KOEI brings PS3 titles to 360

By Tom Bramwell Published 23 November, 2006

Fatal Inertia and Bladestorm.

KOEI has decided to share the love, announcing Xbox 360 versions of its previously-PS3-exclusive titles Bladestorm: The Hundred Years War and Fatal Inertia.

Both are due out in March 2007 on both formats.

Fatal Inertia, as you perhaps remember, is a futuristic racing game being put together by KOEI's recently formed Canadian studio, and aims to make clever use of spectacular weapons and physics to disrupt proceedings. Originally unveiled at the Tokyo Game Show in 2005, it was down as a PS3 launch title but presumably time got the better of them.

Bladestorm, meanwhile, is set during the titular Hundred Years War, and sees players getting involved with Edward the Black Prince, Joan of Arc and all the rest, taking sides as England and France go at it and commanding lots of troops in real-time. And if that sounds familiar, then bear in mind it's being put together by KOEI's Omega Force team, the group behind Dynasty Warriors - so in other words it is, but they do know what they're doing.

Look out for both of those nearer to March.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (51) Latest comment 5 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • onyxbox #1 5 years ago

    next gen is all about sharing

  • fizzer25 #2 5 years ago

    @ onyxbox

    yep totally agree, this gen there will be a shortage of exclusives!

    I think MS might just have the edge over Sony in terms of exclusives this time around!!

  • lambtron #3 5 years ago

    Woah there really aren't many PS3 exclusives left.

    I suppose the big question is will MGS4 and DMC4 still be PS3 exclusives... hmm.
    Edited by 1 at 23/11/06 @ 09:50

  • AcidSnake #4 5 years ago

    MGS4!
    Come on Kojima!
    I don't want to buy a PS3 just for your game!

  • JediMasterMalik #5 5 years ago

    What? You mean 1st party really is becoming more important. And to think, everyone flamed Sony for saying that before...

  • EGBartonFink #6 5 years ago

    Wow PS3 loses two more apparenly exclusive games.
    Maybe the pubs are getting a little tetchy about all the delays and the calamity that was the launch.

  • thinktank #7 5 years ago

    The first to hit 10 million, really is the milestone.

    It's at that point the developers get big dollar/pound signs in there eyes.

  • gizmo #8 5 years ago

    MGS4?

    Can you just imagine how many codec conversations he could fit on blu-ray.

    Those cheesy dialogues were the most cringeworthy things my wife has ever heard on any console, made me embarassed to be playing!

  • EGBartonFink #9 5 years ago

    MGS wil probably stay exclusive. I wouldn't be so sure about DMC though.

  • Steroyd #10 5 years ago

    er... think tank... Dreamcast?

    Lol 1st/2nd party rules.

    But with MS's current situation in Japan wouldn't this hurt more than help KOEI?

  • Penguinzoot #11 5 years ago

    Its small baby steps like this that builds momentum for a platform. We've seen it before: get more publishers/devs on board, get more breadth in games - thats what did it for both the PS1 and PS2.

    I don't think Kojima is likely to go multi platform with MGS4. At least at launch anyway. But you never know I suppose - could be a case of:

    "Hey Sony - I always liked you. Its nothing personal - but business is business, okay?"

    DMC on the other hand could be a much more likely target for MS. Especially if the rumours of MS buying Capcom turn out to be true.

    But then I remember the rumours of MS buying Sega ....
    ...and then rumours of MS buying Nintendo .... which Bill Gates had to deny LOL.

    Both came to nothing.

  • thinktank #12 5 years ago

    both of Playstations bigest brands for the PS3, FF and MGS have appeared on a Xbox.

    In terms of MGS4 and FF(13 is it?) its a matter of when not if.

    Although its good that we could potentialy play all these great games on one console, i think they might loose some of their specialness.

    - is completely aware specialness is not a word.

  • Tomster #13 5 years ago

    @ onyxbox: Video Gaming 2.0 ... I like it!

  • repairmanjack #14 5 years ago

    "MGS wil probably stay exclusive."

    Kojima has already stated in interview that the 360 can easily handle MGS4. One wonders if he's looked into it...

  • Steroyd #15 5 years ago

    Yeah and the same guy said the Xbox 360's GPU couldn't handle doing the octo camo.

  • Penguinzoot #16 5 years ago

    Steroyd - why would this hurt KOEI inh Japan?

