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GRIN: PSN And XBLA On A "Level Playing Field"

Some people really like to get a good look at how this industry operates behind the scenes, which is why this story should be of interest to all you nosy fans.

In a recent Develop Mag interview with the Swedish GRIN Studio brothers, Bo and Ulf Andersson, we learn that designers can easily receive "the same sort of attention" from both the XBLA and PSN these days, and this makes it a "level playing field." As Andersson said: "It's really nice that, whoever you are, you can get the same sort of attention [on XBLA and PSN]" and the bigger publishers can't really "muscle their way in for more exposure." But it's not all roses; Ulf chimed in and explained that getting your game on either online service isn't always easy:

"It's still much easier to make digital games on the PC than it is with XBLA and PSN. With the consoles' online platforms, Sony and Microsoft have their own rules and regulations to follow, and you have to have a pretty robust [bug testing] session to get your game out there. That's something which smaller independent developers run into."

If you didn't already know, GRIN is already responsible for giving us the downloadable gem that was Bionic Commando: Rearmed, so they likely know what they're talking about. The console war continues to rage but in terms of angling for online service position, it appears as if the PSN and XBLA are on an even keel right now. ...we couldn't exactly say the same back in 2007, now could we?

5/13/2009 Ben Dutka

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Comments (28 posts)

Masterofallz
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 @ 10:21:32 PM
Reply

..And we are still getting more and more games. Go PSN. All we need is clan integration and we're set.

Agree with this comment 4 up, 1 down Disagree with this comment

Douchebaguette
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 2:51:54 AM

F**k Yeh!

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Godslim
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 5:36:14 AM

and we need in game party chat :)

Agree with this comment 2 up, 0 down Disagree with this comment

N a S a H
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 10:22:55 AM

That whole text thing in pointless IMO. If you could talk then YES good idea. But since it's only typing it made NO difference what-so-ever. I can just send messages to the people I want to talk to. Just as easy.

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Cpt_Geez
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 @ 10:41:46 PM
Reply

II have 360 and ps3 and im a huge xbox fan and II agree with grin psn and xblv are even, II actually prefer psn over xblv.
Last edited by Cpt_Geez on 5/13/2009 10:42:55 PM

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sticklife
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 12:44:22 PM

cool name. cause it's free? (psn)
Last edited by sticklife on 5/14/2009 12:45:20 PM

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WorldEndsWithMe
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 @ 11:54:28 PM
Reply

They are NOT even, one of em's free.

Agree with this comment 9 up, 0 down Disagree with this comment

Scarecrow
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 12:03:18 AM
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PSN any day! (for me)

Grin is awesome, gotta hand it to them, Bionic Commando: Rearmed's a great title.

Wish they'd do more 2.5D platform-ish games like that one...

Agree with this comment 2 up, 0 down Disagree with this comment

OriginalSin
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 4:37:28 AM
Reply

"The console war continues to rage but in terms of angling for online service position, it appears as if the PSN and XBLA are on an even keel right now. ...we couldn't exactly say the same back in 2007, now could we?"

So true. And I'm really really happy about how Sony has managed to swing things around since 2007. I bought my PS3 at launch and even thou I was very happy I must admit I did start to worry at a stage when so many things just didn't go as planned. But big up to Sony for what they managed to pull off in 2008-2009. Can't wait for the next 2-5 years....

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Mr Bitey
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 10:41:16 AM

Well said. I've watched the network grow over the last few years also. Sony really has done a fantastic job with establishing the PSN since launch.

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JoshuaAdam360
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 9:01:14 AM
Reply

Its getting alot better for Sony. Respect.

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N a S a H
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 4:02:26 PM

Wonder how long this attitude towards Sony will last before you crack and show your true colours once again.. :D

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JoshuaAdam360
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 5:05:49 PM

Naw iv settled a bit on the Sony Bashing. I means it's fun and sometimes they make it to easy. But iv turned a new leaf=D

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Byakko2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 5:55:33 PM

Don't see how it's "fun and easy" to bash Sony, and 2009 is definitely not a fashionable year to bash them at all. Maybe if you had some kind of time machine you could go back to 2006 to hop on the "PS3 is too expensive and has no games" bandwagon. I wasn't gonna respond to that comment, but that was ignorant. Myself, I owned a 360 a year ago for Ninja Gaiden 2, but I never went around bashing 360 for its shortcomings. I gots no problem with 360 owners, but give credit where its due. Sony is firing on all cylinders this year, accept it and don't bash games you can't grasp the concept of.

