PSN Exclusivity Deal for LIMBO Fell Through After Sony Demanded IP Rights

Despite the fact that XBLA received Playdead’s black and white side-scroller before the PlayStation Network, it looks like LIMBO was originally supposed to be a PSN-exclusive.

According to a report from Edge, SCE executive producer Pete Smith revealed the surprising truth at the Develop conference in UK. Smith explained that the studio was originally in talks with Sony to bring the game exclusively to PSN, but when Sony requested that they retain the rights to the IP, the deal fell through.

I maybe shouldn’t say this, but we had issues when we were trying to sign Limbo because of the IP. There are obvious benefits to keeping [your IP], but also to giving it up: you’re way more likely to get the deal. Remember: 100 percent of nothing is nothing. A publisher is much more likely to commit to marketing and merchandising if they own the IP. 

Sometimes all we want is protection so [devs] don’t make a game, finish it then go to one of our rivals. We look at IP on a case by case basis. With a bit of common sense, you can find common ground.

There’s no doubt that gaining the IP rights to LIMBO would have been a huge win for Sony, but was it worth them pushing Playdead to the point that caused the PSN-exclusive deal to fall through? Sound off with your thoughts in the comments below.

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