Back at E3 2014, Sony showed off one incredible looking game after another, many of which were exclusives. Xbox, meanwhile, had almost no exclusives aside from its Halo franchise. Clearly, Microsoft had some catching up to do.
Today, as Gamescom is about to get underway in Germany, there's good news for Xbox owners, bad news for PlayStation owners, and not-so-great news for either. Microsoft has announced that Crystal Dynamics' follow-up to 2013's brilliant reboot of Tomb Raider will be launching exclusively on Xbox One. PlayStation owners are invited to join us for a moment of sorrowful silence.
But don't start cheering quite yet, Xbox fans. You've got a very long wait ahead. Rise of the Tomb Raider won't be available until "Holiday 2015." That's just painful, no matter which platform you use.
It's also worth pointing out that Microsoft's wording about the Xbox exclusivity of this game is careful not to label it precisely as an "Xbox exclusive." It says Rise of the Tomb Raider is "launching exclusively on Xbox." Which means it might just be a timed exclusive, and that's a whole different animal. Timed exclusives are just what they sound like: an earlier release date on one console that gives it exclusivity for a specified period of time. Those periods can last anywhere from a month to six months or more.
What that means for Rise of the Tomb Raider is that PlayStation 4 owners may get their hands on the game — eventually. But Xbox One owners will certainly get it first.
Here's the product description:
In her first adventure, Lara Croft was forged into a true survivor, but she glimpsed a deeper, secret world. In the next chapter of her journey, Lara must use her survival skills and wits, learn to trust new friends, and ultimately accept her destiny as the Tomb Raider. Launching in holiday 2015 exclusively on Xbox, featuring epic, high-octane action moments, Rise of the Tomb Raider will take gamers to multiple locations around the world filled with exploration spaces that are some of the most beautifully hostile places on earth. In addition, after hearing the cry from fans loud and clear, the game will put the tombs back into "Tomb Raider," all in the franchise's gritty Survival-Action style.
