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Microsoft's Sleazy Tactics in the Video Game Industry?

Posted by Cliff on from the if-it-work-for-the-PC-market... dept.

Dyrandia asks: "I'm currently working on a Legal and Ethics course for my software engineering degree and have decided to write about microsoft's tactics of buying up video games and companies in order to keep games limited to their own platforms (pc and xbox). I am currently using the following games as examples: Oddworld: Munch's Oddysee; Halo (Microsoft bought the developers, however rumour has it that Halo will actually make it to PC next year); and Shenmue 2 (they even bought the rights to it so that it couldn't be released for the Dreamcast in the US, even though it was released in Japan and Europe). Does anyone know of URLs for sites that would have more information and possibly other games Microsoft has used similar tactics on?"

4 of 57 comments (clear)

  1. Is this really sleazy, though? by realgone · · Score: 3, Interesting
    I mean, pretty much every console out there lives and dies by their "exclusive" content.

    • PS2: everything Squaresoft
    • Nintendo: Mario, Zelda
    • X-Box: Halo
    It's not so much a Microsoft thing as it is an industry thing. I've fallen into their trap myself. I bought a PlayStation primarily to run Final Fantasy. I bought a N64 primarily to run Zelda. (X-Box? I'll wait for Halo on the PC, thanks. No mouse, no WASD, no service.)

    As fun as it is to punch MSFT in the nose every once in a while, don't blame 'em for this one... =)

  2. Don't Forget SubLogic! by zulux · · Score: 3, Interesting

    SubLogic made Flight Simulator for Microsoft to brand - it also made Flight Simulator for other computers, even the TRS-80 CoCo has a version. After Microsoft bought SubLogic outright - the only playform they produce for belongs to Microsoft.

    --

    Moneyed corporations, non-working 'poor' and criminal prisoners are turning productive citizens into tax-slaves.

  3. Re:Why take this as 'bad tactics'? by Keith+Russell · · Score: 3, Interesting
    Halo will be coming out for the PC and Mac, but it may not be for a while... personel are still focused on the next game release, and not porting the game to PC/Mac.

    I think Microsoft has another priority. Halo is XBox's Killer Game right now. As long as Halo continues to drive XBox console sales, they have no incentive to release it on other platforms, even if the ports are already done. Why buy a $299 console to play a game that's available for PC?

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    This sig intentionally left blank.
  4. flight simulator by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    I once read a story several years ago, possibly 1993. It was in PC World or something to that effect. It was about a guy who wrote a flight simulator. As the story wentm, a company approached him about publishing it, and he said cool. They offered him either $10,000, or 10% of the proceeds. Believing in his product, he took the 10%. Little did he know, the software company was a front for Microsoft. They were buying up flight simulators so that Microsoft Simulator would enter the market with little competition. His product never made it to the shelves, and since he sold the rights for 10%, he couldn't take it elsewhere.

    It was a while ago, I'd really like to find that article again. I might have messed up some of the figures and facts, but that was the basic gist of it.