I love how the TC says he would buy Gears 3 no matter what, then his sig says Gears is one of the most overrated games ever.

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It is.  So is Halo.  That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it.  Many gamers think Gears and Halo are the best shooters EVER.  I don't.  THAT'S what I'm talking about. 

 Try not to read too much into it.  A game can be a good game yet be overrated and overhyped.  Quite frankly I thought MGS4 wqas overrated and overhyped as well but I made that sig long before MGS4 came out.

[QUOTE="-Mad_Rhetoric-"]are cows really this desperate for GeoW to go as far as to examine loopholes in contracts?[/QUOTE]

Almost every third party developer has stated, quite bluntly, that third party exclusives this gen are a thing of the past.  

Production costs for games now is astronomical and these developers want to make as much money as possible.  There are almost no third party exclusives anymore...period.  Timed doesn't count.  I'm talking EXLCUSIVE.

Now Gears was exclusive and signed a multi game deal with Microsoft.  However, that contact is up as of the second Gears.  The question is will Microsoft pay enough to keep it exclusive?  Do you REALLY think Epic (screw Cliffy B, he's just a dev, not a president, CEO or anything like that of Epic) would throw away millions of multiplat dollars if Microsoft doesn't put up money again?

One thing ALL fanbois from ALL platforms need to understand.  CEOs and boards aren't fanbois.  They care about one thing, getting as much money as possible.  Period.  No debate.

If Microsoft doesn't cough up more money, I'd bet a month's salary it goes multiplat.  Epic is a third party publisher.  They have no loyalty to anyone but their bottom line.  Their bottom line was propped up by the millions Microsoft gave them for the first two Gears.  THAT is why it was an exlcusive, not because of some love of Microsoft.

So in my opinion it all depends on the paycheck Microsoft waves in their faces for continued exclusivity.  If Epic's finaciers think they can get a significant amount more by going multiplatform, they will in a heartbeat.  Epic has all the cards, not Microsoft.  

Oh c'mon.  You make it sound like Microsoft did all this because they are benevolent.  They did it for MONEY.

Again, it's the bottom line.  If Microsoft coughs up a bunch more money, Gears will stay multiplat.  If Epic's board (if they have a board, whoever makes the financial decisions) doesn't think it's enough or they think they can make significantly more going multplat, they will.

Epic doesn't need Microsoft.  The Gears name has transcended Microsoft.  Every gamer knows what Gears of War is and most enjoy it on some level.  

On top of that there is one thing you need to remember.  Gears will no longer be a "system seller" when Gears 3 comes out.  By that time almost everyone will already have one of the consoles.  So Microsoft may not WANT to pay out much to keep it exclusive since they know it has alreayd pushed console sales with the first two.

Console sellers tend to come out the first three years or so of a console's lifespan.  By then almost everyone who is ineterested in gaming will have one.  

Oh c'mon.  You make it sound like Microsoft did all this because they are benevolent.  They did it for MONEY.

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I hate to break this to you but all businesses are in it for the money. What's next? Are you going to tell me that we need oxygen to breathe? God, I hope not. I don't know how people are going to take that.

Epic doesn't need Microsoft, but why would you want to screw one of the largest corporations in the world when you don't need to? 

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So now looking out for yourself as a company and making sure your employees get paid is screwing someone else?

Nice.