Just how exclusive is Splinter Cell: Conviction?

by Ludwig Kietzmann on Jun 3rd 2009 6:15PM

If there's one definitive way to push publishers, developers and public relations personnel off balance, it's broaching the subject of console exclusivity. Begin the line of inquiry and you're sure to get darting eyes, an elongated "Wellllll ..." and an answer that crumples in on itself as soon as it's spoken. Perhaps it's appropriate that the topic of Splinter Cell: Conviction's exclusivity is steeped in a cloak-and-dagger mystery.

When asked if the ambitious Xbox 360 and PC stealth title was exclusive in the really real sense, producer Alex Parizeau simply stated, "It's exclusive," and admitted that it was a business arrangement with Microsoft. Prodding about timed exclusivity (a la BioShock and Fallout 3 DLC) didn't yield anything less enigmatic, so we turned to lead game designer Steve Masters. "As far as I know," he said, "this is completely exclusive."

Aha! Complete exclusive confirmed!

"But that may change in the future."

Oh. We suspect the game may make its way to PS3 eventually, but for now ... Wellllll ...

Tags: e3-2009, Exclusivity, Microsoft, Splinter-Cell, Splinter-Cell-Conviction, Tom-Clancy, Ubisoft, Xbox-360

Reader Comments (57)

Wouldn't surprise me if it did go multi platform, exclusives are a dying breed.

I'm willing to bet that this is a timed exclusive. They just can't say anything because of the deal with Microsoft

We all know it will eventually, once that exclusive money err contract ends it will be ready to harvest more cash. Also whit the money spent on all these exclusives, ud think MS would have invested more in the console fixing the last of the RRoD and E74 issues... No hate for the 360 its just that this exclusive stuff is stupid.

like they said it was a buisiness arrangement with Microsoft.
you all know what that was?

I do.... MICROSOFT helped fund splinter cell conviction.
all because they wanted full exclusiveness....

so no it wont ever see PS3.. cos its funded through Microsoft. same reason
INFAMOUS will never see 360. cos that game was SONY funded

I don't even care. I'm so sick of Tom Clancy games. Is Splinter Cell even a big deal anymore?

It looks like a cool game. Therefore, I care to some degree.

I'm pretty excited for it. Been a complete splinter cell fan for a while though.

I thought that Double Agent was just meh, but this one looks really cool. I'm excited for it.

It would make more sense to go multi-platform, because they would make more money!

selling photography 101

a) developing for more platforms costs more
b) MS pays them for exclusive

Soon there will be no such thing as (3rd party)exclusives;consoles are going to have to depend sorely on the first party stuff.

Looks like MS paid for this one though. 3rd parties will obviously make games exclusive if they are paid more than they would have done for going multiplat. $50 mill for GTA4 DLC exclusivity was insane.

And look how exclusive the GTA stuff turned out to be. It's coming to PS3 via the standalone disc. Same with Fallout 3.

The aimbotting and visual presentation looks cool!

The Fallout DLC wasnt paid for, they just didnt have the resources to make it for PS3 at the time. And are you sure the GTA4 stuff is coming to PS3? I thought that disc was 360 only.

I think you are right, it's not announced for PS3. My bad!

Damn YOU TheDemiurge!!! You're such a tease!

I'm not even sure why I got downvoted. Props for admitting defeat though - not many people on the internet do.

actually, the new gameplay looks awesome. i agree that the previous games became stale, but this new gameplay trailer blew my mind away!

kudos to ubisoft!

You would be naive if you didn't think timed exclusivity wasn't paid for of course it is.

MS locked this down exclusive a while ago when ubisoft ported double agent to ps3, This is a PAID for exclusive. Its not going to ps3.

With the exception of first-party games, paid exclusives aren't particularly exclusive this generation.

Thats the dumbest thing ive ever heard, when they pay for an exclusive they get an exclusivity contract. sheesh, think for once.

Ejab: Ever heard of "timed exclusivity?"

Yes I have, but time exclusivity isnt usually paid for, it is usually done because the game is progressing faster on one system or the devs decided to release the game on one console first to pay for the development costs of the other console's port. Thats why we wont see MGS4 on 360 or Mass Effect on PS3, because they are paid for exclusives, MS helped fund development for SC:Conviction, and Im sure they are not going to let Sony have this title, especially after they took so long to make the game.

Where would Sony get money to pay for mgs4 to be exclusive.....That's a Microsoft strategy

It looks good so the more people that get to play it, the better!

Yeah, I said the same thing about MGS4 but PS3 fanboys don't like the Idea of MGS4 going multi-platform.

LOL fanboys don't want for it to come out ? How is is it your fault or anyone's, besides Kojima productions ?

Forget the question of for how long, shouldn't joystiq be concentrating on how bad this makes MS look, like with Sony and Ghostbusters?

Well, they did the same with other games, I don't see what the problem is.

