GDC: Sony offers to match development budgets with guaranteed royalties

Sony has launched a scheme to offer developers guaranteed royalties in return for PlayStation exclusivity.

The first game to take advantage of the deal is Doublesix's Burn Zombie Burn, which goes live via the PlayStation Network today. Sony has indicated it's "looking for a great many more titles" to take advantage of the fund.

"It's all very well for us as platform holders to say, 'Put all your money into PlayStation Network, it's a fantastic idea,' but are we prepared to put or money where our mouth is? The answer is yes," Chris Eden, Sony's development relations manager, told the Game Developers Conference.

"We're looking for a number of great games, and in return for exclusivity we'll match your development budget with guaranteed royalties," he said.

Eden added that Sony is not buying titles directly from developers, and IP rights and control of games will remain in the hands of the teams that create them.

"A really important thing to point out is that this is not first-party publishing, this is not Sony buying your product," he said.

"You'll be the publisher, you'll own the IP and you'll control your product. This is assisting you to make your next step from developer to publisher."