Tomb Raider dev: Xbox LIVE more constrained than PlayStation Network
By James Walker
Crystal Dynamics’ Riley Cooper made the case that Sony’s PlayStation Network is more ‘flexible’ than Xbox LIVE, and that both services will help make digital distribution more mainstream.
Speaking with GI.Biz during GDC Lyon last month, Cooper spoke of how both Sony’s PlayStation Network and Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE will help to usher in a new age of digital distribution of software. During his speech he commented on how the PlayStation Network was a more ‘flexible’ space than Xbox LIVE, and how Microsoft is slowly loosening its grip on Xbox LIVE.
“We made an in-road with Anniversary on 360, and it was a full game essentially, but Microsoft is only slowly increasing requirements and opening up the constraints of Xbox LIVE. It’s been a slow process, whereas PSN hasn’t been restricted by size. They’ve just done Warhawk for example.”
Cooper strongly believes that the future of video games and the gaming industry lies somewhere with digital distribution. I can’t say he’s wrong, either. Games like Guitar Hero and The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion have made lots of money off of the digital distribution of downloadable content, and services such as Xbox LIVE Arcade and Nintendo’s Virtual Console on the Wii have helped both companies make money hand-over-fist by repackaging old classics. This doesn’t include the aforementioned Warhawk, which has proven to be a popular download on the PlayStation Network, though many still prefer buying the game on disc.
It will be interesting to see with digital distribution will take gaming in the next five years. We’ve already seen movies, music and television begin to convert to this format, so it would only seem logical that video games will be next.
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