Rise of the Tomb Raider isn't coming out on the PlayStation 4 – well, not yet anyway. In all likelihood, the release will launch on Sony's system six or so months after the Xbox version deploys in November – but that's still quite a long wait for fans of the franchise. Asked whether PlayStation players will be compensated in the form of additional content, creative director Noah Hughes stated that he sympathises with the situation.
"Unfortunately I still can't announce anything as it relates to other platforms, but I understand the question and I sympathise with the situation," he said in an interview on the official Square Enix forums. To be fair, the Japanese giant's been busy locking down timed exclusives of its own – it announced Final Fantasy VII Remake will launch first on the PS4 for starters. The difference is that Final Fantasy Type-0 HD sold around 80 per cent of its US launch copies on Sony's system, so the fanbase is already there.
Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition, on the other hand, performed best on the PlayStation maker's flagship format globally, and has traditionally sold strongest in Europe – where the PS4 has a comfortable lead. In all likelihood, Square Enix was probably trying to get out of the way of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End when it struck this deal – but with Naughty Dog's latest delayed, it will now have to go head-to-head with Fallout 4. The publisher's going to need a Lara luck, then.
[source forums.eu.square-enix.com]
Comments 47
Timed exclusives full stop should be abolished. Not only does it affect the sales for the production team, it also leaves a bad taste in the mouths of consumers and in turn can affect brand loyalty. I would much rather Sony and Microsoft spent the cash used to lock in these timed exclusives on creating their own new IPs.
I go where the games are. They're just wasting their money with all this timed crap, but hey it's whatever. I'll be playing the game regardless.
This is just how business works. It's the same as how if you don't pony up for BT Sports as well as Sky Sports you're not going to get every televised football match. Or if you don't subscribe to the WWE network as well as Sky Sports you won't get the full WWE experience. If you're serious about playing the big games first, you just have to own every console.
@Mrskinner I totally agree. I really can't stand 3rd Party Multi-platform deals even though I own both an XB1 and PS4 to take advantage of these. I don't know if it is a necessary evil from the point of view of the development of these games - by that I mean the money paid to secure the 'exclusive' aspects (timed or otherwise) make the difference between a game being made or not. Maybe for some games not tied to big publishers. I don't know the financial situation of Square Enix but I doubt they are as profitable as Activision and EA.
Do these 'exclusives' affect sales? If you own an XB1 only for example, are you less likely to buy Batman, Destiny etc compared to those on PS? If its a game you want you will buy it regardless but are likely to feel more annoyed or wait until prices drop. Are PS4 players more likely to buy these games because they have extra content? again I doubt it but are less likely to feel annoyed. Are PS4 owners more likely to buy BO3 now that it will get the DLC early - for fans of CoD on PS4 its good for them but I expect they would buy it anyway. I doubt Activision/Treyarch really needed the investment.
Personally I would prefer to see MS/Sony develop their own exclusives or if they have to use 3rd Party developers, that they develop new IP's not use existing IP's or franchises for leverage.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, no you don't Mr RoTR dev because if you did then you lot wouldn't have made the most pointless timed deal in history.
Go blow yourself.
I'll get it second Hand down the line uncharted going to take my full attention that time of year. I enjoyed the first a lot but it's no uncharted
I have both systems (as well as a Wii U). Rise of the Tomb Raider and Fallout 4 both release on my Birthday. I'm going to try to get both of them. But if I have to choose, I'm going with Tomb Raider.
I would be annoyed at Rise of the Tomb Raider's timed exclusivity, but from what I've seen it's trying to be Uncharted, so I'll take Uncharted over it
@Mrskinner and that's the problem with Micro$oft, isn't it? They have boat loads of cash but not enough creativity or imagination to come up with anything themselves. So they do this stuff.
Really don't see many people paying full money for a six month old game next to pre owned copies of the same game at less than half that price. This doesn't make much sense, last gen a lot of people owned both consoles which isn't the case this time
Apart from the multiplayer mode, the Tomb Raider reboot was a great game. Sucks that PS4 owners have to wait but at least we're still getting the game.
It doesn't help anyone, it won't sell xbone units where as uncharted will
It is a mind boggling scenario that they went timed with Microsoft , but I'm not worried. I always have a too many game problem and Tomb Raider is about a 4 out of 10 importance to me. I play this game probably a year or more after the PS4 release. I prefer straight exclusives to timed but I accepted this is part of the business a long time ago.
Actually I was starting to cave a bit due to the whole Sony getting timed FFVII thing but now that I know the devs still acknowledge the PS/PC fans existence but still leave them in the dark, pre-order cancelled.
I can wait, no problem
I would have bought this day one. I want to play it but not enough to go out and buy a One just for this game.
Some of the reactions on here are pathetic! if it was an all out exclusive I could understand a bit more but seriously, do
People not have paitence these days?
This is just business... Does anyone actually believe any company truly cares about their customers more than £? They make decisions based on profit, simple.
