Neowin has learned via 1UP that high-profile analyst Michael Pachter believes Epic Games now regrets its exclusivity deal with Microsoft for Gears of War. Talking on GameTrailers Bonus Round, Pachter said, "I think the Epic guys can't wait until they can start doing multiplatform games."
Selling over 3 million copies in just ten weeks, Gears of War was the fastest selling game of 2006, and the second most-played game on Xbox Live in 2007. Without a doubt, the game has helped Microsoft push it's console as a hardcore gaming platform.
Asked as to whether he thinks future Gears of War games could be released multi-platform, Pachter unsurprisingly said no.
"I don't, I think Microsoft has a contract to make sure they get that sequel," he said. "But I think Epic regrets signing that contract. You're up to 11 million PS3s in the U.S. and probably similar number in Europe, you got a 20 million addressable market with a game like Gears of War. I mean, that thing would easily sell 3 or 4 million on the PS3, that's a lot of profit. No way is it worth it."
Pachter also argues that first-party titles will be the ones doing exclusives while third-party developers will begin shifting to multi-platform.
While this is simply the speculation of an outsider, and not inside word from Epic themselves, it does provide an interesting point. Will more developers seek to release multi-platform games over single-platform exclusive deals?
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