Now let's not let this go any further please, I hate to even whiff a scent of trouble

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JoshuaAdam360
Friday, May 15, 2009 @ 6:04:09 AM

Im happy that they are finally on a competing level. The more momentum they gain the more MS will have to push it to compete.

The thing is. In the end it's us the consumers that win.

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Jordahn
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 9:11:09 AM
Reply

Wait a minute. This "Level Playing Field," it's actually referring to big developer vs. small developer, not PSN vs. XBLA, isn't it? And if it is, isn't this article taking things out of context???

Agree with this comment 1 up, 0 down Disagree with this comment

sticklife
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 12:48:41 PM

you're kinda right. even still they are really close to being the same.

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BeezleDrop
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 10:43:59 AM
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Alright, a free service is as good as a service a person would pay for? Respect, for sho.

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psychotoe
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 11:05:18 AM
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Well then lets get some Doom and Quake originals on the PSN. I would love to replay these great games.

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Byakko2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 12:07:02 PM
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My only beef with Live is that we can't play with those guys cross platform (understandably). As a result, I lose some competitors for PSN on Sttreet Fighter 4(and soon other games). I hope when PSN sees more updates, those guys make a transition from Live to PSN and realize they're only paying to connect to their own internet. Granted, there's only a handful of real competitors on that game, I fear some players only made their decision based on the myth that Live is faster than PSN.

Could any Live users tell me what Live offers that PSN doesn't? Feature-wise, I mean, not content. My guess is those features will be on PSN before this year ends.

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Scarecrow
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 3:01:52 PM

Force THEM to get a ps3.

If not, get better friends
Last edited by Scarecrow on 5/14/2009 3:02:12 PM

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N a S a H
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 4:03:57 PM

It's not a myth. Not everyone has fast internet. Live caters for those with slow internet a lot better than PSN.

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N a S a H
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 4:03:59 PM

It's not a myth. Not everyone has fast internet. Live caters for those with slow internet a lot better than PSN.

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Mr Bitey
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 4:44:43 PM

Pretty much the one feature that Live has over PSN is cross game chat. It's not a big deal to me, but I think there are a decent amount of people who are interested and constantly are asking for it.

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Byakko2009
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 6:15:51 PM

Nasah, can you say that with certainty? Not trying to call you a liar, but as a former Live user who plays fighting games primarily, I can honestly say Live has issues with lag especially when the network has lots of activity. I mean, at first I was convinced it might have been my connection. So I cancelled my (Comcast at the time) service and switched to Verizon DSL with all the essentials they claimed necessary (static IP). So I ended up paying extra for basically nothing as I experienced no difference with Verizon over Comcast. All the occasional stutters, and hiccups were still present, and on very rare instances slowdown for brief periods.

For twitch gamers I'm sure lag is no problem, but as a fighting game competitor I feel I shouldn't pay 50 bucks extra for lag. My experience with PSN is the same, and occasionally I have flawless matches (had those with Live too). It seems it mostly depends on location, connection speed, and bandwidth.

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sticklife
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 12:51:21 PM
Reply

say you download a game on the o'l xbl can you play thet game while off line? or do you have to be online to even play?

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tlpn99
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 5:03:03 PM

I have downloaded a few things off the Xbl, Double Dragon, Sensible Soccer and I can play them offline.

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mbg77
Thursday, May 14, 2009 @ 3:42:12 PM
Reply

I have to say that the most disturbing part of this comment was:

" Sony and Microsoft have their own rules and regulations to follow, and you have to have a pretty robust [bug testing] session to get your game out there. That's something which smaller independent developers run into."

In other words - it would be so much easier to put a game on the XBLA or PSN and let the users test for the bugs. Crashing consoles all over the world - brilliant idea.

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