Hello Games: Sony gave all-clear for Joe Danger XBLA

November 7th, 2011, 21:50 Posted By: wraggster

Hello Games says Sony gave its blessing for the PSN exclusive Joe Danger to be released on Xbox Live Arcade, despite having backed its development with its Pub Fund.

Joe Danger, released on PSN in 2010, was one of the first titles to benefit from the Pub Fund, through which Sony matches the development costs of independent titles in return for exclusivity. Yet in an interview, Hello Games MD Sean Murray tells us Sony gave the all-clear for the upcoming XBLA release of Joe Danger: Special Edition, which was announced last week.

"I can't really talk about the details of the Pub Fund, but of course this has all been given Sony's blessing," Murray tells us. "The whole point of the Pub Fund is to take smaller indie studios and create digital publishers. I guess that's how we see ourselves

"We're often held up as an example success story for Sony's Pub Fund, and I hope that's even more true now."

Murray goes on to reveal that Microsoft also bent the rules for his studio. As we reported in August, Microsoft insists on release date and content parity with games released on other platforms, reserving the right to refuse a release for a game if its terms are not met. Murray, however, says he experienced nothing of the sort.

He tells us: "There's been a lot of talk about that in the press lately, hasn't there? I've been sat here giggling away to myself, reading enraged comments on stories about how Microsoft insists on all sorts of exclusivities.

"I can't speak for everyone, but that hasn't been our experience. Microsoft has been very open and honest to deal with."

Intended for release before the end of the year, Joe Danger: Special Edition is a significant upgrade to the PSN original, with Murray promising ten to 15 hours of new content.

The full interview - in which Murray expands on that additional content, mulls over the studio's possible multiplatform future, and gives a rather unique assessment of the difference between Microsoft and Sony - will be published later today.

http://www.next-gen.biz/news/hello-g...oe-danger-xbla

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