

Unlike the other one-game third-party contracts that have come to light publicly, the platform holder has placed a greater emphasis on locking it down for longer.

FORSPOKEN PLATFORM FREE
Forspoken even stands apart from the platform holder’s other single-game deals with Square Enix, though, as titles like Final Fantasy 16 are reportedly free to release on Xbox just one year after their PS5 debut.įorspoken sits completely alone on Sony’s timed-exclusivity scale.
FORSPOKEN PLATFORM FULL
Luminous Productions' IP, while ambitious and full of promise, is still just one game at this point. What’s striking about these deals, and what sets Forspoken apart from them, is the fact that Sony has bought into a larger franchise in both examples. The agreement that Sony has struck with Square Enix for the timed-console exclusive rights for the Final Fantasy 7 remakes also appears to extend beyond the typical one-year plan. The partnership which was announced all the way back in 2015, is allegedly set to continue until 2026. Perhaps the biggest example of this is Sony’s deal with Activision for exclusive Call of Duty content. When the publisher has bought into the marketing rights or exclusivity of a franchise, a much longer-term focus has been applied instead. It should be noted that Sony has historically made exceptions to its one-year deal preference, though. For example, both Deathloop and Ghostwire: Tokyo won’t release on Xbox until 12 months after their PS5 debuts because Bethesda’s new owner has decided to honor Sony’s contract. Players only have to look at the deals it agreed with Bethesda before its acquisition by Microsoft, for examples of this in action. In recent years and console generations especially, one year deals have become the platform holder's preferred purchase when it comes to third-party content.
FORSPOKEN PLATFORM WINDOWS
Even though the game was set to release initially in May 2022, the timed console exclusivity period that Sony has paid for won’t start counting down until Forspoken hits store shelves across the globe.Įven though Sony has been known to purchase marketing rights and windows of exclusivity, ever since the early PS1-era, Forspoken is something of a unique case study. As it stands right now, the fantasy-themed adventure will be locked to the PS5 until at least 2025 at the very earliest. That means Nintendo and Xbox only players will likely have a long wait on their hands before they can even think about playing Forspoken. Even though Sony has developed a slight reputation for messing up its adverts of late, as demonstrated recently by God of War: Ragnarok, evidence suggests that the fine print is accurate on this occasion.

One piece of marketing material for the game has seemingly revealed in its small print that it's set to be a PS5 console exclusive, for at least two years. While it’s easy to hope that Forspoken’s potential and quality have influenced this process, the terms of the deal that it’s struck behind the scenes are likely a big driving factor as well.Īfter Luminous Productions had finished showing off Forspoken at last year’s Game Awards, one of the key aspects of Square Enix and Sony’s deal that reinforces this assertion was made public knowledge. Even before Square Enix and Luminous Productions were ready to unveil the game’s final name, Project Athia was a key part of Sony's attempts to get its latest console off and running from a publicity perspective. RELATED: Every Forspoken Character Revealed So Far Sony’s Forspoken DealĬonsidering how Forspoken was unveiled alongside the PS5 back in June 2020, it’s been clear for some time just how much Sony values the brand-new IP. The deal that’s been struck between Square Enix and Sony is of particular note, as it’s unique from most of the platform holder’s timed-exclusive deals. Aside from its ambitious features and status as a brand-new IP, how the game has come together behind the scenes is just as intriguing.
FORSPOKEN PLATFORM PC
While the promising fantasy-themed IP was once aiming for an October release, PC and PS5 owners will now have to be patient a little longer until early January 2023.Įven though the delay of a big budget game like Forspokenin a Covid-impacted world won’t have shocked many onlookers, Luminous Productions’ project is surprising in a number of other ways. Having consulted with its owner Square Enix, the studio has taken the tough decision to push back the release of Forspoken. Thanks to the radio silence that Luminous Productions has adopted over recent months, the news the studio broke a couple of weeks ago won’t have come as much of a surprise to its followers.
