Multi-console Owners Favoring PS3 Over Xbox 360 For Major Sequels?

Let’s say you own a copy of either Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and/or Assassin’s Creed on either the PlayStation 3 and/or the Xbox 360. With the impeding releases of highly anticipated sequels to both titles, it appears that you have a rather difficult decision to make, namely: Which version of said sequel are you going to buy?

The reason I ask is that OTX’s GamePlan Insights recently told Gamasutra that a surprising percentage of gamers who purchased COD4 and/or AC for the Xbox 360 have said they plan to buy PS3 versions of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and/or Assassin's Creed II, respectively. Fifteen-percent of gamers who own a 360 copy of AC said they will be picking up a PS3 copy of its sequel, while just 7 percent who own a PS3 copy plan to buy the sequel for the 360.

OTX didn’t provide any figures with regards to Modern Warfare 2, but OTX said the percentages were similar to those for ACII. In light of this data, analyst Nick Williams believes, “The PS3 seems poised to shift the ratio of Xbox 360 to PS3 sales for most major multi-platform releases in its favor among dual owners.”

The fact that there are more PS3’s in living rooms now compared to when the first installments in these franchises were released might account for the MW2 shift, given the game’s significant multiplayer component. But Assassin’s Creed II is single-player only, so what could be causing so many gamers to choose the PS3 version over the 360 version?

It might very well be that gamers who didn’t want to shell out the cash for a PS3 two years ago decided to pick up a 360, and then when AC and COD4 came out, those were two massive games, so they bought them. But now, thanks to the price drop, those people who originally wanted a PS3 have been able to buy one, and buying games for your shiny new system is a commonly held attitude.

From a more industry-based perspective, the shift could be attributed to the way ACII was presented at this year’s E3, and the way the game has/will be marketed. During E3, Ubisoft used Microsoft’s press conference to show off Splinter Cell: Conviction, while it used Sony's press conference to showcase ACII. It’s hard to say exactly what kind of impact this had on gamers’ perceptions of ACII, it would be unwise to think it hasn’t influenced some percentage of gamers who paid close attention to the biggest gaming event of the year. Also, as GamesIndustry.biz reports, Ubisoft has revealed that it made a marketing deal with Sony earlier this year to have television ads for ACII feature only the PlayStation 3 logo. Given the surge in the number of PS3’s flying off store shelves these days, I'd say it's a pretty safe bet that we'll be seeing more and more ads for multi-platform games flashing the PS3 logo at the end of them moving forward.

Ultimately though, with the hard data concerning those 15 percent and 7 percent of gamers that OTX’s research highlights, it’s hard to say just how significant or widespread this shift from one console version of a game to another really is. However, if it is happening as frequently as this data suggests, then perhaps we’ll be finding out much more about it very soon.

What’s your take on all of this? Are you one of those people who are picking up a PS3 version of one of these games over the 360 version? Why the change? And if you can refrain from dragging this discussion into mindless fanboy-crazed territory, you’ll get 107 gold stars.

Source: Gamasutra