Witcher 3 to be released on Xbox One!

[Garrison72]

Potentially very unethical?

You strongly suspect?

No one's entitled to playing those exclusives, as no one is entitled to playing PS4's eclusives. If one wants to, why, one buys oneself the console, one agrees to the terms and conditions, and one plays the desired game. Plain and simple.

I have a choice. Publishers and developers working with MS? Not so much.

 

[Agent_Blue]

Also, I mean this argument of “they don’t hold a gun to your head so it’s A-OK” is like saying exploiting people in the Third World is alright because it’s their choice to work themselves to the bones and be paid next to nothing.

Really? Are you actually going to equate the two?

Third world exploited workers have little to no alternative. And it's their livelihoods that are at stake. So, need I remind you that one will have the PS4, PC and perhaps Steam Box at one's disposal to sort out the fairly trivial matter of how to spend one's leisure time?

I guess I have come to expect better reasoning skills from you.

 

[Garrison72]

In that case CDPR should refuse to deliver Witcher for any console and for any PC, as all of them are being produced thanks to underaged, underpaid labor with more human rights being violated than there are bugs in Colonial Marines.

That would be, after all, ethical.

No, it would be ethical for companies like Apple and MS to ensure worker's rights.

 

[tommy5761]

I think it would be up to the consumer to determine the better of the platform and what they feel to be the better choice for them . After all there will be products for both . Much like the VHS vs Beta and Blu-Ray vs HD just to name a couple .

 

[przemuch]

No, it would be ethical for companies like Apple and MS to ensure worker's rights.

Yup. Which is why it would be ethical for a company like M$ to ensure consumer rights. Which means...

 

[Demut]

Really? Are you actually going to equate the two?

Not equate, compare. Both situations are similar enough in structure to do so. As for the supposed differences, so what if on the one hand one’s livelihood is concerned and one’s hobby on the other? Just because “the stake’s are higher” the underlying ethics do not change all of the sudden and regarding the alternatives, you yourself admitted that these exist in both cases so here they do not differ either. Now tell me again, what speaks against this comparison?

 

[dragoonlordz]

Dragoonlordz seems to disagree with that. Apparently we are entitled to that.

Also, I mean this argument of “they don’t hold a gun to your head so it’s A-OK” is like saying exploiting people in the Third World is alright because it’s their choice to work themselves to the bones and be paid next to nothing.

I would gladly like to see exclusivity die off. I hate it and it's bad for gamers.

I have argued against exclusivity elsewhere quoted below...

Each console would still use different hardware to compete with each other, they would still have different gaming policies to compete against each other, they would still have different prices to compete against each other, different services to compete too. Their hardware would still be focused on TV, gamepad and couch experience. Exclusives are just one of the many ways to compete and one that would not crumble the console developers to dust if was no longer present.

The competition would still be present as they try to out do each other in one of the many other ways, the removal of exclusivity on games would not impact DRM and it would more likely make hardware and prices better and cheaper on those platforms because those two things become a more important way to compete without the reliance of exclusives buffering the need to compete harder on such, while at same time customers benefit both in terms of greater competition focus on hardware and pricing for the platforms to make up for no exclusivity of games and being able to play the franchises they love on 'their' platform of choice.

Sure it means the console makers will have to improve their other services and pricing plus policies to make up for it but that's a good thing, just like it is a good thing for customers and gamers to have exclusives removed as far as freedom to enjoy their platform of choice opened up to all games and not excluded from them unless they fork out hundreds for every single platform released.

There's no way to chance of convincing me that exclusives are good for gamers or customers in any way whatsoever for the reasons I just gave. Exclusivity is not required for consoles to compete or better themselves it does the opposite by using exclusives as a buffer to lessen the need to improve their other services and pricing.

In the end like I said if CDPR wants as many gamers as possible to play their game there is nothing wrong with putting it on the Xbone, if you have a problem with Xbone's policies and consider it anti-CDPR policies then remember CDPR also sell their game on Origin and Steam so by extension they should remove it from those platforms based on the same principle; the principle being they use DRM and CDPR does not like DRM.

However the world does not work that way, as long as CDPR offer an alternative which has no DRM then they have every right to put on any other platform too yet retain their anti-DRM beliefs. It is down to the consumer to choose which would prefer, if they hold anti-DRM beliefs like CDPR then they can get a DRM free version which CDPR offers. If they have no problem with DRM and such then they have the freedom of choice to choose another platform or service to buy from.

The most important thing is offering choice to consumers and CDPR are doing just that by putting it on as many platforms and services as they can, each has different policies but CDPR also have GoG which will sell a DRM free version for those who want that. I see it as CDPR supporting gamers not supporting Xbone. They are supporting the gamers who will buy an Xbone by giving them the chance to play the game too. It shouldn't be developers that shun the platform it's up to the consumers.

Also remember the Xbone is not destroying the industry as it is one platform out of many and those many like PC, WiiU, PS4 and such do not have such extreme policies. Consumers should decide the fate of the Xbone not developers and both PS4 and PC will have TW3 so whether or not also released on Xbone has no negative impact since people who don't like Xbone's policies will just buy it on one of the other platforms in the first place. Those who do buy the Xbone should be allowed to play it too if CDPR desire as many people to play game as possible.

 

[Agent_Blue]

Not equate, compare. Both situations are similar enough in structure to do so. As for the supposed differences, so what if on the one hand one’s livelihood is concerned and one’s hobby on the other? Just because “the stake’s are higher” the underlying ethics do not change all of the sudden and regarding the alternatives, you yourself admitted that these exist in both cases so here they do not differ either. Now tell me again, what speaks against this comparison?

I don't even know where to begin.
Little in common, really.

If you fail to understand employer to employee relationships bear little in common with company to customer relationships then perhaps you should review the matter. The balance of power is completely different.

Unethical behaviour amounts to misuse of power. We, the consumers, have the power. Not Microsoft.

 

[darcler]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RtSGFryKwo#t=708s[/media]
We'll see whether what Major Nelson says has any truth to it, or is just an evasion tactic.

EDIT: Link to the specific moment in the video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RtSGFryKwo#t=708s