Ff7 remake shouldn't go to xbox anyway
@Owenstoodstill and that there is the problem, timed exclusives are pointless and only hurt the consumer. Why should i wait for the game to arrive? I prefer to just vote with my wallet and boycott it. No big deal, plenty of other games to take its place. And if this is all about the money then it is a backwards business deal seeing as the larger install base is ps4 and the most copies of the previous reboot sold on sony systems.
@Mickael486 unfortunately no matter how much i love my ps4, sony are as bad as microsoft for this. Ff7, destiny dlc, black ops 3 dlc etc. Timed exclusives are negative in my eyes period, no matter the platform.
1st it was made a times Xbox One exclusive, now it's coming out the same day as Fallout 4 to try and compete? Marketing suicide at its best. This is going to be one of the most overlooked games this fall, and I find it kinda funny. Square screwed up in a big way by giving in to the Microsoft deal.
It's more of a loss for Square Enix than me. I don't have an XBox One nor do I plan to get one, so if it's not released on PS4, I won't be buying it. There are plenty of great games on PS4 that I can spend my money and time with, and I won't be losing any sleep over it.
What's p*ssing me off is the constant ducking and dodging when answering questions. The SF V deal annoyed me just as much, particularly because the guys I want to play the game with are Xbox guys and well clearly that isn't happening now unless they suddenly stop being fanboys and get a PS4, for one game. But, at least Sony has been upfront about that deal. This 'can't talk about other platforms' stuff is freaking stupid from both SE and MS. Phil Spencer, either you paid to keep the game off PS4 or not. Answer the damn question and stop insulting everybody's intelligence. I know this article isn't about him but the fact is, he's the one who should be getting these questions because he's the one who has the answer. Of course he'll just give his stupid 'yeah, timed' nonsense, like that tell us anything. At this point people need to just move on. If it releases on PS4, great, hopefully the idiots will put it out in a reasonable time frame so it has a chance at some semblance of success on the console. If it doesn't release on PS4, it is what it is.
@NaughtyOttsel22
To be fair, I put this more on the imbeciles running SquareEnix itself. SE can fund another Hitman on its own but wouldn't greenlight Rise of the Tomb Raider without outside help because it didn't pull in Call of Duty numbers? This company is so pathetic. In fact, if it weren't for the western studios it owns, SE would be entirely useless and irrelevant. It's sad that the most anticipated game from one of the game industry's legendary companies is a remake of a game from 1997.
Stupid decision most people on Xbox are fps fans. When it does finally release on ps4 it will sell more.
People may think it's a fanboy comment but at least Sony have been more honest with these kind of deals. Street Fighter V "console exclusive" FFVII "first on PS4" various indie titles "console debut on PS4" if every was left to M$ we'd get this "exclusive to Xbox for winter 2015" nonsense. Besides if Tomb Raider is delayed then it's dead in the water because it's releasing same day as Fallout 4 and a week before Battlefront. Both of those games will be time sinks whereas Tomb Raider will probably be finished over a weekend.
@adf86
Actually, for once you and I agree on something. It's not a fanboyish statement to say Sony has been more forthcoming, it's a simple fact. If people want to say Sony is just as bad for making these deals, I agree with that also, but at least with Sony the message is clear. 'SF V is not going to any other console' or 'you can play such and such game on PS4 first.' Doesn't get more upfront than that. And it's not just the talking heads say it, the message is right in the trailers, at least for FF VII remake it was.
This is what usually happens with timed Xbox exclusives. The PS versions end up having more content, more story, sometimes better graphics. Those who really want this game, just be patient and wait. You could get something even better.
I have more games than I can play, and SO many games coming out that I'm hardly worried about waiting longer for this.
Square Enix are not getting my money this Gen & it's as simple as that. If companies treat the PS brand like sh*t then i just dump them. Easy no?
Whatever, it'll be available on PS4 before you know it. I'll be picking it up on XBO along with Fallout4 and Battlefront.
People act like MS is corrupting gaming just because they didnt specifically state it'll be coming to a competitors console at a later date. It's no big deal at all, these guys always shoot for exclusivity (timed or permanent) and as soon as the shoe is on the other foot, the fanboy tears start flowing.
@BertoFlyingFox I dunno - it's certainly not worth losing sleep over and people have over-reacted, but there are still a lot of Tomb Raider fans on PlayStation so I can understand some amount of dissatisfaction.
@get2sammyb You're right, it does suck for the TR fans on Playstation systems, especially with this one being a sequel. I just dont get why some feel the need to fling poop like an angry monkey. This goes for fans on either side of the coin, not just Sony.
It sucks that XBO owners wont get to play FF7remake, Street Fighter V, or Shenmue 3 either. Two of those are on the permanent-exclusive list, with SF IV being popular on x360. But that's just how this industry works now, these games have such high budgets that they need to make exclusivity contracts in order to get a leg up on their production costs. It would also kind of suck if none of the consoles had an exclusive library to call their own.
