Microsofts Secret Contract
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Reprinted from GON for blocked users.
When Microsoft released its Xbox 360 during the Christmas holidays of 2005, it was accompanied by a large amount of games, especially from games publisher Electronic Arts. However, the titles Electronic Arts brought to the table did not, quality wise, match the rest of the lineup. Why? The reason is a secret contract between Microsoft and the multi-platform game developers. GON is now, world exclusively, revealing the details of the contract. Details resulting in delayed games of lesser quality, directly affecting you as a consumer.
When you look at 2006 year’s Xbox 360 version of Electronic Arts’ series, such as FIFA, NBA, Madden and Tiger Woods, you quickly realize that something isn’t right. Sure, the quality of the titles vary but they all have one thing in common. They’re all stripped-down versions of their PC and older console counterparts, something each title has received massive criticism for. Most people seem to think that a lack of development time is behind the games’ absence of substance, something that apparently was plaguing Electronic Arts as they struggled to release the titles on time.
Nonetheless, if you take a closer look at how games and multi-platform games generally are developed, you’ll soon uncover the truth and the time issue as an explanation will subsequently fall short. It becomes even clearer when you realize that converting games between consoles is not a difficult feat. Besides, Electronic Arts has done it many times before.
Then why aren’t the games the same across all the platforms? Why couldn’t the developers just upgrade the graphics on the Xbox 360 version and leave the rest of the game untouched? The reason is not lack of time, lack of money or even lack of competence. The reason is Microsoft.
The lineup at the Xbox 360 release makes it obvious that the features missing from Electronic Arts’ sports titles are not a result of unfortunate development conditions or even the developers themselves. Both Activision and Ubisoft released Gun and King Kong respectively at the time of the console launch and the content in those games remained the same on Xbox, Playstation 2, Gamecube, PC and the Xbox 360.
One exception though is Need for Speed: Most Wanted, an Electronic Arts title. The game is, content wise, the same across all platforms.
Then how come it’s just the sports titles that are stripped-down on Microsoft’s newest console? The answer is connected to the release date of each game. FIFA: Road to World Cup, NBA Live 06, Madden 06 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 were all released on or within a few days of the Xbox 360 launch. The same goes for Gun, King Kong and Need for Speed: Most Wanted. The difference is that the three later games were released on all consoles roughly at the same time. The sports titles were however released on PC and the older consoles several months before they made an appearance on the Xbox 360. The bold truth now becomes apparent – the games are not as good on Xbox 360 because Microsoft would not allow any real conversions under the ruling circumstances.
In order to be fair we need to clarify the allegation stated above. Microsoft obviously did not force Electronic Arts to produce inferior versions of their games.
Microsoft’s contract with the multi-platform developers did however include a more specific demand. The multi-platform games that were in development were not allowed to be released late on the Xbox 360. The exact time frame has yet to be confirmed and may very well vary depending on the developer. What they all had in common though was that the Xbox 360 adaptation of the game had to be released within a month of the other versions.
The cause for this was of course to prevent out of date titles in the Xbox 360 launch lineup. If you, as a developer, would like to release an older title to the system it couldn’t be the same game. It had to be a revamped and upgraded version. At least that was the thought.
Electronic Arts refused to cooperate. Their sports titles did not fit the brief one month window of opportunity Microsoft presented. Despite that, the publisher did not want to loose the profits an early release of their games would generate. As a result they found a loophole in the contract. Instead of producing expensive upgraded games for a relatively new and small market, they changed the games by stripping them of their features. All said and done – Microsoft got Electronic Arts’ signature and in return the publisher released the titles. And who was left to suffer? Well, the consumers, obviously. All while the press, citing the time issue, almost forgave Electronic Arts. Apparently, lack of time only seem to hassle the richest developer in gaming. The reason that Need for Speed: Most Wanted managed to keep all its features was because it was released at the same time on all consoles, something nobody noticed.
