'Nobody gains from console exclusivity,' says Sony's dev relations boss

"Right now exclusives are just a way for [console makers] to brag louder. Nobody gains from exclusivity in perpetuity."

- Sony Computer Entertainment America's Adam Boyes. In a candid keynote address at IndieCade's professional conference today, Sony Computer Entertainment America (SCEA) VP of publisher and developer relations Adam Boyes acknowledged that though console exclusivity might drive console sales, it wasn't fundamentally productive to either console makers or developers. "Right now exclusives are just a way for [console makers] to brag louder," said Boyes. "Nobody gains from exclusivity in perpetuity." Boyes likened console manufacturers to car dealerships, wherein independent developers served as high-end car mechanics capable of fine-tuning the machine's performance and bringing "real innovation" to the platform. Nevertheless, he did not see long-term exclusivity as fitting in with that analogy. "Developers now have the option to deliver on a huge number of platforms," said Boyes. "We want developers to be successful." And that, he said, leads almost inevitably to multiplatform publishing.