Title
In: Other
A few possible reasons, assuming we are talking about the main consoles rather than handhelds.
– The console manufacturer outright developed the game themselves. Nintendo does this a lot.
– The console manufacturer owns studios who make platform exclusive games. Microsoft as of late has been buying up a lot of medium-sized studios.
– The console manufacturer has arranged some kind of deal with the developer/publisher of a game for exclusivity of the game, whether indefinitely or for a limited time. Sony has a lot of these arrangements going on.
– Sometimes the developer just decides to only release on one platform. Indie games in particular often do this, as developing for multiple platforms just takes time and money they potentially don’t have as they reach the end of the project. Sometimes it gets releases on other platforms afterwards if the game sold well and allows the dev to put in more time, sometimes not.
– Bit of an odd case here, but Japanese games tend to only come out on Sony and Nintendo platforms. Microsoft doesnt have much of a hold in the Japanese market, so if a dev is making a game they don’t have much interest in releasing abroad, they often just don’t bother making an Xbox port. The Yakuza series is a good example here, the domestic Japanese release often happens years before the international release and the mainline games have been Playstation exclusives until very recently.
Latest Answers