When GON met David De Martini, producer of The Godfather game as well as vice president of Electronic Arts, we asked him a few questions regarding the situation. As expected, he did not admit that his company had been a victim of Microsoft’s policy. He referred to the fact that all of the sports games had passed Microsoft’s quality control and refused to comment any questions regarding any of the titles. He had a hard time, however, denying that a secret contract did in fact exist and seemed surprisingly at ease to speak about it in general.
The Godfather is scheduled for a simultaneous release on all current generation platforms as well as the Xbox 360, correct?
– Not simultaneously. The Xbox 360 version will arrive later this year.
The reason we are asking is because we believe Microsoft is forcing developers to add certain amount of extra content to games that are headed for current generation consoles as well as the Xbox 360. Otherwise they have to release the game within a certain time frame of...
– (interrupting) Right.
... some people are worried that the reason for the previous delay of the current generation Godfather game is because you had to release it simultaneously with the Xbox 360 version.
– I can answer some of the things you claim. First of all, the delay of The Godfather has nothing to do with the Xbox 360 version. That version is coming out later this year and will contain significant changes from the current generation game. I believe the best way to go is to first buy the current generation game and play it for six to nine months. Then after six to nine months you’ll get a whole new Godfather experience with the next generation version.
You can’t help but wonder if the same mentality was behind the company’s decision to exclude vital game modes from the sports titles. Again, De Martini refuses to comment.
As vice president it is fair to assume that you probably have more insight of the business side of game developing than the average producer or designer. If you would put yourself in the shoes of a smaller development division, would you take offence if a console producer forced you to postpone the current generation version of your game in an effort to wring out a simultaneous release of an Xbox 360 adaptation?
– Well, you know... they have their reasons and they’re just trying to be successful with their console. They’ve invested a lot of money in the hardware and are trying to be as successful as possible. You have to look at it from a different point of view, you have to think of their investment. They’re trying to push the industry standard, just as we are trying to challenge our competition. They’re fighting Sony and Nintendo and paving their own way in this competitive business. And like I said, there are two ways to look at it. And from the small guy’s perspective it seems like a pretty harsh way of doing business but I am sure Microsoft has its reasons.
After all, they are in a position where they can do as they please. If Sony would’ve had their Playstation 3 on the market, Microsoft wouldn’t have dared.
– Exactly. But I think they have paid their dues with their position. They had to, to say the least, invest a whole lot of money to be able to release the console at such an early stage.
Not to mention the negative publicity this would receive if someone shed light on it. Especially from all the Playstation 2 owners who do not care about the Xbox 360 and only want to play on their existing hardware.
– Precisely.
Another person GON has been in touch with is working at a small development division with big plans. David De Martini refused to talk about his own stripped-down titles, but this person is happy to talk about his game, under one condition. The game itself, the publisher and the person himself has to remain anonymous. Microsoft has made an effort to cover up the details of the contract it has with the multi-platform developers with so-called NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) contracts.
– It’s a damn shame. The current generation version of our game is already complete. But since the Xbox 360 version is not ready until a couple of months from now we can’t release it and have to wait.
– It’s pretty funny how these things work. We had no input on the decision whatsoever. It was our publisher who suddenly explained the new demands. I don’t even understand the mathematics behind the decision. Our game would sell a lot more and be perceived as a much more impressive title today than in six months from now. But the publisher decided that it was less risky, money wise, to delay the current generation version as apposed to including tons of new features in the Xbox 360 adaption later on. We have a done game and something like that would make us have to start over, introducing new bugs and other Bullsh!t. So here we are, losing half a year. In a way we profit from it, we don’t have to market the game twice. But we lose even more when it comes to hype. And if the Xbox 360 version sells less than we would've made releasing the game six months earlier, it’s our royalties that suffer. That amount of money might be pocket change for a big publisher, but for us, a miscalculation like that could force us out of production.
Do you have any idea why Microsoft is behaving like this?
– Sure, no problem, says the developer and laughs. It has to do with image. They want a simultaneous release so that people who owns multiple consoles will buy the Xbox 360 version, simply because of the better looking graphics. They do not care how it effects smaller developers like us or publishers. Since when did an independent developer matter to them? When have they ever cared about such things?
