Rise of the Tomb Raider Exclusivity Confusion Not Intended

When Microsoft first announced Rise of the Tomb Raider as an Xbox exclusive fans were sent into a frenzy. While many had expected Sony and Microsoft to match each other blow for blow with new features and first party exclusives, few expected that third party titles might also be on the table.

And as it turns out, those suspicions were partially true, as Rise of the Tomb Raider was later revealed to be a timed exclusive for the Xbox One and Xbox 360, not an outright exclusive. The title will hit Microsoft's platforms first in 2015, but it will eventually hit PC and PlayStation some time later.

However, with the issue now made clearer, many are wondering why there was so much initial confusion. Why didn't Crystal Dynamics or publisher Square Enix come out and confirm Rise of the Tomb Raider was also coming to PS4 and PC sooner, rather then let gamers picket their game before it ever came out.

According to Crystal Dynamics, they never expected there would be any confusion. They thought that it was important to put the focus on announcing Rise of the Tomb Raider's Xbox exclusivity without explaining much more than that.

We certainly didn’t intend to cause any confusion with the announcement. The Microsoft Gamescom stage was a great place to make the initial announcement, but not necessarily to go into details.

However, what the developers thought was merely a brief announcement instead turned into a confusing one. Actually, at first gamers were disappointed, angry even, that Rise of the Tomb Raider was skipping the PlayStation and PC platforms, but after learning the exclusivity was timed that disappointment shifted to the confusing nature of the announcement. For that matter, gamers wondered why Tomb Raider had chosen the Xbox One over the PS4, despite Sony's platform leading current-gen console sales by a wide margin.

Whatever the case may be, Microsoft secured the exclusive and they now have an edge when it comes to 2015 releases. It might not be a significant one, but Microsoft certainly showed their fan base that they are willing to go after the big titles. Potentially even spend money to secure them. According to SCEE President Jim Ryan, that's not something Sony is willing to do. But they may change their tune if this Rise of the Tomb Raider business sways sales in Microsoft's favor.

Do you think they should have been more upfront about Rise of the Tomb Raider's exclusivity deal? Has the exclusivity deal hurt your interest in the game?

Rise of the Tomb Raider releases for Xbox 360 and Xbox One in 2015.

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Source: Tomb Raider

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