By Cornelius Wilson on 01/05/08 at 10:11 AM

The Xbox 360’s full year’s head start on the competition, and the advantage it has carved through subsequent market grounding, has seen main rival Sony playing catch-up in the software race while PlayStation 3 fans have been left bidding teary farewells to several previously exclusive gaming franchises.


And now, if a recent job advert for a Lead Animator at Australian studio Team Bondi is anything to go by, Sony is set to lose yet another supposedly exclusive title to the draw of Microsoft’s superior installation base.

Specifically, L.A. Noire, which is to be published by Rockstar Games, looks as though it might soon join the likes of Grand Theft Auto IV and Devil May Cry 4 as one more notable PlayStation 3 title making the multiplatform leap and denting the exclusivity strength of Sony’s powerhouse home console

The job ad in question, which was rooted out by Gamasutra, appears innocuous enough in its descriptions, outlining that L.A. Noire is "a 1940’s detective thriller," that currently requires a talented Lead Animator "to manage the Animation pipeline, team and motion capture for the project." However, the last few elements in the "Job Details" section clearly state: "Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360."

Now, Xbox 360 fans should perhaps note a few things before gleefully claiming that L.A. Noire is about to fly Sony's rapidly depleting nest.

Firstly, Sydney-based Team Bondi could well be looking for an artist with prior experience working on both platforms based on its needs related to future projects reaching beyond L.A. Noire.

And Secondly, Team Bondi boss Brendan McNamara has clearly stated in an interview about the atmospheric open-ended thriller that L.A. Noire "is wholly funded by Sony Computer Entertainment America," and that the studio has "a long-term exclusive arrangement with SCEA."

While Team Bondi, Rockstar, or Sony is yet to offer up an official response regarding this latest burst of speculation, M&C’s standpoint, based on the "wholly funded" quote, is that L.A. Noire (when it finally arrives) will be firmly attached to the PS3… and only the PS3.

Rockstar’s owner Take-Two interactive has outlined that L.A. Noire will not be released until fiscal 2009.

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