Did you ever get an opportunity to do as Electronic Arts did?
– Yeah, they were pretty smooth, weren’t they? Tiger Woods was a god damned demo version.
Tiger Woods was not the only game that had its features stripped.
– That figures. But our game doesn’t work like that. We can’t just exclude things. A football game is just simple matches bound together with statistics and menus in between. And even if we could we would not be able to sustain the damage as well as Electronic Arts can. If they mess up and loose sales figures they can just make up for it next year. We can’t afford that risk considering the amount of time and money we invest in our projects.
– Like I said, it’s not hard to understand why they do what they do, the developer continues. But when some companies release poorer versions of their games, resulting in delays, making Playstation 2 and loyal Xbox users wait in vain for titles that are already completed, something is really wrong. I don’t even think Microsoft benefits from this in the long run. They have to loose copious amount of the consumers’ trust because of this. How pissed off wouldn’t you get when you spend your money on the Xbox 360 version of Tiger Woods. It’s a f**king demo.
– The game industry as a whole suffers from this. You can’t help but ask yourself what the heck Microsoft is thinking with.
Redaktionen, GON
5 oktober 2006, 18:10
When Microsoft released its Xbox 360 during the Christmas holidays of 2005, it was accompanied by a large amount of games, especially from games publisher Electronic Arts. However, the titles Electronic Arts brought to the table did not, quality wise, match the rest of the lineup. Why? The reason is a secret contract between Microsoft and the multi-platform game developers. GON is now, world exclusively, revealing the details of the contract. Details resulting in delayed games of lesser quality, directly affecting you as a consumer.
When you look at 2006 year’s Xbox 360 version of Electronic Arts’ series, such as FIFA, NBA, Madden and Tiger Woods, you quickly realize that something isn’t right. Sure, the quality of the titles vary but they all have one thing in common. They’re all stripped-down versions of their PC and older console counterparts, something each title has received massive criticism for. Most people seem to think that a lack of development time is behind the games’ absence of substance, something that apparently was plaguing Electronic Arts as they struggled to release the titles on time.
Nonetheless, if you take a closer look at how games and multi-platform games generally are developed, you’ll soon uncover the truth and the time issue as an explanation will subsequently fall short. It becomes even clearer when you realize that converting games between consoles is not a difficult feat. Besides, Electronic Arts has done it many times before.
Then why aren’t the games the same across all the platforms? Why couldn’t the developers just upgrade the graphics on the Xbox 360 version and leave the rest of the game untouched? The reason is not lack of time, lack of money or even lack of competence. The reason is Microsoft.
The lineup at the Xbox 360 release makes it obvious that the features missing from Electronic Arts’ sports titles are not a result of unfortunate development conditions or even the developers themselves. Both Activision and Ubisoft released Gun and King Kong respectively at the time of the console launch and the content in those games remained the same on Xbox, Playstation 2, Gamecube, PC and the Xbox 360.
One exception though is Need for Speed: Most Wanted, an Electronic Arts title. The game is, content wise, the same across all platforms.
Then how come it’s just the sports titles that are stripped-down on Microsoft’s newest console? The answer is connected to the release date of each game. FIFA: Road to World Cup, NBA Live 06, Madden 06 and Tiger Woods PGA Tour 06 were all released on or within a few days of the Xbox 360 launch. The same goes for Gun, King Kong and Need for Speed: Most Wanted. The difference is that the three later games were released on all consoles roughly at the same time. The sports titles were however released on PC and the older consoles several months before they made an appearance on the Xbox 360. The bold truth now becomes apparent – the games are not as good on Xbox 360 because Microsoft would not allow any real conversions under the ruling circumstances.
In order to be fair we need to clarify the allegation stated above. Microsoft obviously did not force Electronic Arts to produce inferior versions of their games.
Microsoft’s contract with the multi-platform developers did however include a more specific demand. The multi-platform games that were in development were not allowed to be released late on the Xbox 360. The exact time frame has yet to be confirmed and may very well vary depending on the developer. What they all had in common though was that the Xbox 360 adaptation of the game had to be released within a month of the other versions.
