Ninja Theory: exclusivity is "draining"

By Robert Purchese Published 19 November, 2009

Said Heavenly Sword faced unfair abuse.

Heavenly Sword developer Ninja Theory has recalled how being used as a pawn in a console war was both draining and, at times, unfairly abusive.

"When you are exclusive, sometimes the pressure to demonstrate technology can override other aspects of game development," studio co-fouder Tameem Antoniades told Eurogamer in an interview published today. "Being involved in one side of a format war as if it's the machines that make great games can also be draining.

"You get a lot of attention as an exclusive developer which is great, but on the flip side there was a lot of anti-Sony feeling going on which I felt was unfairly being directed at our team.

"Our focus is now on building as compelling a game as we can and I am more comfortable with that," he added.

Released in August 2007, Heavenly Sword was an eye-catching example of what Sony's PS3 could accomplish. Cinematically the game had, and has, few peers.

Ninja Theory is now hard at work on Enslaved, a post-apocalyptic romp for Xbox 360 as well as PS3. The story, written by Alex Garland (The Beach), follows an unlikely partnership between Monkey (Andy Serkis) and Trip. It's loosely based on the old Chinese tale Journey to the West.

Head over to our full interview with Tameem Antoniades about Enslaved to find out more.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (38) 2 years ago

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

  • Gaol #1 2 years ago

    Yeah cause being a PS3 exclusive did Uncharted, Resistance, Killzone 2 and Ratchet & Clank a lot of harm.

    Oh wait ...

    If you read between the lines here he admits the real reason Heavenly Sword got grief; giving too much consideraton to graphics and presentation, and not enough to smooth and interesting gameplay. Not that the game was all that bad.
    Edited by 3 at 19/11/09 @ 12:56

  • peterfll #2 2 years ago

    Maybe. Sometimes you get great 1st and 2nd party exclusives accompanying a consoles release. Sometimes you don't. I'm sure the same pressure applies in all cases.

  • Zomoniac #3 2 years ago

    Actually, I think the original Resistance was treated unfairly. I thought it was a brilliant game, but it was the flagship launch title in terms of "look how awesome our machine is" for PS3, and it didn't look as good as Gears Of War, which led to inevitable "so why is it £425 if it can't even equal 360 graphics?" type questioning. I can see his point. The first batch of PS3 games looked inferior to the second batch of 360 games out at the time (despite mostly looking better than the 360 launch games - Resistance vs PDZ? No contest), and it was so damn expensive that the games were taking a lot of stick for it. Now that PS3 is a more sensible price, and has proved itself technically capable, and the hate has mostly subsided, this is happening less. IMO.

    Edit - "how awesome ARE machine is"?? Jesus, I should be shot for that.
    Edited by 1 at 19/11/09 @ 13:26

  • Xerx3s #4 2 years ago

    "Yeah cause being a PS3 exclusive did Uncharted, Resistance, Killzone 2 and Ratchet & Clank a lot of harm. "

    I don't know but they didn't exactly have stellar sales tbf. I mean: KZ2 i.e. sold extremely poorly for such a highly marketed game.

  • MiniAmin #5 2 years ago

    @ Mercatoria

    I disagree. Exclusives are what brand console's identity and they offer a unique selling point to the consumer. More importantly, console exclusives drive competition. If Mario wasn't exclusive to SNES, we probably wouldn't have experienced Sonic. If Halo wasn't exclusive to Xbox, we'd probably wouldn't have experienced KZ2.

    Exclusives only become problematic when fanboys use them as ammunition in their propaganda wars.

    Edit: "when fanboys used them". Based on my error Zomoniac, you aren't the only person who should be shot!
    Edited by 3 at 19/11/09 @ 16:08

  • twoism #6 2 years ago

    I thought HS was a pretty good game, I enjoyed it and was really rooting for a sequel. It's a shame that it's not gonna happen, but probably for the best too. Sony must have put a lot of pressure on them in ways that affected the overall direction of the game. I hope now they get the creative freedom and time to really deliver what they intend to.

