According to Darwinia+ developer Introversion, they’re releasing their gameon Xbox LIVE Arcade because the PlayStation Network has “a much weaker negotiating position” when compared to the service.
“With Microsoft your approval is given at the start, as long as you deliver what you said you’d deliver you’re going to launch, where as it’s not like that with Sony,” Introversion MD, Mark Morris explained to CVG.
Sony’s process is a bit more complicated, it seems.
“Sony’s clearance for launch comes quite later and you have to invest quite a lot of time before you get it. That’s a problem because it means you have to invest a lot of time and effort and then you’re in a much weaker negotiating position because they could turn around and say ‘we don’t want it’.”
Although, he did add: “To be fair, I’m sure if Microsoft wasn’t happy with what you’d delivered they’d say ‘you need to fix this’.”
Darwinia+ should hit Xbox LIVE Arcade within the next month. Introversion would like to release it on PlayStation Network too, but when asked why they’re not, Morris explained.
“When you’re a small developer you kind of have to go with whatever you’re offered. I would prefer a world where we could put our content out on 360 and PSN, because I think that being able to do that is really going to enable small developers to take risks.”