The cause for this was of course to prevent out of date titles in the Xbox 360 launch lineup. If you, as a developer, would like to release an older title to the system it couldn’t be the same game. It had to be a revamped and upgraded version. At least that was the thought.
Electronic Arts refused to cooperate. Their sports titles did not fit the brief one month window of opportunity Microsoft presented. Despite that, the publisher did not want to loose the profits an early release of their games would generate. As a result they found a loophole in the contract. Instead of producing expensive upgraded games for a relatively new and small market, they changed the games by stripping them of their features. All said and done – Microsoft got Electronic Arts’ signature and in return the publisher released the titles. And who was left to suffer? Well, the consumers, obviously. All while the press, citing the time issue, almost forgave Electronic Arts. Apparently, lack of time only seem to hassle the richest developer in gaming. The reason that Need for Speed: Most Wanted managed to keep all its features was because it was released at the same time on all consoles, something nobody noticed.
When GON met David De Martini, producer of The Godfather game as well as vice president of Electronic Arts, we asked him a few questions regarding the situation. As expected, he did not admit that his company had been a victim of Microsoft’s policy. He referred to the fact that all of the sports games had passed Microsoft’s quality control and refused to comment any questions regarding any of the titles. He had a hard time, however, denying that a secret contract did in fact exist and seemed surprisingly at ease to speak about it in general.
The Godfather is scheduled for a simultaneous release on all current generation platforms as well as the Xbox 360, correct?
– Not simultaneously. The Xbox 360 version will arrive later this year.
The reason we are asking is because we believe Microsoft is forcing developers to add certain amount of extra content to games that are headed for current generation consoles as well as the Xbox 360. Otherwise they have to release the game within a certain time frame of...
– (interrupting) Right.
... some people are worried that the reason for the previous delay of the current generation Godfather game is because you had to release it simultaneously with the Xbox 360 version.
– I can answer some of the things you claim. First of all, the delay of The Godfather has nothing to do with the Xbox 360 version. That version is coming out later this year and will contain significant changes from the current generation game. I believe the best way to go is to first buy the current generation game and play it for six to nine months. Then after six to nine months you’ll get a whole new Godfather experience with the next generation version.
You can’t help but wonder if the same mentality was behind the company’s decision to exclude vital game modes from the sports titles. Again, De Martini refuses to comment.
As vice president it is fair to assume that you probably have more insight of the business side of game developing than the average producer or designer. If you would put yourself in the shoes of a smaller development division, would you take offence if a console producer forced you to postpone the current generation version of your game in an effort to wring out a simultaneous release of an Xbox 360 adaptation?
– Well, you know... they have their reasons and they’re just trying to be successful with their console. They’ve invested a lot of money in the hardware and are trying to be as successful as possible. You have to look at it from a different point of view, you have to think of their investment. They’re trying to push the industry standard, just as we are trying to challenge our competition. They’re fighting Sony and Nintendo and paving their own way in this competitive business. And like I said, there are two ways to look at it. And from the small guy’s perspective it seems like a pretty harsh way of doing business but I am sure Microsoft has its reasons.
After all, they are in a position where they can do as they please. If Sony would’ve had their Playstation 3 on the market, Microsoft wouldn’t have dared.
– Exactly. But I think they have paid their dues with their position. They had to, to say the least, invest a whole lot of money to be able to release the console at such an early stage.
Not to mention the negative publicity this would receive if someone shed light on it. Especially from all the Playstation 2 owners who do not care about the Xbox 360 and only want to play on their existing hardware.
– Precisely.
Another person GON has been in touch with is working at a small development division with big plans. David De Martini refused to talk about his own stripped-down titles, but this person is happy to talk about his game, under one condition. The game itself, the publisher and the person himself has to remain anonymous. Microsoft has made an effort to cover up the details of the contract it has with the multi-platform developers with so-called NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) contracts.
– It’s a damn shame. The current generation version of our game is already complete. But since the Xbox 360 version is not ready until a couple of months from now we can’t release it and have to wait.