  • Ninja_Tino #7 2 years ago

    MiniAmin, that's a damn interesting point. For those like me who own all the consoles and couldn't care less about console wars etc. then the competition between studios (normally the ones funded by Sony or Microsoft) results in such cracking games. I've always hated 'fanboys' and 'console wars' but I guess without them we could well have a dip in quality. Hmmm...

  • Doctor_What #8 2 years ago

    HS was pretty decent, as a game, but nothing spectacular, it was the much-vaunted story, writing, and performances that destroyed it for me. The good guys sounds like they were from a slow bit of Crounching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and the antagonists came across like a mix of Keith Allen's Sheriff of Nottingham and pantomime bad guys. If the audio department had added 'BOOO! HISS! He's behind you!' onto the soundtrack I wouldn't have been surprised. With such a conflicting set of performances and motivations, was it any surprise that few players really cared who they were killing or why?

    Really, if that's the high-water mark of the games industry's story-telling ability then we might as well give up altogether.

  • cianchristopher #9 2 years ago

    To be honest, most games sell poorly on the PS3, period! Whether they're exclusive or not doesn't seem to make any difference.

    It does seem like a lot of people bought a PS3 as a blu-ray player and not a games machine.

    It's a shame to see games like Uncharted and LittleBigPlanet fare so badly next to the big Xbox 360 games like Halo and Gears of War. Yet, they do!

    Look at the lists of bestselling games on PS3 compared to the list for Xbox 360

    [link url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bestselling_games#PlayS tation_3
    ]http://en .wikipedia.org/wiki/Bestselling...[/link]
    [link url=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bestselling_games#Xbox_360
    ]    http://en .wikipedia.org/wiki/Bestselling...[/link]

  • dr_shambles #10 2 years ago

    @Zomoniac You're bang on the money there. Resistance is a great game that I still sometimes play. Never did get all the bile directed towards it.

  • Les #11 2 years ago

    "Exclusives arent any use to anybody."

    It's a shame that in this time with the various platforms each having their own strengths, development of exclusives becomes less and less feasible because of rising development costs. Hence we get the multiplatform shit that only focusses on graphics.

  • Evolution #12 2 years ago

    HS was really a nicely presented experience, obviously if you take it purely in terms of the "game" part it is quite short and fairly ordinary, but everything else was so brilliantly done it's hard not to remember it as something special. Plus, Andy Serkis. Come on. Andy Serkis!

  • schnide #13 2 years ago

    Why is Alex Garland the only name that studios know when it comes to getting a vaguely-heard of writer in?

  • NotSoSlim #14 2 years ago

    Gears and Halo are flaghip 360 games that caters to the consoles main demigraphic.

    Look at Forza it sold well but considering it's the only driving sim and the hype it should if sold more.

    Uncharted 2 gad the hype and reviews but people forget when the first one came out the PS3 was not selling great and the same goes for LBP!! Also marketing helps..Uncharted 2 has established itself and will continue to sell.

    Killzone had to start again due to the poor first games so in theory anyway the 3rd one will sell well.

    Only games on PS3 that get anywhere near the 5m mark is GT and MGS

  • Bigglesworth #15 2 years ago

    @gaol
    Resistance and KZ2, and in fact most PS3 exclusive, received a much higher level of scrutiny than equivalent games. Uncharted and R&C are both masterful examples of their respective genres, and to be honest they had to be, which is exactly what this guy is talking about.

    Heavenly Sword took a hammering when it came out for several reasons, some arguably justified but mostly because it was seen as something of a posterchild for "next-gen" gaming in general, and the fact it was PS3-exclusively undoubtedly contributed.

  • kungfufist #16 2 years ago

    I completely agree that Heavenly Sword faced worse abuse than it would otherwise have done because it was a Sony exclusive and faced the wrath of the M$ fanboys.

    However, whilst it looked very "next gen" it was still basically a rubbish game. I refer you to the rantings of yahtzee for a more eloquent / sweary explanation: http://ww w.escapistmagazine.com/videos/v...
    Edited by 1 at 19/11/09 @ 14:10

  • Skurmedel #17 2 years ago

    A lot of exclusives are natural, the studio has to chose a platform (much like a developer would choose Linux or Windows etc.), but artificial exclusives like BioShock (it was available later, yes, but not at release) are doing regular Joe no good.
    Edited by 3 at 19/11/09 @ 14:19

  • dloob #18 2 years ago

    Heavenly Sword wasn't too bad. I enjoyed it.
    It really got dumped on when it came out.
    Makes me wonder it Lair which had a similar reception around that time isn't really all that bad.
    Dare I take the chance?

