Lara, preparing for the fanboy backlash.
Rise of the Tomb Raider was announced at this year’s Microsoft E3 press conference, but usually that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Microsoft also had Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare at their presser and Sony had Destiny at theirs, and neither of those games are exclusives. So, it came as somewhat of a shock when Microsoft announced today at Gamescom (essentially the European E3) that Rise of the Tomb Raider was going to be that rarest of specimens — a major third party exclusive.
Yup, if you want to play Rise of the Tomb Raider, you’re going to need an Xbox One. Head of Crystal Dynamics Darrell Gallagher tried to explain the situation…
“Today’s announcement with Microsoft is one step to help us put Tomb Raider on top of action adventure gaming. Our friends at Microsoft have always seen huge potential in Tomb Raider and have believed in our vision since our first unveil with them on their stage at E3 2011. We know they will get behind this game more than any support we have had from them in the past – we believe this will be a step to really forging the Tomb Raider brand as one of the biggest in gaming, with the help, belief and backing of a major partner like Microsoft.
This doesn’t mean that we’re walking away from our fans who only play on PlayStation or on PC. Those are great systems, with great partners, and amazing communities. We have Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris coming to those platforms this December, and Tomb Raider: The Definitive Edition is available on PS4.
We know that there are probably many more questions and concerns. Please do send them to us, and we’ll answer to the best of our ability. Meanwhile we’re going all out to try and make something truly special – the most ambitious Tomb Raider game ever built.”
Or, in other words, “Microsoft backed the ol’ money dump truck up to our parent company Square-Enix’s front door, so this is our new reality.”
Rise of the Tomb Raider is coming holiday 2015. Does Microsoft’s hefty gaming box suddenly seem a bit more appealing to you?
Via Kotaku