The benefits are often money related.
From a console manufacturer perspective, an exclusive title means their console becomes more attractive if a high profile game is only available to them. Thus to them it is a marketing opportunity (and probably comes from their marketing budget). It may also be an opportunity to sell specific hardware (example Playstation VR).
For the development team, it may limit their sales, however there may be some benefits out of the deal that outweighs the lost sales.
These may be:
- Access to development resources that otherwise may be hard to get (reducing time and saving money).
- Access to prototype hardware that may otherwise be hard to get (opportunity to break into an emerging market - launch titles may achieve greater sales due to limited competition).
- Console manufacturer may pay for the exclusivity up front (reduces the risk of a game since part of the budget is covered).
- Assistance from the console partner in terms of marketing the game (less time/money required for the developer and possibly increased visibility).
- Exclusivity may save developers time in supporting the game in multiple formats (this may not be a "deal", but is a consideration that could lead to a developer to launch a game exclusively).
In the end, the benefits are often driven by cash.
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