Thanks to the radio silence that Luminous Productions has adopted over recent months, the news the studio broke a couple of weeks ago won’t have come as much of a surprise to its followers. Having consulted with itsowner Square Enix, the studio has taken the tough decision to push back the release ofForspoken. While the promising fantasy-themed IP was once aiming for an October release, PC and PS5 owners will now have to be patient a little longer until early January 2023.
Even though the delay of a big budget game likeForspokenin a Covid-impacted worldwon’t have shocked many onlookers, Luminous Productions’ project is surprising in a number of other ways. Aside from its ambitious features and status as a brand-new IP, how the game has come together behind the scenes is just as intriguing. The deal that’s been struck between Square Enix and Sony is of particular note, as it’s unique from most of the platform holder’s timed-exclusive deals.
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Sony’s Forspoken Deal
Considering howForspokenwas unveiled alongside the PS5 back in June 2020, it’s been clear for some time just how much Sony values the brand-new IP. Even beforeSquare Enix and Luminous Productionswere ready to unveil the game’s final name,Project Athiawas a key part of Sony’s attempts to get its latest console off and running from a publicity perspective. While it’s easy to hope thatForspoken’s potential and quality have influenced this process, the terms of the deal that it’s struck behind the scenes are likely a big driving factor as well.
After Luminous Productions had finished showing offForspokenat last year’s Game Awards, one of the key aspects of Square Enix and Sony’s deal that reinforces this assertion was made public knowledge. One piece of marketing material for the game has seemingly revealed in its small print that it’s set to be a PS5 console exclusive, for at least two years. Even though Sony has developed a slight reputation for messing up its adverts of late, as demonstratedrecently byGod of War: Ragnarok, evidence suggests that the fine print is accurate on this occasion.
That means Nintendo and Xbox only players will likely have a long wait on their hands before they can even think about playingForspoken. As it stands right now, the fantasy-themed adventure will be locked to the PS5 until at least 2025 at the very earliest. Even though the game was set to release initially in May 2022, the timed console exclusivity period that Sony has paid for won’t start counting downuntilForspokenhits store shelvesacross the globe.
Sony’s Typical Deals
Even though Sony has been known to purchase marketing rights and windows of exclusivity, ever since the early PS1-era,Forspokenis something of a unique case study. In recent years and console generations especially, one year deals have become the platform holder’s preferred purchase when it comes to third-party content. Players only have to look at the deals it agreed with Bethesda before its acquisition by Microsoft, for examples of this in action. For example, bothDeathloopandGhostwire: Tokyowon’t release on Xbox until 12 months after their PS5 debuts because Bethesda’s new owner has decided to honor Sony’s contract.
It should be noted that Sony has historically made exceptions to its one-year deal preference, though. When the publisher has bought into the marketing rights or exclusivity of a franchise, a much longer-term focus has been applied instead. Perhaps the biggest example of this is Sony’s deal with Activision forexclusiveCall of Dutycontent. The partnership which was announced all the way back in 2015, is allegedly set to continue until 2026. The agreement that Sony has struck with Square Enix for the timed-console exclusive rights for theFinal Fantasy 7remakes also appears to extend beyond the typical one-year plan.
Forspoken’s Uniqueness
What’s striking about these deals, and what setsForspokenapart from them, is the fact that Sony has bought into a larger franchise in both examples. Luminous Productions' IP, while ambitious and full of promise, is still just one game at this point.Forspokeneven stands apart from the platform holder’s other single-game deals with Square Enix, though, astitles likeFinal Fantasy 16are reportedly free to release on Xbox just one year after their PS5 debut.
Forspokensits completely alone on Sony’s timed-exclusivity scale. Unlike the other one-game third-party contracts that have come to light publicly, the platform holder has placed a greater emphasis on locking it down for longer. This could suggest that Sony has paid a higher amount of money to help Square Enix market and fund the game’s development behind the scenes. This would place it in parallel with some of its indie game initiatives that have helped to foster the creation of recent hits likeKena: Bridge of SpiritsandStray, both of which were announced in close proximity toForspoken.
Forspokenis scheduled to release on July 02, 2025 fpr PC and PS5.
