On Metacritic, InFamous scored 84 while Prototype scored 80 on the PS3. After playing both games, I felt that InFamous was a better game overall. The levels of critical acclaim are different and I wonder if that is a factor in PS3 sales.

In addition to Moh's point, the other interesting thing one should note if trying to extrapolate this to a platform-exclusivity case for publishers is that InFamous is a Sony first-party title, and got a level of marketing support from Sony that one would expect for such.

I can't help but wonder if these two games could have avoided so much comparison had they released far apart from each other, instead of almost at the same time. It's like when Hollywood releases two similar movies during the same season (two volcano movies, two meteor movies, etcetera). But then no one wants their game to come out long after the other rival game, I suppose.

Another factor to consider is that those of us who own both HD consoles often opt to nab the XB360 versions of multiplatform games because they are generally better. I purchased both games but decided to nab Prototype on the XB360 while of course nabbing InFamous on the PS3. I wonder how much of a factor, if any, that might have on sales?

Also, both games are very good for very different reasons.

We have both. Infamous is the better game. Prototype isn't bad by any stretch, but I found zero replay value with Prototype. I was wondering why Infamous didn't out sell Prototype more on the PS3. The number of people with both 360s and PS3s must be huge, much larger than I ever thought.

"The Infamous vs. Prototype case study presents interesting data to publishers when considering the sales bump a title could receive by choosing exclusivity over a multiplatform release," says Divnich.

Isn't it pretty well established that multiplatform games typically sell 2 Xbox 360 copies for every 1 PS3 copy? What good is a sales bump on the platform that sells half as many games? You're still missing out on the majority of your market. And wouldn't there have to be strong evidence that Infamous outsold Prototype on PS3 because of its exclusivity and no other factors to make this claim?

Bob Stevens

Or maybe because it's the better game?

I've heard people saying Infamous is the better game and people saying Prototype is the better game. But the point is that someone saying "maybe publishers should consider exclusivity so they can sell 35% more on one platform but 90% less overall" is a little ridiculous.

I found out about and purchased Infamous because of the demo's release on PSN one week prior to the game's release in retail. The demo was extremely well presented and completely sold me on the game, which I bought 5 days later.

I never saw a Prototype demo on PSN, and when I did find out about it (shortly after Infamous' release), though obviously not at all the case, I couldn't shake the fact that Prototype seemed liked a clone.

I can't help but think if Prototype also had a demo that I wouldn't have purchased it as well.

*would have purchased it as well.

I agree with Bob Stevens. When I first read the title, my first thought was "ludicrous". While the thought, itself may be a little far-fetched, a sales comparison such as this is a bit ridiculous in my eyes for the simple fact that InFamous is available ONLY on the console it leads Prototype sales in while the Prototype consumer base is spread out among 3 user bases. While I don't know official stats, I do know that I, as well as many of my gamer friends own the Xbox 360 versions of the vast majority of our multiplatform games this generation.

Unless you can somehow prove without a doubt that Prototype's Xbox 360 and Windows availability doesn't play a factor at all, this comparison is pretty much trivial in my eyes.

1). the 360 is, at the moment, where the vast majority of copies will be sold.
2). Sony concentrated a ton of marketing effort at their PS3 exclusive while Activision spread marketing efforts across multiple platforms.
Must be a slow news day.

There is nothing about InFamous that establishes it as a better game than Prototype. Both games are open world but the similarities end there. They are vastly different types of games with very different respective experiences. I really don't understand the mentality that can't appreciate the fact that we got two excellent sandbox games in a relatively short period of time but whatever.

Bob Stevens and others, don't overlook the last line: "total return-on-investment comparisons aren't possible without details on additional royalties and costs Activision incurred by making Prototype a multiplatform release."

If going multiplatform gets you 90% more sales but costs you 91% more investment to get there, perhaps it *isn't* a good idea.

Leigh, can you give us a link to the source information for your article?

Does it seem likely that it costs 91% more investment to get those 90% more sales?

I realize that Sony first party studios kind of have to be exclusive, but for me as an outsider with only armchair statistics, it seems like an incredibly bad business strategy to release PS3 exclusives.

I also have long questioned the merits of console exclusives. However, companies exist to make money. It seems likely that decisions that affect their profit are made on more than a hunch, that's all. Please don't mistake my exaggeration for a literal suggestion of costs. I suspect I know as little about the real cost of doing business at that level as, say, you do.

Bob Stevens

Money, money, money...
As if it is only about money.
Did you ever consider that exclusivity to a console gives you more than just money?
Last time I checked Insomniac (for example) is one of the best places to work. I guess it isn't because of the massive amount of money they earn from their multiplatform games.

