Sony May Try To Reclaim Grand Theft Auto Exclusivity For PS3

Grand Theft Auto IV

By the next generation, it’s very likely that new gamers won’t even recognize the term, “third-party exclusive.” Only first-party exclusives will remain…unless Sony really does have a huge secret up its sleeve, which would involve the next installment of the critically acclaimed Grand Theft Auto franchise.

If you check out this video at HipHipGamerShow, they talk about a number of things, including Sony’s drive to dominate in 2009, the concept of “forward compatibility” on the Xbox 360, their Pure review, and one other little suggestive tidbit. The comments in question pose the seemingly impossible question: could Sony reacquire GTA as an exclusive franchise? It appears that several whispers circulating through the industry have indicated that Sony may be changing its policy of “never paying for exclusives,” and their first step would be to reclaim GTA. This would be an absolute bombshell, although at this point in time, we’re not putting much stock in the theory. Problem is, with the 360’s head start, third-party publishers aren’t so interested in PS3 exclusives, which would restrict the possible buying audience by way more than half. Sony would have to pony up a gigantic chunk of cash, and to be honest, we don’t believe they’re in any position to do that. Not with the combined growing economic concerns and GTA’s immense popularity, at any rate.

Still, it’s certainly something that ought to prompt a wee bit of discussion. The Sony loyalists will love the idea, especially because many will believe it would let Rockstar focus entirely on the PlayStation 3, thereby letting the system shine. On the other hand, from a logical and unbiased standpoint, it would be a shame to coerce so many gamers into buying another console just to play Grand Theft Auto V. That’s kinda what exclusives do, though, so… Who knows?

10/28/2008 Ben Dutka

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