Microsoft revealed at Gamescom that Rise of the Tomb Raider will be an Xbox exclusive.
Update: Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft’s Xbox division, confirmed Rise of the Tomb Raider will be a timed exclusive for Xbox. It will launch holiday 2015 for Xbox 360 and Xbox One. After the exclusivity deal ends, publisher Square Enix is free to do what it will with the game and the Tomb Raider franchise. Spencer did not comment on how long this exclusivity deal will last.
Original story: Rise of the Tomb Raider, the upcoming sequel to the rebooted Tomb Raider, will be an Xbox exclusive, Microsoft revealed this morning. The announcement comes from Gamescom as a surprise as many assumed the sequel would be available on multiple platforms like its predecessor.
Developer Crystal Dynamics released a statement explaining why the studio believes an Xbox-only release “is the best thing for the Tomb Raider sequel.” Crystal Dynamics head of studios Darrell Gallagher wrote, “Our friends at Microsoft have always seen huge potential in Tomb Raider and have believed in our vision since our first unveil with them on their stage at E3 2011. We know they will get behind this game more than any support we have had from them in the past.”
Gallagher later stated Crystal Dynamics doesn’t mean to walk away from Tomb Raider fans who only play on PlayStation or PC. He indicated Lara Craft and the Temple of Osiris will be available on PC this December, and Tomb Raider: The Definitive Edition is available on PS4 in addition to Xbox One.
This is a good steal for Microsoft, as it looks like PlayStation’s getting the leftovers; however, this is unfortunate news for anyone without an Xbox One who was looking forward to Rise of the Tomb Raider. Crystal Dynamics nor Microsoft have revealed if this will be a timed or permanent exclusive. It wouldn’t be the first or hardly the last time for a company to fudge what “exclusivity” means. The move is a strange one, considering Square Enix stated Tomb Raider underperformed in sales. Even so, the PS4 version of Tomb Raider had double the sales over the Xbox One version in the UK.
Rise of the Tomb Raider launches on the Xbox One for the 2015 holidays. The game was first announced at E3 during Microsoft’s presentation.
Source: Crystal Dynamics (Tumblr)
