As you might've already heard, we're pretty excited for the game reveals teased for tomorrow's PlayStation 4 All Access event. And while it's nice to theorize about the return of Sony franchises, it also begs the question: what about third-party exclusive games? Right now, we've got Capcom's Deep Down to look forward to, and… that's about it. Instead of focusing on holding entire games, Sony seems to be targeting exclusive content for PS3 and PS4 versions of multiplatform titles. And if the games are big enough, that strategy just might work.
CVG News reports that Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes could very well feature exclusive PS4 content, based on a promo banner tweeted by master troll Hideo Kojima himself. Earlier this morning, game industry dignitary Geoff Keighley hinted at a special announcement surrounding Bungie's much-anticipated Destiny at the very same event. Both these titles are a pretty big deal for gamers: next-gen experiences backed by veteran developers who consistently deliver. And though they may be able to appear on the competition's hardware, Sony courting these big-name devs for exclusive goods could do a lot for the PS4's appeal (and maybe some street cred).
These wouldn't be the first AAA games to include exclusive content for Sony's platforms. Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag boasts an extra hour of gameplay on the dual PlayStations, with plans to give Watch Dogs the same treatment. And given how the bonus Black Flag bits star Aveline de Grandpré, the protagonist of Assassin's Creed III: Liberation on PS Vita, it's all but guaranteed that this content will stay exclusive to PS3 and PS4. Perhaps the days of assuming that all third-party exclusives are just timed DLC in disguise are coming to an end.
I'm curious to see what the scale of the Ground Zeroes and Destiny exclusives will be; either Sony has something huge on their hands, or it's a lot of puffing up for what amounts to a handful of extra levels. All we can do is wait and see what goes down at the PlayStation 4 All Access event tomorrow--but the mere fact that Sony is pursuing such big-name games is a good sign. Instead of battling over the rights to exclusive games, Sony and Microsoft may end up warring over individual chunks of content to call their own. And if that is the case, gamers are the ones who win overall, able to experience the same big-budget titles no matter their next-gen console of choice.
