Shank dev claims platform exclusivity hurts digital sales

Jamie Cheng, the CEO of Shank developer Klei Entertainment, has been talking at GDC about the creation process behind his action side-scrolling beat-em-up.

Jamie Cheng, the CEO of Shank developer Klei Entertainment, has been talking at GDC about the creation process behind his action side-scrolling beat-em-up. Among his comments, he's been keen to big up Steam and it's understanding of the development scene - specifically platform exclusivity.

"Steam understands that if the game is out on more platforms, it will sell more on Steam," explained Cheng at his talk. He went on to say that having a title platform exclusive does not help to increase the sale of digital codes. Read on for more details.

It's a controversial topic: developers approaching publishers who will only deal if they sign an exclusivity contract. It's a story that has never been mirrored at Valve though, as a huge proportion of it's library comprises of multi-platform titles. Shank - available on PlayStation Network, Xbox Live Arcade and Steam - continues to sell well, and Cheng cites Steam as having a "really long tail, [that] just keeps on going." He argues that Valve know that the wider reach the game has by being featured on multiple platforms, the more it is likely to sell, and the more potential consumers will choose to play it on PC.

Good ol' Steam, eh?