Yesterday during its Gamescom press conference, Microsoft dropped a bomb -- Rise of the Tomb Raider would be an Xbox exclusive when it is released next year. Tomb Raider fans and PlayStation owners were outraged, no doubt because many of them played the 2013 reboot, of which Rise of the Tomb Raider is a sequel to, on their Sony consoles or PC. Microsoft's wording, however, was more than a little vague, leaving many wondering exactly how long Tomb Raider would be exclusively on Xbox.
The answer? Rise of the Tomb Raider will be exclusive for a series of months comprising "Holiday 2015," confirming that the game will be a timed exclusive for Xbox One and Xbox 360. The clarification comes directly from Xbox boss Phil Spencer.
"Yes, the deal has a duration," Spencer says to Eurogamer. "I didn't buy it. I don't own the franchise. 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."
While non-Xbox gamers can breathe a sigh of relief, they are still getting the game months after Xbox owners. On the surface the deal doesn't seem to make much sense: Square-Enix, who publishes Tomb Raider, didn't deem the reboot a success. Despite being well received by critics and selling well, the game's large production cost held Square-Enix back from really profiting off the title. That game was released on every platform imaginable, and even got an "Definitive Edition" that came to PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Now comes news that Tomb Raider's sequel will be coming exclusively to Xbox, if only for a limited time. That drastically shrinks the game's potential player base (and potential profit) as Xbox One continues to lag way behind PlayStation 4, which Sony just announced has sold more than 10 million consoles worldwide. The fact that the game will also be releasing on the larger Xbox 360 may help make up for the smaller number of Xbox One users, and likely played a role in the decision to strike a deal.
How then does a deal like this come about? It most likely boils down to Microsoft throwing a ton of money at Square-Enix and developer Crystal Dynamics in order to secure Rise of the Tomb Raider exclusively for Xbox during gaming's most profitable season. That money will help Crystal Dynamics develop the game and cut production costs, while still being able to release on all platforms and make even more money after a certain period of time.
The day and age of third-party exclusive games is largely over, with Microsoft and Sony now entering bidding wars to secure betas, DLC, and in this rare case a full game, for a limited period of time before their competition. As the console war continues to heat up between Microsoft and Sony, you can be sure both companies will be looking to secure exclusive content like this anywhere they can find it.