I do wonder about the thought and rationale that goes on when deciding to make an exclusive title, especially for the PS3.

I own PS3 and do not own a 360. I purchased inFamous for two reasons: (1) it came out first; (2) it had substantial hype/marketing that piqued my interest; (3) pre-release reviews were positive (with sound reasoning in the writing). If Prototype came out at the same time as inFamous, I most likely would have gone with inFamous anyway because it is a PS3 exclusive, the protagonist has a conscience, and critical reception was a bit better.

three reasons*

--I wrote "two" and then added a third reason.

Kouga, I can't tell from your statement what non-monetary advantages you are attributing to exclusivity. What are you trying to say?

Kouga is saying that working for Insomniac who make Sony-platform exclusives has the benefit of a higher quality of life (in terms of work space, working hours, benefits, etc.).

He's making a statement about the benefits of working for a company that makes exclusives, not so much a statement about the benefits of making exclusives.

Does that make sense?

Insomniac definitely found a niche, as has Sucker Punch. After all, weren't their previous titles in the "Sly" series all Sorny exclusives? So Infamous is not new in that sense. I would assert Prototype and Infamous are apples and oranges, with Prototype pursuing the general gaming market and Infamouse obviously pursuing the PS3 sub-market. Maybe more appropriate to compare Red Faction: Guerilla and Prototype if one wishes to pursue the "sandbox" label. Both were multi-platform, sci-fi, sandbox titles with about the same level of appeal (?). Incidentally I purchased the multiplatform RF:G on 360 and will likely do the same with Prototype.

Funny thing is I played Infamous, Prototype, and Bionic Commando; Bionic Commando is the best of all of them in my opinion. None of them are substantially better than the other, they're all actually rather mediocre, but still decent games. I am kinda shocked to see BC receive the reviews it did along with the horrible sales figures.

Prototype is the better one in my opinion.
Multi-platform means that anyone can play it who has a 360, PS3 or a modern-day PC on low quality settings. Wheres InFamous is PS3 console exclusive... so, there will be more copys of Prototype sold.

I was instantly addicted to Prototype - I played the 360 version.

Thanks for your clarification, An. That's rather what I thought he was driving at, but I wasn't sure.

How is working on a console-exclusive related to the quality of life aspects? Surely it's just as possible to be on perma-crunch on an exclusive as on a multi-platform.

As a multiconsole owner, I almost always stick to buying the 360 version, as they typically have better visuals as well as exclusive DLC content. I bought the PS3 version of Fallout 3 to save $10 and I'm completely regretting that decision, for obvious reasons. Though in real life most of my friends (who are casual gamers) only own one console, many hardcore gamers I know on the web are in the same position as myself and practice the same sort of purchasing habits.

On the other hand, I own my PS3 for great exclusives published by Sony, and InFamous is one such title.

This, among the other factors listed (advertising for each game, demo availability), explains to me why it has sold the way it has on the PS3.

Despite these explanations, I do think the article has a point about exclusivity being a good thing for game sales, at the very least, the amount of attention a game gets. There is something about PS3 loyalty that you don't necessarily see on the 360. I think that publishers can exploit this to generate extra attention for their games. The extra attention doesn't always translate into better sales, as was the case with Haze, but it does lend itself well to web-hype and anticipation.

There is evidence of fans getting angry and voicing it on the internet when it came to games like Tomb Raider as well as Final Fantasy losing their exclusivity. Fanboyism is a part of the industry (and I suppose that is the case with other industries as well...look at the automobile industry for example) and it is something that can be exploited for extra attention.

At this point in the PS3's lifecycle, where the price is still prohibitive for the mass market, most owners are typically loyal Sony fans. So I think it would be wiser to make a game a PS3 exclusive rather than a 360 one, if your aim is to get the maximum amount of attention from loyalists. Of course, multiplatform is the way to go when it comes to high cost retail releases, but when it comes to low cost digital download games that will appear on either PSN or XBLA (rarely on both if you are a small developer due to rules MS has set that staggers exclusivity)...going to PSN and touting Sony exclusivity (loudly) wouldn't be a bad idea. After all, advertising for digital download games is nearly non-existent, so I think it would be a wise decision.

B N,

While I loved all three games enough to rate them above mediocre, I agree Bionic Commando was vastly underrated by the critics and is, in my estimation, one of the better games of this year.

I bought BC for the PS3, and agree it's underrated. As a result of this chain I'm bucking trends and purchasing Prototype for the PS3. As I've already purchased Infamous I don't feel I'm doing a disservice to Sucker Punch.

Prototype is ridiculously overrated. InFamous is not the best game ever, but is certainly is better than Prototype, so that's good news.