This following article is courtesy of Qj.net:
 

A Japanese game developer has let out a bombshell on his blog, saying that Microsoft did pay off Namco Bandai to secure an "exclusive" Xbox 360 release for Tales of Vesperia. Hold it, though. That's not the best bit. The more interesting part is that Namco used the Microsoft subsidy to cut down the costs of the development of the PS3 version. In essence, therefore, Microsoft paid for the PS3 version's development.

That got your attention, didn't it? There's more. He said that Sony actually intervened and threatened them into adding "massive amounts of new content" or else the green light won't be given for them to release on Sony's console at all.


Here, let's hear it straight from the horse's mouth:


First off, it was easier developing for the Xbox 360. This is to do with the games I was involved with, but basically if you sign an exclusive contract with Microsoft (you won’t release it on other hardware for a year or similar), they will give you a lot of cash for development.

Their support is also very fast and complete in these cases.

SCE don’t really give much cash out (any at all perhaps). Their support is confused and unreliable. When I was doing it at least, the 360 was easier to develop for, which lowers costs. As a result, first we developed for the Xbox, reducing development costs. But the Xbox version won’t sell [in Japan], you can’t recoup even those lowered costs at all.

So we ported to the PS3, it’s cheaper as you already have the game done, but then Sony came back and told us ‘We won’t recognise it if it’s the same as the Xbox 360 version. Make sure you put in a lot of extra stuff!’
If we didn’t then they wouldn’t have let us pass their check…


The said developer aired this insider laundry out in response to the complaints of Tales of Vesperia Xbox 360 fans regarding the supposed exclusivity of the game, and how Namco Bandai is carrying out "underhanded" and "unfair" tactics for putting in more on the PS3 version than on the Xbox 360.
 

yeah I read this yesterday on system wars.
and i'll say the same thing.
 
You have microsoft paying for exclusivity, you have sony paying for exclusivity, But Im still waiting to hear about Microsoft holding a release hostage unless Exclusive content is added.  I mean shit so many people talk about Microsoft Tactics and how evil they are but damn Sony is holding the releases hostage unless they get Exclusive content.

You know there's been a LOT of fishy articles lately originating from that sankakucomplex.com site lately, which also has headlines like 12-Year-Old Loli Bride Dies in Childbirth.
 
Since when was this site I never heard of before credible?

That kinda sucks if that goes through but on that same note I'm not really suprised that something like this is happening.

" You know there's been a LOT of fishy articles lately originating from that sankakucomplex.com site lately, which also has headlines like 12-Year-Old Loli Bride Dies in Childbirth.  Since when was this site I never heard of before credible? "

My thoughts posted on the Namco Bandai forums copied here.
 
It's a shame really. While I agree that it is good for developers to add extra content for late ports to other systems (need to encourage new sales at a likely more expensive price), it's a pretty dick move to not eventually make that new content available to the original system.

Quote:

That's the most amusing threat I've ever heard. "We'll add MASSIVE amounts of content to the game!".
 
Not very familiar with the Tales series. What's so big about this one? It's something to do with the consoles isn't it?

but the blog is known to be a Namco employees.

I don't see anything weird about this. Microsoft paid X amount of cash to secure the 360 version. Y amount of that cash was not actually used up for the game's development so some of it went to fund their next project, which happened to be Vesperia PS3. What's so weird about it?

" You know there's been a LOT of fishy articles lately originating from that sankakucomplex.com site lately, which also has headlines like 12-Year-Old Loli Bride Dies in Childbirth.  Since when was this site I never heard of before credible? "