Theyb really shot themselves in the foot with this one. what were they thinking? They could of seen where Uncharted landed & still bring it out to PS4, the highest selling console by a fair margin. It's mental.
@Owenstoodstill So it's fine for douchebag fanboys from the opposing fanbases to post spoilers for the game entirely and gloat about it?
No I don't think so, SellOutEnix lost me the second they made the move.
While I am upset that this happened/they did it, as long as it still comes home to the PS4, I'll be happy.
I will be getting it on xbox one and when it comes to ps4 if it's a noticeably better version I will get it for ps4 and sell the xbox one copy
It seems they wanted a timed exclusive to avoid competition on ps4 with Uncharted but unfortunately for them due to the delay it looks like they may launch close together after all. This plus it launching on Xbox in a very packed month and for me personally against better games such as Fallout and Star wars I believe it could struggle.
I liked the last one but I have zero problem with waiting another 6-12 months for this. To me Its more of a game you play together with your girlfriend
I honestly don't mind that much, Uncharted 4 launches Q1 and until i'm done with it (+ the multiplayer) Rise of the Tomb Raider will come out on PS4. Not a big deal. It would've a big deal if Microsoft paid it to keep it exclusive for years, then yeah.
Silly move by squeenix, business is business - but will this cost them money in the long run?
I remember resident evil remake and 4 on GameCube. I'm telling you that definitely cost Capcom money.
@Mickael486 This.
Folk will always throw Halo out as "Microsofts creativity at its finest", which of course is rubbish.
What with Halo being Bungies creation and all, M$ just financed.
@Gamer83 As I said, SellOutEnix are downright morons and I pray this game fails hard.
Seeing a childhood IP of mine go exclusive to the most douchebaggey fanbase in general infuriates me and I have no plans to support this game even on PS4 or PC.
@ToOGoodOfAPlaya Bungie at the time though were a Microsoft developer - like Naughty Dog, Guerilla Games etc are to Sony so that argument falls flat. Most (if not) all console exclusives are the creation of the developers and financed by Sony/MS etc.
Personally I will be buying Rise of the Tomb Raider in November. I know its up against some other big games - notably Fallout 4 on the same day as well as the 2 big 'shooters' of CoD and Star Wars: Battlefront. However that doesn't bother me because the story, game play and overall experience is very different.Of all these games, only CoD looks like it will have a focussed story. SW:BF doesn't look like it will have a Campaign, Fallout 4 is likely to be less focussed but offer more freedom, exploration etc - I guess there are similarities in the RPG elements but I still think I will get something very different from both.
I can totally understand why PS owners are angry and annoyed by this exclusive and in my eyes its worse than the SF5 deal. Not just because of the fact I don't play fighting games but because RotTR is a direct sequel to a game that was originally on both platforms. Its like getting Chapter 1 of the Walking Dead on all platforms and then chapter 2 coming out on one platform. Without giving away spoilers, the Reboot of Tomb Raider feels a bit like a prologue to something more and ever since I completed it, I have wanted this game - so I know how PS fans must feel.
If I didn't buy games just because of some 'exclusivity' deal on other platforms, I would never play anything. Xbox gamers would never buy Destiny, AC, Batman etc and PS gamers wouldn't buy Fallout 4, the Division etc
@BAMozzy Actually no it doesnt.
If I design a car and build it, through my own creativity, but you foot the cost, that doesnt make you the creative mind, just the financier. Ergo, its not your creativity but mine, despite that. The developer is responsible for that creativity in this case, and Microsoft the financier.
@ToOGoodOfAPlaya By that then - Sony has no more creativity than Microsoft or any other company. The PS4 isn't the work of Sony but a team of select people that designed and built it.
Its very rare that the actual car designer ever gets a mention. Who was the person responsible for designing the Bugatti Veyron or Ferrari LaFerrari? If you designed and built a car yourself then no doubt you would get the credit but if you are employed to design a car, chances are you won't.
If you are employed by a company to invent/create something, that is your job and the ownership belongs with the company. If that company employs creative people to be 'creative' as is the case with Sony, Microsoft, Activision, EA etc and the studios they own, then as 'part' of that company you are part of its creative team. Naughty Dog, Guerilla Games, Media Molecule etc are all owned by Sony and therefore part of Sony's creative teams.
@BAMozzy But Sony is directly responsible for the PS4, those in Sonys employ design and build.
Not another company in their employ.
It is made in house.
Let me try to explain better.
I work as an engineer for British Airways.
BA is financed by IAG.
When a mod is required for a 747 for example, BA put a finance case to IAG, which says either yes or no.
IAG, DO NOT build, design or fit the mod, BA do, in house, thus they are the "creative mind" behind said mod, not IAG, nor do IAG own said mod, BA and IAG are separate companies, similarly, Bungie and Microsoft are separate in this case.
When I said "I build a car" it was an example, with "I" being the developer and "you" being the financier.
Not individual persons.
Im not trying to get at you personally however, and respect your argument.
@BAMozzy I'll wait half a year, not about to support SellOutEnix's most stupid decision ever.
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