Ferrari Cars Not Really Exclusive to Forza 3

Kris Erickson • Sep 18, 2009 • Comments ()

A somewhat misleading press release issued by Microsoft had car fans in a tizzy this morning as it was claimed that a number of Ferrari cars were "exclusive to Forza 3 on the Xbox 360". Exclusive DLC, pre-order bonuses and the like have become common this generation, and it is often hard to keep track of which console has what as an 'exclusive'. However, since iconic cars like the Ferrari Enzo are already included in Gran Tursimo for the PSP, we know that it is not the case. So what does Microsoft really mean by the press release?

"Exclusive to Xbox 360! Forza Motorsport 3 will include 29 classic models from the legendary manufacturer, including iconic cars such as the Ferrari 250 GTO, Ferrari 512 TR, Ferrari F40, Ferrari Enzo, and Ferrari 430 Scuderia at the title's release on the 23rd of October. These beauties also form just a small part of the full package of over 400 cars to choose from!"

It turns out that Ferrari cars are not really exclusive to Forza 3 at all. in fact, there is nothing in this press release that even suggests another video game manufacturer couldn't license those same cars in their own game for use on the Xbox 360. How about Project Gotham Racing? It has Ferraris, doesn't it? Effectively, there is absolutely nothing that we can find either exclusive to the Xbox 360 or Forza 3 in this press release, which is essentially saying nothing more than 'yes, we also have Ferrari cars in our game'. But that doesn't quite have the same ring to it, now does it?

We don't want to diss on Forza 3, but software companies and console manufacturers are beginning to get too dependent on the idea of "exclusive" content to sell games. Perhaps they should first focus on making a good game, and then worry about the specific bullet points later.