  • thinktank #17 5 years ago

    C'mon steroyd - you've been around these boards enough to know the DC - xbox comparison i so flawed.

    Shuuned by EA
    No marketing support
    No money
    Coming of the back of the saturn
    Not enought western products
    No decent sports franchises

    As for MS's situation in japan, Capcom has proven that games market is considerably larger than just Japan.

    Although i'm not sure how well these games are targeted at us westerners.

  • Xerx3s #18 5 years ago

    But with MS's current situation in Japan wouldn't this hurt more than help KOEI?

    Why would they think as small as Japan? It's a tiny market compared to the other regions (wtf is japan marked as 'region' anyway?).

  • SeesThroughAll #19 5 years ago

    So that's why they were hiring for a PS3 WipeOut... they saw this coming.

  • Rambaldi #20 5 years ago

    So really, unless you're bothered about a gimmicky pad, low-end BR player, paying for every car in GT4 and the next MGS movie, there's fuck all reason to buy a PS3?

  • Steroyd #21 5 years ago

    I've always thought Dynasty Warriors was more popular in Japan if that type of game is western Centric then fairy do.

    Nevertheless the DC sold 10 million first and several million more than the PS2 at the time why did EA of all companies dodge Sega like the plague if that's where the money is at?

  • thinktank #22 5 years ago

    please rambaldi

    Its like giving guns to the poor, it will only end in a mess

  • Rambaldi #23 5 years ago

    I know, it's almost like owning a whoopie cushion - it still makes me giggle :)

  • thinktank #24 5 years ago

    @ steroyd

    I duno, prehaps some behind the scenes corporate hatred.

    But lack of a big sports frachises killed DC, Every console that has ever been successfull has had big sports games.

    I miss my DC.
    Edited by 1 at 23/11/06 @ 10:37

  • lambtron #25 5 years ago

    Apparently EA did not support the Dreamcast because they were afraid of Sega's sports franchises - they were widely considered to be vastly superior to their EA counterparts (note American Sports franchises so the point the DC had no decent sports that us Europeans are interested in is still valid). Tis a crying shame because the DC was an awesome bit of kit and I don't think EA had anything to worry about. They've proven time and again they can sell any old shite even if there is a better product from a competitor.

  • AcidSnake #26 5 years ago

    MGS has been on all consoles the last generation...
    And I seriously doubt that the 360 isn't capable of doing the octocam...What's so special about it anyway? It's a translucency effect of some sort...

    The PS3 holds only MGS4 that I would like to play...
    If I had a choice between the PS3 and 360 (I haven't got one) I would favour the 360...Just because it has more games that appeal to me...But I really really need MGS4!

    And I admit the codec conversations can be quite the cheesefest... :)

  • psychokitten #27 5 years ago

    Right now though as a developer it would make little sense to be PS3-exclusive. Very few units will be around in the US and Japan, and Europe won't even get to see the console till next year, and who knows how few units we'll get then. Why make a game exclusive to a platform with a small userbase? You want to sell as many copies of your game as you can, and you won't do that on the PS3 (not for a good while).

    It'll be interesting to see what things will be like a year from now, or two years. The PS3 will be out properly then and more developers might be inclined to stick with them. But it'll be nice to see Sony eat some humble pie in the meantime.
    Edited by 1 at 23/11/06 @ 10:49

  • johnboy_johsnon #28 5 years ago

    @ steroyd - I'm not sure if Dreamcast reach 10 million before the PS2 did. The total number of sales of the DC was 10.6 million but I'm sure that at this stage PS2 sales had far surpassed that. And, I might add, the DC/ XBox360 comparison is absolutely laughable.

  • Rambaldi #29 5 years ago

    Hang on, is Steroyd saying the 360 can't handle OctoCamo from MGS4 and that it's comparable to the DC?

    Did I miss something or has he just lost it? Will someone sit that boy down with a 360, a HDTV and a copy of GOW please?

    /is baffled
    Edited by 1 at 23/11/06 @ 11:11

  • Steroyd #30 5 years ago

    Sony shipped 6.41 million by the end of 2000 and Sega officially stopped the Dreamcast January of 2001 (japan only).

    <a href=http://www.scei.co.jp/corporate/data/bizdataps2_e.html >Sony's Shipment figures</a>

    So if Sony killed the dreamcast it was in Japan alone.

