At this years Games Convention in Germany Microsoft firmly placed the ball in the back of the net by announcing ‘next-gen’ exclusivity of not just one of the biggest football franchises but two. Both FIFA from EA & Pro Evolution Soccer from Konami will only feature on the next-generation platform that is Microsoft’s Xbox 360 for the next twelve months.
This is a massive coup for Microsoft, especially for the Europeon territory where these two titles are regularly two of the biggest annual sellers. And by capturing both of these franchises, it’s looking very likely that Sony will be left without a football title this year (unless they manage to turn out another dire iteration of This is Football) leaving many a football fans wanting. Yes, these titles may be available on the current gen systems, but when it comes to cyclical release like this it is always important to the fans to get the most of that year’s ‘upgrade’ (well it is for me, especially after 5+ versions of each title on current consoles).
Although I’m sure this won’t affect Sony’s ability to shift every PS3 that hits retail this side of Christmas (as retail agree), I’m sure it’ll make the Xbox 360 a much more tempting alternative or even an additional purchase to a PS3. And as only part of Microsoft’s assault on the next-gen war this Christmas season they’re really making sure they hurt Sony every chance they get whilst Sony inevitably struggle to meet demand.
