Games By Matthew Humphries Aug. 13, 2014 9:30 am
It’s fair to say that Microsoft, Crystal Dynamics, and Square Enix managed to upset a lot of gamers yesterday. The reason being that at GamesCom 2014 they announced that Rise of the Tomb Raider would be an Xbox exclusive. Then this morning it was confirmed that the game wasn’t just heading to Xbox One as we thought yesterday, but would also put in an appearance on Xbox 360.
That still leaves Tomb Raider fans who own Sony hardware without access to the new game. Or does it?
Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox at Microsoft, has today confirmed that the Rise of the Tomb Raider exclusivity “has a duration.” In other words, all Microsoft has done is signed a deal that lets them have the game first and for a specified amount of time. Frustratingly for gamers, they won’t comment on how long that period lasts. It could be a few weeks, months, or even a year, they refuse to say.
Spencer says he’s not “trying to be a headfake on anybody,” but because it’s a deal between Microsoft and Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix he’s not going to discuss it with the press or gamers. If I had to guess, I’d say Microsoft managed to secure the exclusive just for the holidays. Soon after we’ll hear Crystal Dynamics talking about the PS3 and PS4 versions, and maybe a PC version, too.
As I stated yesterday, this is a good deal for Microsoft, but that was before they handled announcing it so badly. Refusing to state this is a timed exclusive initially and now refusing to say when it ends does not look great, and it’s going to upset gamers even more. Tomb Raider fans just want to play the game on the platform they own, and Microsoft is not only blocking that, they aren’t saying how long for. You also have to assume that part of the deal must have been that Crystal Dynamics can’t say how long the exclusivity lasts for, either.
More...
That still leaves Tomb Raider fans who own Sony hardware without access to the new game. Or does it?
Phil Spencer, Head of Xbox at Microsoft, has today confirmed that the Rise of the Tomb Raider exclusivity “has a duration.” In other words, all Microsoft has done is signed a deal that lets them have the game first and for a specified amount of time. Frustratingly for gamers, they won’t comment on how long that period lasts. It could be a few weeks, months, or even a year, they refuse to say.
Spencer says he’s not “trying to be a headfake on anybody,” but because it’s a deal between Microsoft and Crystal Dynamics/Square Enix he’s not going to discuss it with the press or gamers. If I had to guess, I’d say Microsoft managed to secure the exclusive just for the holidays. Soon after we’ll hear Crystal Dynamics talking about the PS3 and PS4 versions, and maybe a PC version, too.
As I stated yesterday, this is a good deal for Microsoft, but that was before they handled announcing it so badly. Refusing to state this is a timed exclusive initially and now refusing to say when it ends does not look great, and it’s going to upset gamers even more. Tomb Raider fans just want to play the game on the platform they own, and Microsoft is not only blocking that, they aren’t saying how long for. You also have to assume that part of the deal must have been that Crystal Dynamics can’t say how long the exclusivity lasts for, either.
More...