    It's interesting on how Sony have shipped double the units to Europe and the US than Japan.
    And i'm talking about the Situation that MS and the Dreamcast were in they even have the same swirly logo and the same PR guy Peter Moore. lol.

    <a href=http://www. 1up.com/do/feature?cId=3145154>Dreamcast 2.0</a>

    Don't worry they have a 10 reasons why it will succeed as well. ;)

  • spongebob #31 5 years ago

    So is it reasonable to say that PS3 is dead already or what's this parade about?

    Ahh bring the gaming back to PC. The consoles are all bs anyway :)

  • MadMirko #32 5 years ago

    This and Sony declining to have GTA exclusivity, is that part of a plan I don't get? It's good to have exclusives on the own platform because that will convince people to buy it and developers to specifically target your platform in order to make a better game instead the lowest common denominator across all platforms?

    Sony is not stupid, so what's up?

  • Gurgeh #33 5 years ago

    "Sony is not stupid, so what's up? "

    Two things, first Sony have serious financial issues so expensive exclusivity deals aren't an option, and second they really do see the PS3 as more than a games machine. For Sony it's a way to lock consumers into buying Sony music and films from the Sony online shop, cutting out the middleman and eliminating pesky piracy on the way.

  • cooper #34 5 years ago

    Yeah, you're all right. The PS3 is dead.
    Can we move to the next subject now?

  • Der_tolle_Emil #35 5 years ago

    For me this sounds like Sony is really losing people except real PS3 fans. Someone who cares about the games mostly doesn't care if they get to play the game on a 360 or a PS3. And most of them probably already own a 360 anyway. So why would this people bother to shell out a lot of money for a PS3?

    Personally the only appealing thing about the PS3 is the games. And bluray for a few people. But the 360 does everything the PS3 does and with more and more so called exclusives also coming to 360 what is there left that makes one want a PS3?

    I guess the most positive thing is that Fatal Inertia was never going to be a system seller in the first place (from what I read) and Bladestorm? I never even heard of this title.

  • bunglebonce #36 5 years ago

    Share the love baby, mmmmmmm.

  • Steroyd #37 5 years ago

    Bladestorm looks like Dynasty Warriors under a different name... hence why i asked wouldn't it cripple KOEI financially in Japan.

    unless that type of game has significant western appeal... someone please tell me. :'(

  • Penguinzoot #38 5 years ago

    Steroyd - but they're coming out on PS3 and 360 dude!

    I guess its KOEI trying top spread its income as far as possible.

  • AcidSnake #39 5 years ago

    American Technology Research's P.J. McNealy, in a note to investors, said there were just 125,000 to 175,000 PS3s in stores for the system's launch. That's roughly half of his initial expectations. Colin Sebastian of Lazard Capital Markets estimated the number at around 150,000.

    Might be off topic, but interesting nonetheless.
    From the cnnmoney site.

  • Spydez #40 5 years ago

    Bar a few exculsive titles I'm struggling to find a reason to buy a PS3. This may be the first generation in years that i've not owned all the main home consoles.

  • Steroyd #41 5 years ago

    Bah!!

    look harder.

  • FooAtari #42 5 years ago

    @JediMasterMalik - Thing is though, waht in house titles do Sony have that are really worth a damn?

    Sure they have some solid games, God of War is excellent. But no system sellers that I can think of. Im not really a huge fan of either Zelda or Halo but those two games will sell systems for MS and Nintendo

  • thinktank #43 5 years ago

    I does seam as if sony is lacking its Zelda or Halo. God of War, maybe

  • brooza #44 5 years ago

    Three titles have pulled up stakes and moved to the
    Xbox 360 (as cross-platform). Read on for more...

    It's said that the rats are the first to abandon a sinking ship. While not rats, publishers are beginning to abandon the PS3 after its less-than-impressive launch and news of production woes. Three titles have pulled up stakes and moved to the Xbox 360 (as cross-platform).

    Koei, long time PlayStation supporter (and company frequently billed as key support to win the generation) has pulled Fatal Inertia and Blade Storm: The Hundred Years' War from the PS3 exclusive list and plopped them squarely into the Xbox 360 camp. Another PlayStation staple, the Armored Core series, is also coming to the white box in the form of Armored Core 4.

    Sony is going to be in for a difficult battle if key players keep moving over party lines; Microsoft is doing far better coaxing exclusive content over to the 360. If Sony continues to lose its differentiation, why should gamers continue to shell out up to $200 more just to play the same games? Enjoy this machine translation for those who can't read Japanese.
    http://ww w.joystiq.com/2006/11/22/ps3-lo...

