If you wondered why Square Enix signed Rise of the Tomb Raider to Xbox One for a entire year the answer is loads of cash and free advertising that Microsoft are amazing.
“What we saw in Microsoft, which is probably not as well known, is that Microsoft’s passion for Tomb Raider is amazing,” Square Enix CEO of the Americas and Europe, Phil Rogers, told Examiner.
“Having been working with us on previous games in a lesser sense, they’ve been supportive. [However], for Rise of the Tomb Raider, they’ve just brought this passion and belief that has really enabled us to blow people away. People should feel that about Microsoft. Their commitment to Tomb Raider is just amazing for us,” he added.
“To see Tomb Raider showcased with Halo, Forza and Gears and see Tomb Raider there, it’s amazing for us.”
Microsoft = amazing.
Tomb Raider celebrates its 20th birthday next year and has had two films (with another in production), comic books, novels, and theme park rides, and is arguably one of the most recognisable gaming franchises in the world. Quite why Tomb Raider being showcased beside Forza and Halo is “amazing” is a somewhat of a mystery, Forza and Halo should be the ones bowing down to the mighty Lara Croft.
Anyway, I digress, back to Phil and the Amazing Microsoft.
“I hope fans know that it wasn’t an easy decision,” he said. “I think any sort of partnership at this level is a decision that took a long time for us to get to. The decision at a studio level, we took very, very seriously. We knew it would, in the short-term, disappoint fans.”
Source: Examiner
Lieutenant Fatman
Considering the previous game sold far better on PlayStation than on Xbox, this is a truly bizarre business move. Great example of how to alienate the majority of your fans, otherwise known as shooting yourself in the foot. By the time it releases on PS4 there will be much more interesting games to choose from so I very much doubt I’ll be buying it. Maybe second hand from CEX a couple of years later assuming it reviews well.
bunimomike
Could Phil Rogers get Microsoft any further down his throat? Wow.
beeje13
Rise of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, exclusively on PS4, in Holiday 2016. I wonder which version will sell more? Hmmmm.
TSBonyman
It’s a bit late for regret.
stefhutch20
I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.
JR.
I would have had more respect for them if they just came out with the truth. That they sold out the majority of their fanbase for a big fat cheque from MS.
It wasn’t just the deal, which would have been bad enough on it’s own, but the smug, deceptive way the announcement was handled. Admittedly that was all Microsoft. SE however, refused to clarify the situation when disappointed fans reached out to them for answers. Ridiculously childish behaviour all round. Sure, MS had their hands tied but SE willingly held out their arms so MS could tie the rope.
The damage has been done. I will not support Square Enix in the future, not only for allowing this to happen but for stooping to Microsoft’s desperately immature level. I realise I’m only one person, but I hope others follow suit so we can teach these fools a lesson.
leeroye
Totally agree with everything you have said there mate. Do they think we are stupid and will believe this garbage. Just come and say you had a barrell full of money dropped at your feet, fair enough. No one is swallowing this crap.
Avenger
Of course, because developers don’t have opinions, feelings or prioritise. Please do tell me what you would do building up a developing company further, making ends meet, managing finances, and then a deal is offered that could be beneficial.
Don’t get me wrong, we gamers are supporters that deserve some loyalty, but it can’t always happen, and if developers change their stance, who are we to judge they’re lying. Unless you know all the details perhaps???
leeroye
@Avenger I didnt say i had an issue with the deal, just they way they are spouting all this crap about the MS vision!!! Its nonsense. Re-read what i wrote before, just come out and tell it was about the cash, we all know thats the reason and thats fair enough.
JR.
Square Enix are trying to make out that they were on the verge of bankruptcy the way they’re going on. Acting like this game would never have been made without MS. Riiiiight. It’s Tomb Raider not some two-bit, newly released IP. Believe me, this game would have been made regardless. Whether the glorious hunks at Microsoft swooped down from the heavens in their golden chariot of awe and wonder or not.
