My Word Is My Honour, Until I Say Another Word

There used to be a time when honour and chivalry were two closely related modes of thought. Where the notion that my word is my bond would be enough for people to conduct business deals with only a handshake. However, times have changed and even if you have something in writing it may not necessarily be an iron clad contract, but more a guide or a statement of how things are at the time but they may very well change in the future.

“Only on Xbox” doesn't necessarily mean “only on xbox” or exclusive to Xbox as some misguided people were lead to believe by Microsoft. “Only on Xbox” means only on Xbox at the moment, but that may change in the future if we think we can milk a few more dollars out of it. Gears of War, to use a cliché which is not even slightly overused in the gaming industry, the killer app for Xbox 360 looks like it will inevitably head to a PC near you in the future. As reported by ign.com “Rein (Epic's Vice President) told TeamXbox that Epic would "eventually" bring Gears to PC ... "It's inevitable," Rein said, "but it's just not there today." "

This is not the first time that Microsoft have thrown an “only on Xbox” badge on a game only to later release it on another format. Anyone remember that quaint little shooter called Halo?

So what does “Only on Xbox/Xbox 360" really mean? Well, I think the label should read "only on Xbox at this time, however, it might later appear on another format where we can, in fact, make more money". That would clearly explain the position Microsoft has on exclusivity and isn't too long that it wouldn't fit on a box. That way they are not breaking their word by claiming something and then later making themselves a liar. As far as I am concerned, my integrity is more important than anything else. Maybe Microsoft have a different slant on the world.