Microsoft’s Summer of Arcade promotion is about to kick off, bringing some great titles to the Xbox 360’s online Marketplace including Limbo and the new Castlevania. However, as a direct consequence of appearing in the promotion, the new Lara Croft game, subtitled Guardian of Light will be released on the 360 on the 18th of August as a timed exclusive.
“As with all arcade titles, irrespective of platform, you have to go through your submissions before they agree and approve a date,” developers Crystal Dynamics told Eurogamer. Unlike a disc based title where we can pick our window, you have to go by what the first parties approve and give you a date, to make sure you’re not coming out on the same day as five other titles. They like to manage the release window accordingly.
“We have requested a specific date and hopefully we’ll get that and it’s not too long after the 360 SKU. The agreement with Microsoft is, in order to participate in their hugely successful Summer of Arcade promotion, there is a window of exclusivity. That window of exclusivity is a set four weeks.”
A release date for the PS3 version is expected within the week.
Thanks, w3r3w0lf.
cc_star
An individual title may not be a big deal but the Summer Of Arcade promo is a huge deal. Every single week something new, huge and popular is announced as only being available on the 360… Along with the new model the constant bombardment of the promo will shift boxes even if the individual titles don’t.
mrfodder
My first reaction was “Sod that then!”, but after a quick look the game looks interesting so…..
Charmed_Fanatic
Only four weeks … phew!
MegaBonez
It annoys the shit out of me, it shouldn’t, but it does. It’s the same with the MW2 map packs. I gives the feeling that some companies value one side of their market more than the other “Oh, it’s OK, the PS3 owners can wait, they won’t mind, they’re used to it!” I don’t think it’s fair that 360 owners get to enjoy DLC and games before PS3 owners just because we decided to go with a different console than the majority!
Paranoimia
I’m looking forward to this, and the delay is disappointing. But timed exclusives are never going to encourage me to buy a console.
In fact, I’ve been thinking of of getting a 360 for a while, and am currently waiting to see how reliable the new model is before I make a decision.
But every time MS throw their money around, or one of their execs opens their mouth and spews another round of BS, I take a step back from the purchase. In short, it is MS that’s preventing me buying their system.
Cjdamon042
Timed exclusives can work, but only if it’s a significant time period. 4 weeks isn’t, so this makes it a bit pointless in my mind, and something Crystal Dynamics should stop doing. They keep siding with Microsoft which is fair enough, but considering the majority of fans are playing the games on PC and PS3 (I believe), it seems weird that they’re focusing on the 360 so much. With a franchise that’s somewhat losing steam (I wish it wasn’t) it seems strange how they give the 360 versions exclusive features and exclusive DLC, and now timed exclusivity, when to be honest they should be trying to improve sales for all versions.
Danza Di Fuoco
Pointless….
STILLCANTTHINKOFAGOODPSNNAME
XD there clutching at straws now
BioEye
This isn’t exactly going to make me pay £120 for an Xbox when it’s coming out a few weeks later on the PS3.
Juelz345
That isn’t exactly the point is it? If they did mave a couple consoles becuse of it then fine, but this is obviously aimed more at multiplat owners and trying to get their sale. There a re obvious reasons why either company would want more copies to be sold on their platform (more $, more sales of potential DLC, marketing material etc). While the multiplat owners that by far prefer their PS3 will wait, the indiffernt owners (like me) will by it on the console that it’s avaiable on first.
E8_BALL_
another franchise that was built up with playstation gamers money
loyalty rewarded yet again