The sequel to the unexpectedly acclaimed 2013 Tomb Raider series reboot, Rise of the Tomb Raider, is going to be exclusively on Xbox One when it launches next holiday 2015. The game was announced in June at E3, but the assumption then was that it would be multi-platform. It was a safe assumption: The original as well as its remastered version were available for Xbox and PlayStation platforms (as well as PC and Mac).

Crystal Dynamics’ head of product development Darrell Gallagher made the announcement at Gamescom 2014 today, and lest you wonder if “coming holiday 2015, exclusively to Xbox” means a timed-exclusive, with the game eventually rounding the bend for rival platforms, it sounds like that’s not the case (and that it is indeed Xbox-only forever).

Here’s Gallagher clarifying things on Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider Tumblr:

Dear Tomb Raider Community,

As you may have seen, we’ve just announced that Rise of the Tomb Raider, coming Holiday 2015, is exclusively on Xbox. We consider all of you to be the lifeblood of Tomb Raider and the work we do at Crystal. I’d like to give you some insight into this decision, and why we feel this is the very best thing for the Tomb Raider sequel we’re creating at the studio.

Tomb Raider in 2013 was a success due in large part to your continued support. Our goal has always been to deliver something truly special with Rise of the Tomb Raider. Today’s announcement with Microsoft is one step to help us put Tomb Raider on top of action adventure gaming. 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 – we believe this will be a step to really forging the Tomb Raider brand as one of the biggest in gaming, with the help, belief and backing of a major partner like Microsoft.

This doesn’t mean that we’re walking away from our fans who only play on PlayStation or on PC. Those are great systems, with great partners, and amazing communities. We have Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris coming to those platforms this December, and Tomb Raider: The Definitive Edition is available on PS4.

We know that there are probably many more questions and concerns. Please do send them to us, and we’ll answer to the best of our ability. Meanwhile we’re going all out to try and make something truly special – the most ambitious Tomb Raider game ever built.

Thanks,
Darrell Gallagher
Crystal Dynamics Head of Studios

The amount that this upsets me.

Suck it Sony!

MICROSOFT. FUCK YEAH!

*Doesn't actually play Tomb Raider games*

I gotta get myself an Xbox One.

^ You do!

Last year's Tomb Raider was my favorite game last year. I'm a big fan of the series. And rebooting the series was a great idea. I like it that they made Laura less of a sex object.

Console exclusives that arent original IPs are fucking retarded. It's amazing how this game wont be on the PS4 yet the series started on the fucking original Playstation.

Final Fantasy started on the first Nintendo system but moved to PlayStation. Now you only see a few FF titles come back to Nintendo's portable systems.

and Kingdom Hearts. What about the fact that Injustice is taking forever to get moved to XBO and may not even go there at all, but PS4 got it right off the bat? Bullshit.

I don't have an Xbox One, but I still think it's bullshit that Injustice isn't on it. Just like I think this is complete bullshit. If the first remake was on multiple consoles, why shouldn't the sequel be?

Oh, I think any console-exclusive is bullshit tbh. But then again, if it weren't for those, people wouldn't have major reasons to buy separate consoles. I guess I'd agree with Dead that unless the titles are original MS/Sony/Nintendo content, it shouldn't ever be exclusive.

Señor Snoopz wrote:

I don't have an Xbox One, but I still think it's bullshit that Injustice isn't on it. Just like I think this is complete bullshit. If the first remake was on multiple consoles, why shouldn't the sequel be?

It's not a sequel, it's a port.

If you mean Injustice isn't a sequel, I was talking about Tomb Raider with that last sentence. Although the port for Injustice should still be on XBO.

There were a hundred questions after Microsoft announced that the next installment in Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider series was going to be an Xbox exclusive. This morning, many of those have been answered by Microsoft’s Phil Spencer.

The headline? Rise of the Tomb Raider will be exclusive to Xbox One and 360 in holiday 2015, but not forever.

“Yes, the deal has a duration. I didn’t buy it. I don’t own the franchise,” said Spencer speaking to Eurogamer. “I have Tomb Raider shipping next holiday exclusively on Xbox. It is Xbox 360 and Xbox One. I’m not trying to fake anybody out in terms of where this thing is. What they do with the franchise in the long run is not mine. I don’t control it.”

