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.
djnino
Timed exclusives are BS! They don’t work and to be honest everytime that Micro$oft flash their money to have first dips just makes me hate the M$ franchise even more! And I won’t even touch the game for opposite console when it’s released later coz sloppy seconds sucks :P
Dexter17
Meh has never been more appropriate. Probably won’t buy it timed or not timed.
SmokeyPSD
4 weeks? really? wow… This is just sad. Does microsoft do anything else other than annoy people with timed exclusives anymore? I mean geez.