– It’s pretty funny how these things work. We had no input on the decision whatsoever. It was our publisher who suddenly explained the new demands. I don’t even understand the mathematics behind the decision. Our game would sell a lot more and be perceived as a much more impressive title today than in six months from now. But the publisher decided that it was less risky, money wise, to delay the current generation version as apposed to including tons of new features in the Xbox 360 adaption later on. We have a done game and something like that would make us have to start over, introducing new bugs and other Bullsh!t. So here we are, losing half a year. In a way we profit from it, we don’t have to market the game twice. But we lose even more when it comes to hype. And if the Xbox 360 version sells less than we would've made releasing the game six months earlier, it’s our royalties that suffer. That amount of money might be pocket change for a big publisher, but for us, a miscalculation like that could force us out of production.
Do you have any idea why Microsoft is behaving like this?
– Sure, no problem, says the developer and laughs. It has to do with image. They want a simultaneous release so that people who owns multiple consoles will buy the Xbox 360 version, simply because of the better looking graphics. They do not care how it effects smaller developers like us or publishers. Since when did an independent developer matter to them? When have they ever cared about such things?
Did you ever get an opportunity to do as Electronic Arts did?
– Yeah, they were pretty smooth, weren’t they? Tiger Woods was a god damned demo version.
Tiger Woods was not the only game that had its features stripped.
– That figures. But our game doesn’t work like that. We can’t just exclude things. A football game is just simple matches bound together with statistics and menus in between. And even if we could we would not be able to sustain the damage as well as Electronic Arts can. If they mess up and loose sales figures they can just make up for it next year. We can’t afford that risk considering the amount of time and money we invest in our projects.
– Like I said, it’s not hard to understand why they do what they do, the developer continues. But when some companies release poorer versions of their games, resulting in delays, making Playstation 2 and loyal Xbox users wait in vain for titles that are already completed, something is really wrong. I don’t even think Microsoft benefits from this in the long run. They have to loose copious amount of the consumers’ trust because of this. How pissed off wouldn’t you get when you spend your money on the Xbox 360 version of Tiger Woods. It’s a f**king demo.
– The game industry as a whole suffers from this. You can’t help but ask yourself what the heck Microsoft is thinking with.
Redaktionen, GON
5 oktober 2006, 18:10
Fifa 07 has been rebuilt from the ground up only for Xbox360. But I was shocked when NCAA 07 was released with game modes missing fron the 360 version. So it's a mixed bag with EA and the 360 right now but the FIFA demo is very impressive.
It's the latest trend, they quick release the games, then figure they can patch the bugs, and sell the omitted content later on Live (or nplay, etc), like they did with Oblivion (i.e. at E3, Oblivion had things like blood on the swords, horses with armour, etc, on release those and other things were missing, in fact, the 'missing' Horse armor showed up as a pay for add-on, which btw, broke ALOT of installs, AND they released that stupid (useless) armour within days of Oblivions release, while the more important bugs (not little bugs, outright show stoppers) were left hanging for months, some to _this_ day), when Microsoft was asked if Live was going to be a method of patch delivery, Microsoft stated it would not, yet here we are. :\
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damaged said:
That's a bunch of crap! Microsoft should treat customers better! I had no idea they did this. I took it for granted that they would treat there customers good. This is a bad trend in to days business practice.
BlackHitachi said:That's a bunch of crap! Microsoft should treat customers better! I had no idea they did this. I took it for granted that they would treat there customers good. This is a bad trend in to days business practice.
Its not just MS. For madden 07 there are no alternate uniforms for the 360 version. Allegedly EA was going to release uniforms and old stadiums for the game but they still have not appeared.
Even though FIFA07 for the X360 was built from the ground up it will be missing some features, like only 5 leauges (and their lower divisions), no trick buttons.
I have played the demo and it great.
I do think it was pure BS that MS did that to promote their downloadable content idea. They should have just left those games and features as is when they ported it over with enhanced graphics. and continue on downloadable content with new games going forward. But what do I know...I'm just the one playing these games.