The official announcements from both Microsoft and Crystal Dynamics seemed purposefully opaque, but now that Spencer has cut through his own PR, we have a more clear picture of the scenario.

A multiplatform franchise going exclusive to one console is something that doesn’t happen often. Usually, it’s the other way around, where a game might start out on one console, then expand outward if it finds success.

In the wake of yesterday’s news, many fans who played the last Tomb Raider on their PlayStations or PCs were upset that the series seemed to be jumping ship. Now that it’s been revealed the deal is time-based only, and Microsoft hasn’t bought Tomb Raider outright, that should be some consolation. Shouldn’t it?

It remains a very weird scenario, and speaks to where we are in the video game market these days. While Xbox and PlayStation each have their exclusive franchises, now there’s this murky grey area where one company simply pays a lot of money to ensure they get content, beta access, DLC or even an entire game first, while their competition has to wait. They “win” by creating a worse experience for their competition, not necessarily a better one for their own customers.

In this case, what Microsoft is doing is different still than their already unusual experiment with Titanfall. In that case, Microsoft worked out a deal with EA and Respawn that would allow Titanfall to come to Xbox and PC, but not Sony systems. All indications seem to point to a Titanfall sequel going multiplatform, however, as Microsoft may not shell out to keep the game on their console and off PlayStation.

Rise of the Tomb Raider may be able to expand to PC and PlayStation as well once the time limit on their deal runs out, meaning fans won’t have to wait for “Revenge of the Tomb Raider” to see the series back on their platform of choice.

Still, it’s all quite strange and frustrating.

It seemed like Microsoft’s experiment with Titanfall exclusivity didn’t pan out as much as they hoped. The game sold well, but it wasn’t breaking any records, and Respawn seemed eager to be free of the Xbox restriction. And in the case of Crystal Dynamics, the Tomb Raider reboot famously sold millions of copies, but wasn’t necessarily considered a success given the huge costs associated with making the game. Therefore, it was perplexing to hear they were going to narrow their playerbase down to one console brand only.

The idea is that Microsoft is paying Crystal Dynamics a hefty sum for this timed window deal, which allows them to get more money up front for the costs of making the game. Microsoft gets a big game during the holidays, and Crystal Dynamics can still shop it around later. Everybody wins, right?

I’m guessing that’s how Microsoft and Crystal Dynamics see it, but fans aren’t likely to share that opinion. Microsoft fans are getting what they would have gotten anyway, a new Tomb Raider game during the holiday, while Sony/PC fans are irate, believing this deal was made specifically to screw them over. They bought and loved the last reboot, and through no fault of their own,  now they have to wait an indefinite amount of time to play the next one because the company was paid off by Microsoft.

In Microsoft’s utopian view of the situation, these players would simply bow down to the almighty purchasing power of the Xbox, and run out and buy a 360 or One in order to play the new Tomb Raider. Instead, it makes Sony/PC players hate Microsoft more than they do already, further fueling the fires of the already heated fanboy wars. Crystal Dynamics looks like they’re selling out to Microsoft, which may cause them to lose fans themselves. But it may be possible that given the financial issues surrounding the last Tomb Raider game, this sequel may not have even been made without the cash influx from this Microsoft deal, though we can’t know that for sure.

All of this goes to show that exclusivity  is becoming a complex proposition for many games. In the face of 10M PS4 sales, Microsoft has been trying to play catch up by putting forth attractive exclusives. But there are only so many Halo and Gears of War games to be made, so they’re making deals like we’re seeing with Titanfall and Tomb Raider, which are “exclusive” with many caveats attached. It’s become less about supplying a game to their own customers than it is denying it to their competition. Maybe it will turn out to be good business, but it’s understandable why many players think the practice feels wrong, and it’s certainly not winning anyone any fans.

Well there's that then. It'll prolly come out for PS4 and everything else a few months or so after the XBO release.

I was about to go on a super fucking rant, because Tomb Raider is one of my favourite games series of all time...but at least it's still coming to PS4.

This timed bullshit is fucking beyond stupid.