of these are game genres, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are trends. These games will always be made but may not be at the forefront of the market. This is what trends are, whats currently popular among players. An example of a trend could be the Battle Pass system. The Battle Pass system is usually a purchasable add on that allows players to progress towards unlocking consmetic items, weapons and other unlockables as they play games. Typically there are two tiers, Free and Premium. Where free will give you the bare minimum and premium will give you a new item every time you level up.
Trends can be good and bad for the industry. They can be good because it allows developers and publishers know what is currently in trend at the moment and what players like to see in their games but they can also be bad as they don’t allow or can restrict how unique a game can be, meaning the market can be inundated with the same types of games. The mechanisms arent a problem, its the trend of a genre that could be the problem.
JORDAN | GLITCH ARCADE 