  • Gaol #19 2 years ago

    @Bigglesworth

    I disagree. As exclusives they received a greater degree of support from Sony in terms of development and advertising so a higher degree of scrutiny is to be expected. Despite this, both received positive press coverage. And both games sold well considering Resistance was selling to a much small installed base; (it was the Go To game for most launch owners); and Killzone launched at an odd time of year.

    Both games continue to be fairly well regarded; especially the first Resistance which a lot of long term PS3 fans have a soft spot for - me included.

    Heavenly Sword, on the other hand, was pretty forgettable. Sure, it was a 360 fanboy target, as was Lair; but only becase the gaming press gave them the ammunition when they rightly called it as seriously flawed.

  • Aretak #20 2 years ago

    "Makes me wonder it Lair which had a similar reception around that time isn't really all that bad.
    Dare I take the chance? "

    Really, don't. I enjoyed Heavenly Sword too, and picked up Lair for a fiver or something after it'd been patched to include regular controls. I still felt ripped off at that price. It's horrendous, even with the control patch. I shudder to think how unplayable it must have been with motion control only.

  • alimokrane #21 2 years ago

    It's funny how a Developer changes stances.... I remember back in the days of Pre-heavenly sword, how we heard stuff from the mouth of this SAME guy "This game is only possible on the PS3" yet here they are now doing pretty much the same thing on both consoles......... sometimes they should just keep their opinions to themselves. What an embarassement

  • Machiavellian #22 2 years ago

    I thought HS was a pretty good game, I enjoyed it and was really rooting for a sequel. It's a shame that it's not gonna happen, but probably for the best too. Sony must have put a lot of pressure on them in ways that affected the overall direction of the game. I hope now they get the creative freedom and time to really deliver what they intend to.

    I totally Agree with this comment. From the article, you can feel that the developer needed to appease their GOD before they could make the game they want. With enslave, it appears they can make the game they want without filling out the check boxes for the platform holder. I am interested in the Enslave and I hope to see a better playing game because there was a lot of stuff within HS that I liked.

  • Bigglesworth #23 2 years ago

    @alimokrane
    Well, leaving aside that exclusivity-locked developers are almost contractually obliged to say such things, who's to say they weren't correct? In terms of character animation and environments, Heavenly Sword is still one of the best looking games around.

  • Freek #24 2 years ago

    "but on the flip side there was a lot of anti-Sony feeling going on which I felt was unfairly being directed at our team."

    On the internet, yes, but that's criticism you can safely ignore. Nobody should ever take the "format wars" seriously, least of all developers.

    That being said, HS was a bit on the simplistic and short side.

  • Widge #25 2 years ago

    Great story and acting, poor combat engine. Some of the middle sections were amazing and involving though.

  • makattack #26 2 years ago

    @dloob: No, Lair really is rubbish. I wanted to throw my controller out the window when I played it. I missed, and it smacked into the wall, but that ultimately got me past the level I was stuck at. I heard they fixed the controls to make motion control optional, but I don't have it anymore.

  • Doctor_What #27 2 years ago

    @ Widge: Were we watching the same acting? Pinballing between serious and high camp?

  • msamik #28 2 years ago

    Gaol, being a PS3 exclusive actually did a lot of harm to Uncharted, Resistance, Killzone 2 and Ratchet.
    Resistance: hammered for having weaker gharphics than Gears, somehow L4D gets away with worse grpahics
    Resistance 2, KZ2, R2: "brings nothing new" etc, check out the very first line of Eurogamer's review for the latest Ratchet. Compare and contrast with most reviews for L4D2 for instance.
    Uncharted 1 got 89 on metacritic - possibly the best game ever < 90

    Honestly, I dont try to be a PS3 fan, but it hurts to see hardworking, innovative developers like Insomniac being unfairly criticised and scored low just for being PS3 - Ratchet 7 and ODST 8, really?

