Microsoft's Aaron Greenberg states that the company is 'confident' that Rise of the Tomb Raider can hold its own against the much-anticipated Fallout 4.

When Microsoft paid for Rise of the Tomb Raider to be an Xbox One exclusive, it seemed clear that the company was trying to combat Uncharted 4. With that title delayed until 2016, it now seems that Lara Croft's latest adventure might only provide competition for a big multiplatform release.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is set to launch on the very same day as the hotly anticipated Fallout 4. Ordinarily, two new installments in historic video game franchises hitting shelves in sync would be seen as a bad thing, but Microsoft is apparently confident that both releases can perform well alongside one another.

Speaking to Kinda Funny Games, Xbox Head of Marketing Aaron Greenberg noted that "there wasn't a better scenario", referring to heavy competition throughout the holiday release schedule. He went on to state that the priority for his team was "to make sure that you don't rush the game so that it's not done or not of high quality".

Greenberg explained that releasing Tomb Raider one week later would put it head-to-head with Star Wars Battlefront, while one additional week later sees it vying with Call of Duty: Black Ops III. Given that there's no ideal solution, a face-off with Fallout 4 seemed to be the path of least resistance.

However, it remains to be seen whether that line of thinking will prove to be a success. Early buzz for Fallout 4 is incredibly strong, with early impressions being broadly positive and its companion app Fallout Shelter building an enormous user base in a short amount of time.

Greenberg states that he doesn't consider the Fallout series or its fanbase to be direct competitors to the Tomb Raider audience. Competition will certainly be fierce, as Bethesda has plans to replicate the sales bump Fallout 3 enjoyed earlier in the year with brisk figures for the new installment.

At the end of the day, Microsoft will be satisfied so long as there's a potent library of titles available for the Xbox One. A potent schedule of exclusives and multiplatform titles has been assembled for the console — while the outlook for the PlayStation 4 looks a little deficient in comparison.

The absence of Uncharted 4 is certainly hurting Sony, and Rise of the Tomb Raider would be a fine replacement if it weren't an Xbox exclusive. For now, things are in Microsoft's favour, but the landscape could change once again as we head into 2016.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is set to release on November 10 for Xbox 360 and Xbox One. A PC and PlayStation 4 release will follow in 2016.

Source: Gamespot