Are exclusives becoming an exercise in semantics?

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An Exclusive on Exclusives

Exclusives are not a new phenomenon but I think it’s an overused word in the gaming industry – to the extent that it has lost all meaning. What does it mean to say something is “exclusive”? In part it’s defined as “limiting or limited to possession, control or use by a single individual or group.” So, when you see “Exclusive this” or “Exclusive that” splashed all over a magazine cover it implies that you won’t find “this” or “that” anywhere else. But rarely does exclusivity apply.

I really took notice of this lately with Soul Calibur II. As one of the hotly anticipated games of the summer, it’s no wonder that everyone wanted to score it as an “exclusive” review. On my last visit to the newstand I couldn’t help but feel my cynicism rise to the surface. Taking a look at the current gaming magazines I counted the word “exclusive” at least seven times – three times alone to describe reviews of Soul Calibur II. But it did get me thinking of how this particular word is used.

When it comes to semantics, the word is being used correctly. How can GMR’s review of Soul Calibur II be any more exclusive than someone else's? On a technicality, that’s how.

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The Armchair Empire could brand everything it posts as “exclusive”. Would it increase readership? Would it boost our bottom line (if we had one)? Would it provide any advantage whatsoever? Probably not, but it would be an accurate description because you can’t find the articles we post anywhere else – by definition we’d be completely in the right. But when you see the word splayed all over a magazine cover it seems to imply something else,

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otherwise why would the publisher and marketing people use the word? It implies that the content cannot be found anywhere else – at least until the next month when everyone else breaks it. Sometimes the exclusivity stands the test. Take for example, Computer Gaming World’s preview of Max Payne 2. You won’t find an extensive Max Payne 2 preview (in print) anywhere else for at least a month.

Game exclusives are another matter entirely. I don’t have much of a beef with titles that are platform exclusive. GTA III sticking on PS2? Metroid Prime on GameCube? Brute Force only on Xbox? Fine, fine, fine. Those exclusives tend to do two things: 1) They’ll eventually appear on the PC looking better than ever or 2) appear on another platform if the game proves to be a hit.

I have no idea how exclusive deals are made, nor do I care to know. If I knew for sure how the deals were arrived at I wouldn’t be able to make up stories or theories about it.

The first theory revolves around oodles of money, some incriminating photos and at least one loaded gun in the hand of a chimpanzee.

It goes down like this. The second tier executives from Sony approaches a company, say Rockstar / Take 2, with the idea of making the next Grand Theft Auto game a PS3 exclusive. Sony offers $100 million in small, unmarked bills to Take 2 and a contract agreeing to royalties, etc. But Take 2 wants more before signing the contract. The Take 2 executives take out their secret weapon: pictures of the laughing and smiling Sony executives playing Mario Party 5 with their legs propped on PS2 units stacked like footstools. (Incriminating photos always make for good leverage in any contract negotiation.) There are a few raised eyebrows from the Sony executives – they know they’ll be canned if the pictures are ever made public. And of course, Nintendo will have a field day. A slight nod from one of the executives and the Sony rep closest the door reaches under the table for his large briefcase. He snaps the briefcase open and Bonsai the Chimp is unleashed – loaded gun in one hand and… a hornet’s nest in the other!

The second theory involves a version of Ultimate Fighting, with frisbees dipped in tar and proctoscopes covered in fire ants, but I think you get the point. I’m sure the actual process is eye-glazingly boring, with lots of suits, business lunches, and PowerPoint presentations. I’d rather be ignorant on how exclusive titles are brought about.

But as I was writing, I’m pretty much tired of always reading about the latest “exclusive” on magazines and websites because most times it’s not about being “first”, it’s a technicality – that the article appears in that magazine and can’t be found anywhere else. I like reading exclusives, but not when everyone else has the same exclusive.

- Omni

(August 17, 2003)


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