    And as for sales - 2 million plus is fine really. Even mass Effect got just 2 million on 360. If you have to compare against Halo or Gears, compare MGS, FF or GT5 - MGS outsold Gears 2 desite a much smaller install base.

  • Ziggy_badMonkey #29 2 years ago

    If the game had not been exclusive to the PS3 it would have been canned years before its eventual release.
    Sony poured huge amounts of money into it.
    I saw it running on a PC at Argonaut something like 6 1/2 years ago and was in development during Kung Fu Chaos (exclusive xbox)
    It had its moments but I got the impression that they were more interested in making a film rather than a game.
    Loads of cutscenes, loads of QT events and core gameplay just button mashing even with the rather flimsy combo system.
    The version I saw had a lot more potential and was more along the lines of a an action adventure experience not a fairly average hack and slash with lots of money spent on cutscenes you skip after 10 seconds.
    Alas sounds like again they are concentrating on having amazing cutscenes and story but crap gameplay.
    Don't want to bring back horrible memories of Dragons lair thanks and all those wasted 50p's !!
    Edited by 1 at 19/11/09 @ 20:31

  • Les #30 2 years ago

    "Makes me wonder it Lair which had a similar reception around that time isn't really all that bad.
    Dare I take the chance?"

    If you can pick it up for little, give it a chance I say. It's definitely something different. The controls are floaty but they suit steering a dragon IMO.

  • SeesThroughAll #31 2 years ago

    Re: Lair.

    I'm with Les. Don't pay more than 15 euro for it. It's still better than Haze. Another thing to keep in mind is that the controls were later on patched: you can now steer the dragon with the analog sticks. I had some fun for a bit with it, back in the day.

  • Mercatoria #32 2 years ago

    @MiniAmin you say a unique selling point I disagree with that, as someone who enjoys games why does it matter what platform the game is on? From that stand point exclusives are a nonsense. And as the article highlighted its exhausting for all involved for now real benefit to us the game player.

  • Stepharneo #33 2 years ago

    Andy Serkis is the only positive thing I remember about that game, but I doubt I'll ever forget it. His role was amazing and shows up a lot of games with shit voice acting and lip syncing.

    Infact (and this is open to debate) I'd say only Uncharted 2 comes close to the level of immersion that characters create in game.

  • man.the.king #34 2 years ago

    @Gaol

    "especially the first Resistance which a lot of long term PS3 fans have a soft spot for - me included"

    Me too man. I don't know, playing through some of the "sleepy British town" environments kind of gives it a nostalgic feel, which I very much enjoy. While Resistance 2 was slicker gameplay-wise, I do believe I liked the first one more.

    @dloob

    "Dare I take the chance? "

    Lair was a pretty good game, if you can look past the frustating SixAxis-only controls. However, I believe there is a patch on PSN which enables Analog-stick control (and Rumble), so that gripe may no longer be valid.

  • Scimarad #35 2 years ago

    "Me too man. I don't know, playing through some of the "sleepy British town" environments kind of gives it a nostalgic feel, which I very much enjoy. While Resistance 2 was slicker gameplay-wise, I do believe I liked the first one more."

    Oh god, don't get me started...

  • teabagger #36 2 years ago

    I think the general point is that if you are a platform exclusive there can be a tendency to judge a game not based on its own merits but on the perceived merits of the platform, and we all know how out of hand that can get. I think this becomes much less of an issue a few years after hardware launch when everyone has got bored of slating the machine they don't own.

  • des #37 2 years ago

    The problem is that Sony abandoned Ninja Theory,without Sony backing chances for R2,UC2 and Killzone 2 would be slim at best.
    If Sony stand behind them,HS2 would be released long time ago.

    Too much of HS budget was poured on cinematics and graphics,with Sony blessing...also not even a 30 fps game in a genre dominated by 60 fps games,uh oh

  • man.the.king #38 2 years ago

    @Scimarad

    "Oh god, don't get me started... "

    Why? Do you concur or beg to differ? ;)