I think was seprates the two is that Ghostbusters became a timed exclusive after being anounced as a multi platform game, and is only timed in Europe where its being published by Sony not Atari

"As far as I know," he said, "this is completely exclusive."

As we've seen, that can mean anything. "This is completely exclusive...for now" or "This is completely exclusive until the agreement expires".

But whatever, I'm getting it on Xbox.

"But that may change in the future."

Yeah, the PC version will come out a week after the Xbox 360 version.

I guess.

Hey at least MIcrosoft makes no qualms about paying for exclusives, unlike Sony who uses some cryptic language to say they don't.

Yeah, because when I'm playing a game, my play experience is greatly changed by what the company who paid for the exclusive said about doing so.

Sheesh, can't we get back to what matters about games which is the gameplay?

Who cares - the hilarious scenes of delight in the MS camp on getting an MGS title, that too a non-exclusive side story with a focus on Raiden instead of Snake and minimal Kojima direction, says it all about a series that barely sells a third of MGS' 5 million plus.
It will be easier to keep this as an exclusive than Mass Effect, a big-budget title which sold barely 2 million on the 360 (less than LittleBigPlanet, which probably had 1/10th the team size).

Alan Wake looks like the real deal though, a superior version of Alone in the dark or Silent Hill, that could be the best title in 2010 on the 360 and a real console-seller

ME won't be going to PS3, Microsoft payed top dollar for Exclusivity.

lolwut? ME sold 1.6m in the first 6 weeks for 360 thats pretty good, where as LPB sold barely 611K over the course of 4 months

You didn't have to bring up MGS you know...

The trailer for this game was the first time I saw a trailer for a Splinter Cell game and thought "wow, this looks awesome." All of the other Splinter Cell games looked generic, and variations of games I'd played before. This one looks a bit different. A bit more realistic and gritty, perhaps? Compared to the techie 007 style the others seemed to have?

I could be totally off base here, like I said, I've never played any of the other Splinter Cell games... just seen vids. This and that 2.5D "Metroid + Contra" game are really enticing me to grab a 360 off Craigslist.

Splinter Cell's past issues were the fact it was linear, there was only one route or method to do certain things, it was a good game, but that factor alone annoyed me slightly, there was always a convenient way to escape cells or get around a base, just so happens there was a vent nearby or a pole to go across a certain area.

Overall it was a good game, but the new one does nothing that special with the plot, and plot is key, having a daughter murdered or kidnapped to prompt a spree of rage is rather common, just look at Bruce Willis :D

Yeah the hole in the prison cell for Sam in Double Agent completely destroyed the possibility of having a tortured, lack of hope, or at least beaten and bruised Sam Fisher having to find some way to escape prison, just like every prisoner probably once thought of...

But no it was just OOPS you escaped.

But I don't like open-world's, I like a degree of linear play.

Drove me nuts. I bought the original for Xbox, and played it for about 10-12 hours over 3 days.

The first day was like pulling teeth, I would attack each task with a tactic that seemed logical to me, but it was clear the developers thought otherwise, I kept getting killed over and over.

I started on the 2nd day expecting the worst, but the 2nd day, everything was wonderful. I was apparently sympatico with the developers, because it was all like butter and one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences I'd ever had. Amazing. I reluctantly stopped gaming late in the night expecting to have a blast the next day.

In the 3rd day it was back to day 1. Apparently my ways of doing things were not the approved way and I eventually gave up in disgust after only a few hours.

It was beautiful, and when you did things the right way it felt like you really were doing great puzzle solving, stealth actioning and exploration. But most of the time it was a nightmare for me. I never went back to Splinter Cell. Although I really enjoyed Rainbow Six Vegas (which my Clancy-gaming friends tell me isn't really a Rainbow Six game, more like a Ghost Recon game).

To be safe, I would say per title basis exclusivity, but not franchise exclusivity.

Who cares? MGS4 still lives in our hearts.

I might pick this one up but probably after the price drops there is just too much on my plate in the coming year. If it drops and should it come to the PS3 I will get the cheapest of the two at the time assuming they both perform the same.

Where is the Hands-on????

Please let this game come out for the PS3!!! Between this and Project Natal I'm pretty much sold on getting a 360 by/before the end of this year.

While it's not nearly as beautiful I'm just as interested in this game as I am about Uncharted 2.

i don't understand this at all really think about it. the first 4 comes to Playstation as well as Xbox ... so .. now it's like saying " sorry Playstation users but you have almost the full story but were not giving you the last chapter in the franchise "

who does that ? really tho think about it.... yea i know it was a deal ( they met us in a dark alley and gave us money and we all took off before anyone spotted us from Sony ) and now it's exclusive exclusive for MS but the point is Ubisoft should have just said no sorry time exclusivness only .... now in order for ME to play the rest of the story i need to get it for xbox 360 ? ( sorry i don't really game on my PC )

Ubisuck can stick the game up their wazoo cause of their horrible decision.

Their's my rant for the day

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Just how exclusive is Splinter Cell: Conviction?

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