  • BadBoyBonner #45 5 years ago

    Fatal Inertia providing Fatal Inertia? Surely that should have been the title! lol

  • glaeken #46 5 years ago

    So what are the Sony exclusives now? MGS, GT and that sword game with the women with red hair. Those are really the only titles I know about coming for the PS3 at some stage that are not due to be on the 360. So we have some tied sequels and an unproven title that may turn out to be a Daikatana

    I am sure there are more exclusives though so if I were Sony I would start trying to get more info into the press on the exclusives they do still have.

  • johnboy_johsnon #47 5 years ago

    "Sony shipped 6.41 million by the end of 2000 and Sega officially stopped the Dreamcast January of 2001 (japan only). "

    Sega announced that they were pulling out of the hardware industry in Jan 2001. They continued to manufacture the DC until the end of March that year. Units were still on sale Christmas 2001 (remember the value pack with TF3, MSR and JSR). So, unless you can show me monthly sales figures I'm pretty sure that the PS2 got to 10 million before the DC (not that it's a big deal or anything:)).

  • davisorle #48 5 years ago

    Well... If they see that Sony has problems and they need so less time to convert the games for xbox 360 so much easier then yeah. More and more titles will be more likely exclusive for xbox than PS. I think it's that simple.

  • Dizzy #49 5 years ago

    But.... but.... only Cell could handle TEH aw3s0me physics of Fatial Inertia....???

  • Dr.Mott #50 5 years ago

    @ Steroyd

    The Dreamcast 2.0 thing, I loved the Crazy rich bald guy one.

  • SniperFox #51 5 years ago

    Kinda funny people think this would hurt anything.

    Funny also, that they think the PS3 has very few exclusives left also...they must not know just how many it does in fact have.

    And to the comment about MGS and FF appearing on the Xbox...you do know they were both flops right?

    MGS2:S on the Xbox was a financial flop, due to the fact that it was:

    1.) Lackluster compared to the PS2 version.
    2.) Released almost 2 years after Sons Of Liberty, everyone who wanted to, had already played it by the time it came out.

    FF, while not a financial flop, was still a flop.

    1.) People who wanted it, already had it on both the PS2 and the PC. There was nothing new in the 360 version, other than slightly better graphics. No one wanted to spend another $60 on a game, they already had.

    To the 360-DC comparison.

    Dreamcast ( Copied from thinktank )

    Shuuned by EA
    No marketing support
    No money
    Coming of the back of the Saturn
    Not enough western products
    No decent sports franchises

    My Own Additions:

    Lacked a key feature that the others had ( DVD Player )
    Was first out on the market.
    Had cool online features, and was the first to allow online gaming.
    Had at least 2 big titles when the others came out ( Sonic Adventure, Shenmue )
    2nd cheapest of it's generation.

    360

    Shunned by Japan.
    Not enough Japanese products.
    TOO MANY Sports franchises.
    Lacks a key feature that could make or break the console in the end ( HD-DVD built in. Add-on available, but is not used for games. )
    Has at least 2 big titles out, now that the others are out ( Oblivion, Gears of War )
    2nd cheapest of it's generation.

    The only big differences are that

    1.) The Sony hype machine had no real effect on the system.
    2.) MS has money.
    3.) It has a strong online component.


    To the comments about the PS3 losing exclusives:

    1.) The games are either too new ( Fatal Inertia, Bladestorm ) to have any effect one way or the other.
    2.) Were never announced as/have been exclusive ( Assassin's Creed/GTA4 ).
    3.) Aren't as popular as they once were ( Virtua Fighter 5 )

    Also..it seems to slip peoples minds, that some of the 360's BIGGEST titles, are being sent to the PS3 ( Oblivion, Saint's Row, and possibly Bioshock. )

    If UT3 does well, you could very well end up seeing Gears Of War 2 on the PS3 ( And don't give me that "It can't run on the system. ), it's the same damn engine, and UT3 looks as good as, if not better than GeOW.

    And if you think MS owns GeOW, you are wrong. They don't. They only publish it. The name is owned by Epic, and they could very well find another publisher to put it on PS3 if they want to. MS can't stop them.

    BTW, Microsoft...how's Forza 2 coming along? And what about Fable 2?