Let’s not forget, when this announcement was made, we didn’t know it was a timed exclusive. For all we knew, this game was exclusive to Xbox and PC full stop. MS certainly wanted it to appear that way. It was only after fans kicked off that they revealed it was actually a timed exclusive. But even then, how much time? 6 months? A year? 5 years? Instead of coming out and saying shit we fucked up here and upset a whole load of people, hey it’s just a 12 month exclusive. They gave us more vague answers. And now that they’ve announced the 12 month exclusivity, what exactly was the point of the whole mystery in the first place?
That’s what pissed me off and still pisses me off about the whole thing. If they had announced from the start that TR was exclusive to XBox and PC for 12 months, I would have still been pissed but I would have accepted 12 months isn’t a long time to wait. But there was a time when I thought I wouldn’t get to play the sequel to one of my favourite games of last year and one of my favourite franchises ever. That’s what’s wrong about the whole thing. Microsoft wanted people to think this game was exclusive to their console. That the only way you can play it is if you buy their console. They intentionally tried to deceive and mislead.
Square Enix should never have allowed this to happen but they chose a quick cash bonus over the respect and trust of their loyal fan base and I will repay their ‘loyalty’ by refusing to buy their games. If SE had anything about them they would have told MS where to go. If MS then refuse to sell the game on the XB1, fine. It’s just one more reason to buy a PS4 instead.
I hope in turn, Square Enix come to regret this decision big time.
SurvivorOne
I agree competely and I too REFUSE to reward Square Enix for screwing over the very fans that made TR worth a reboot to begin with. If I buy TR and thats a BIG IF it will ONLY be from a discount bargin bin so that NONE of my money goes to Square !
Starman
No different to Capcom gushing about how great Sony are and how amazing it is bringing SF5 to PS4 but not xbox.
bunimomike
Not sure of the details of Capcom but agreed with the sentiment. When they’re flowing with PR bullshit and wobbling on about how wonderful their new backer is, it’s a bit bile-inducing, isn’t it.
stefhutch20
Firstly, when did that ever happen? Secondly, in my opinion, the two deals aren’t really comparable.
For a start, Capcom’s financial difficulties have been well documented, so there’s every possibility that SFV wouldn’t be happening without Sony’s support. More importantly, Rise of the Tomb Raider had already been revealed when Microsoft announced the exclusivity deal, so all of the PS4 owners who thought they’d be able to play it actually have to wait a year; something tells me they won’t appreciate Square Enix gushing about how awesome Microsoft is.
bunimomike
Not sure. You’d have to ask Starman. I’m just commenting on the sentiment that we often hear.
When someone like Sony, Microsoft, etc., invest and strike a deal like this you’d like to think the devs aren’t gushing so much that you can taste vomit in the back of your mouth.
Be honest. Talk about the investment… tell us how the game might not have been made without it. Tell us how good the backers were by sending over some hardware specialists to get the most from the console.
Anything but gush-gush-gush-kasploosh! :D
Starman
@Stef they were singing their praises a few weeks back when they gave more info on the deal.
Yes Capcom have had problems but surely SF5 can’t have been seen as a risky project? (yes you could argue the same of Tomb raider)
At least the TR deal is timed, the SF5 deal is permanent so is anti-gamer some would say.
TSBonyman
I agree.
TSBonyman
Just to clarify , i agree with Starman in that these exclusives can be distasteful on any platform. Personally i couldn’t give a proverbial for SFV but i’m a long time fan of TR so that one affects me the most.
stefhutch20
@Starman
One thing I can definitely agree with you about is that third-party exclusives (especially sequels to multi-platform titles) are generally bad for gamers.
Kennykazey
It’s unfortunate they won’t just speak frankly, but I recall the last game didn’t originally reach Squeenix’s high sales-target. This deal gives them security and technical support from Microsoft which is good for the end-product we gamers end up with.
Sure, it stinks for PS4 owners to wait, but we can’t do more now than hope they won’t repeat this mistake.
freezebug2
Sounds like a ‘When Harry met Sally’ moment in the boardroom. Sheesh!
hazelam
i’d say more an Indecent Proposal moment. ^_^
freezebug2
Lol indeed, I guess that even Ghost could be roped in with Phil doing the moulding of the clay spinning on the lathe scene whilst MS execs squeeze his shoulders in a massaging fashion and tuck $50 dollar notes in his Y-Front seams.
No just No! :P