The day before yesterday, Microsoft dropped the first bombshell at Gamescom 2014 when the company announced that Rise of the Tomb Raider would be an Xbox exclusive. But wait, that’s not true at all.
In fact, it now turns out that this announcement was just another case of corporate ambiguity, because it is just that time-limited exclusivity. “Yes, the deal has a duration,” explained Xbox boss Phil Spencer opposite SamaGame. “I didn’t buy it. I don’t own the franchise.”
In other words: When Microsoft announced the day before yesterday that the next big one Tomb Raider If the game was an Xbox exclusive, this simply meant that the game would be released first for Xbox (360 and One) and only later for other platforms.
Spencer It was not possible to reveal how long the title will be exclusive. “There are certain things I’m just not going to talk about because it’s a business deal between us and then. Obviously the deal does have a duration. I didn’t buy the IP in perpetuity.”
Compare this to a statement from developers Crystal Dynamics yesterday:
As you may have seen, we’ve just announced that Rise of the Tomb Raider, coming Holiday 2015, is exclusively on Xbox.
Or with what Microsoft said in its own press release:
Led by the announcement that “Rise of the TombRaider” from Crystal Dynamics will launch in holiday 2015, exclusively on Xbox…
So remember: in the world of video games, “exclusive” very, very rarely actually means “exclusive.”
Good job, guys. You made tons of fans angry for absolutely no reason.
A lot of people are very upset that Rise of the Tomb Raider is going to be an Xbox exclusive
Tomb Raider PS4 vs. Tomb Raider Xbox One – A detailed analysis
Have you played… Rise of the Tomb Raider?
There are exploding chickens in Rise of the Tomb Raider
Allow 40 hours if you want to complete Rise of the Tomb Raider
An overview of Lara’s gear in Rise of the Tomb Raider
Rise of the Tomb Raider Cheats (PC): Trainer for infinite ammo, Godmode and more
Solved for sins, lags, sins, nisak FPS, NTDLL, MSVCR in Rise of the Tomb Raider
Let’s see how “definitive” next-gen Tomb Raider really is
Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Cheats and Tips
Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Locations of all Sarcophagi Crpyts (Armor Pieces Guide)
Shadow of the Tomb Raider – How to Get the Reinforced Knife, Lockpick & Rope Ascender (Guide)
Shadow of the Tomb Raider – Locations of all llamas (‘Como Te Llama’ Guide)
Big moments in PC gaming: The T. Rex in Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider games are getting free remasters on Steam
Play the first Tomb Raider in your browser and with unlimited framerates