Five Sony Devs We Wish Worked on Xbox 360

With its current roster of developers dedicated to the Xbox 360, Microsoft has more than enough exclusives to be proud of. We can't help but wonder, though: What else could the platform have gained from a few major buyouts or big deals?

Of course, there are plenty of great third-party studios with which Microsoft could score big. With Insomniac making a multiplatform game in the form of Overstrike, we wondered who else Microsoft could snatch up to really pull ahead of its primary competition and dominate the market. Upon reflection, it became clear Microsoft actually couldn't snatch the Sony developers we'd prefer. Sony beat 'em to it in many cases. Oh well.

Still, we can't help but wonder, daydream, and fantasize about what some of Sony's heaviest hitters could have brought to the Xbox. These are the five developers we wish Microsoft bought to scorch the earth.

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Who?: Before Infamous and Infamous 2, Sucker Punch worked on the Sly Cooper series. They like to make games where witty and charming characters climb stuff. We don't have the slightest idea what the studio's working on at the moment. We wish it were for Xbox.

What they'd bring to the Xbox: No matter how you feel about the overall quality and playability of its franchises, you can see Sucker Punch's creative juice pumping through each game's veins. This is a studio that makes cool characters, memorable worlds, and exciting gameplay we wouldn't expect to fit its themes. Sly was a rather simple platformer, in hindsight, but it had a lot of the same stuff that makes the Infamous games so stellar. The Sucker Punch DNA is strong, ripe for crafting another memorable franchise, and could make some mighty fine new IP babies with Microsoft...you know, if Sony didn't buy 'em out in August 2011. Microsoft would have been smart to jump at these guys first -- it would have been a huge gain and dealt a vicious blow all at once.



Who?: If there's one thing Jenova Chen and his team understand, it's outside-the-box game design.

ThatGameCompany is one of the more interesting indie devs around simply because its innovation is so unpredictable. With its PS3 port of flOw, the developer's first game proved that non-game games had a place on consoles. You could make something weird and cool and get away with it. Flower, while certainly more approachable, proved it again. Journey looks like it's in line with this pattern -- easier to play than past games, but divorced from the mainstream enough to create an identity unlike any other.

What they'd bring to the Xbox: High-minded metaphors and interactive acid trips, probably. ThatGameCompany makes unfamiliar games that unfold in unexpected ways. We'd benefit whether the team brought its signature style and out-there ideas to Kinect or a controller. Given its propensity to integrate the Move controller into its games, ThatGameCompany could probably cook up an extraordinary motion game. The PlayStation Network encourages and attracts unusual experimental games we rarely see outside the indie scene on PC. This is where Chen thrives, and could influence a massive movement in a new space. Wouldn't it be great to see that movement on Xbox Live Arcade?

With ThatGameCompany finishing its three-game deal with Sony in 2012, it's fully possible to see Microsoft swoop in and start waving some interesting offers.

Naughty Dog

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Who?: The Crash Bandicoot developer, of course! They also made the Jak & Daxter games for PS2. Oh, they're also responsible for Uncharted, this lesser-known series revered for changing the standards of video game storytelling and animation. Naughty Dog recently split into two teams, at least one of which is currently developing The Last of Us for PlayStation 3. This studio is arguably the strongest asset Sony has going for it.

What they'd bring to the Xbox: Naughty Dog has a strong history of defining generations. The PSOne found its first mascot in Crash Bandicoot, and the Jak & Daxter series is one of the most beloved on PlayStation 2.

Uncharted marked the Dogs' first foray into a game grounded in reality, and each following game redefines what we think games can look like. Everything this developer does has a distinct identity and important place in gaming culture, which Sony recognized before buying them out. In our dreams, Naughty Dog pulls a Bungie, manages to weasel its way out of an exclusivity deal, and work on a new multiplatform title. Our Xbox 360s aren't exactly lacking in interesting fiction or strong protagonists, but one more couldn't hurt, especially if it came from Naughty Dog. The Last of Us marks Naughty Dog's biggest departure from itself, and we'd love to see the next step in that trend on, ahem, other platforms.




Who?: The Killzone folks -- that'd be Killzones 1-3 and the awesome Liberation spinoff on PSP. Badass space-Nazis (and space-Nazi robots) is what they do best. More than 150 employees work for the Amsterdam dev, which is best known for its outstanding visual prowess and pushing hardware to its limits.

What they'd bring to the Xbox: Great as the series is in our minds, the Killzone series has its fair share of problems. Visual strength seemed to take priority over interesting design, and its shooters tended toward the safer side of FPS campaigns. Killzone 2 found something with its changing-on-the-fly multiplayer objectives. But it wasn't until Killzone 3 that Guerilla broke free from its shell of "good enough" and became a great developer with impressive ambitions. So, if you'll allow us to get selfish for a second, we want to see what this studio could do on our preferred platform. Guerilla Games is just hitting its stride, finding its groove, and figuring itself out. Its campaigns are approaching the same level of memorability as a Call of Duty or Gears of War at this point. Imagine seeing its evolving brand of blistering single-player stories and top-shelf multiplayer on Xbox Live instead of the still-hobbled PlayStation Network. Even Guerilla Games must daydream about that.

This is a developer with a blindingly bright future, particularly in the online arena. We're curious about where Guerilla goes from Killzone -- it's a great series, but it's about time to see what else it can do.



Who?: The Guildford-based team behind LittleBigPlanet, LittleBigPlanet 2. It also worked with other studios on LittleBigPlanet PSP and the LittleBigPlanet spinoff, Sackboy's Prehistoric Moves. Did we mention LittleBigPlanet? The studio formed in 2006, so it's still just a baby by industry standards, but it's accomplished a great deal in a short amount of time.

What they'd bring to the Xbox: This is one of the most imaginative, creative groups of human beings working on games today, full stop. Say what you will about LBP's floaty traversal, its contribution to the user-created content space is in the same league as Garry's Mod on PC. That Microsoft (or anyone else, really) didn't try to cut a deal before Sony bought Media Molecule in 2010 is madness. What would they bring to Xbox 360? This is the studio that would have broken down the restrictive walls of Xbox Live -- which perhaps explains why Microsoft didn't seize the opportunity to pour millions into a purchase.

The Xbox 360 is notorious for content restrictions that simply don't exist on PS3 and PC. Developers are often forced to charge for Xbox Live add-on content that's free elsewhere, user-generated game content is extremely rare, and mods are flat-out a no-go. LittleBigPlanet is a game about doing what you want with a given set of tools. It's a brilliant mentality that is, honestly, entirely absent on Xbox 360, and it's holding back the platform in a big, bad way. A new Media Molecule property on Microsoft's platform, again, would have dealt a huge kick to the PlayStation's crotch, while simultaneously expanding what everyone is allowed to do on the console. Skipping by this studio, while possibly deliberate, was a huge missed opportunity for Microsoft.

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