Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: ConViction is looking quite fantastic these days, have you heard? Sam Fisher is back, darker, older and more badass than ever. A perfect way to send the rogue agent off. It's also going to be an Xbox 360/PC exclusive title - a deal that was brokered and announced not long after Double Agent was released in 2006. Nice going, Microsoft.
But why is it exclusive? An infamous Microsoft money hat? Better development skills on the Xbox 360 on Ubisoft Montreal's part? Let the team explain the situation, kids, won't you? Let's all breathe.
"Splinter Cell conviction is a true Microsoft exclusive title and there are no plans to have Splinter Cell Conviction on other platforms. There are several reasons behind this choice. First of all, Splinter Cell games are historically linked with Microsoft platforms. The first Splinter Cell on the original Xbox was one of the first games to fully exploit the console's technical possibilities.
At that time, Microsoft really believed in the game potential and provided strong support to promote it. So, there is a "link of heart" between the franchise and the platform. Some games are like this (think of Final Fantasy for instance). The second reason behind this choice is purely linked to production. Having a single target platform means that we can optimize the game even further, because we only have one type of - console - hardware to support."
Settled, then? Fantastic! While it;s clear that sheer brand awareness isn't the only thing that played a part here (*cough* large financial investments *cough*), the deal was a smart one, and one that will most certainly leave non-360 owners feeling the burn. Fret not, just wait until 2011. Afterall, third-parties have to support multiple platforms and everything, given the economy these days.
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