The demand to know how long RotTR was exclusive for was extremely loud and vitriolic, even by media standards. Microsoft were called every name in the book by the vocal internet mob for not announcing the duration, and one of the most popular reasons for doing this was that “Tomb Raider was historically a PlayStation franchise and Microsoft is scummy and desperate to moneyhat the game.”
Except, when shown the game originally was multiplatform between Sega and PS1, and the subsequent sequel (and following sequels) became permantely exclusive to PlayStation due to Sony trying to grow their marketshare (fair game to them; Wikipedia even mentions this as a reason), the goalposts change and the past doesn’t count, or is too old to have relevance, or…something.
The reason RotTR is fascinating is because it shows jutt how lopsided the discourse is. This is why, every time a disgruntled PlayStation fan says Microsoft did not have to acquire Bethesda (even though they wanted to be acquired?) and should have just paid for timed exclusives to bolster Game Pass, I legitimately laugh. I’m glad they’re going the route they are and can’t wait for the ABK deal to finalize so they can go back on the prowl.
Yep, I was around when Tomb Raider went PS exclusive and screwed Sega, was one of the first signs that Sony was not really a good thing for the industry. Sony has always been a shit company even going back to the Betamax days but now this was proof their shittiness would extent into gaming.
What is even stopping Sony and/or SE to just come clean about this? It’s clearly not coming to Xbox. Although I do see folks on Twitter still holding out hope that once all three parts are out it will come to Xbox as a complete edition.
Yeah I’m sorry but I don’t care anymore, and at some point it’s just enough, lmao. It’s not like the game is some kind of holy grail or anything.
I think the problem is more with square then sony; if the game is a 100% full console exclusive Sony would want to say that straight up. I personally think the console exclusivity is actually over but square is jerking around its limited xbox fanbase for a unknown reason. Maybe they want Xbox to give a massive gamepass bag after they try to milk all the money they can from steam users; its not really worth worrying about anymore its a single game franchise.
It’s a combo of moneyhats, NDA’s and an industry of Gaming journalism that is pretty much just another arm of the Sony PR department. They always handle Sony with kid gloves and cape for them whenever possible.
I’ve thought a bit about that, and I want to think your right; but what if Sony considers the steam deck a “console”; that could explain the removal from the exclusive storefront.
Very good point, the xbox version could also be a really low priority and isn’t ready to release not that it will perform much better then what they put out on pc anyway
Interesting that people think it’s more on Sony than SE. It’s not like SE has to accept the deal. SE is a very risk averse company and when someone offers them the bag they will take it.
Fun fact: Shinji Hashimoto, former Brand Manager and Executive Director of Final Fantasy, joins Sony Music after he retired from SE.
Hahahahaha. Fucking do one square. Absolutely do one you payhetic anticonsumer scumbags. Even on a pre sale its nearly full price…and kets wwit and see if this is the same shoddy port that was in the epic game store.
I’m sure if Microsoft rolled up with a bag first, they would have got it. Nothing to do with western/Japanese relations, nothing to do with legacy. All of these companies are very different from what they were in their hay day, some for the better, some for the worst. All Square Enix care about right now is money and it’s obvious by some of their recent output.
Yeah, im not a fan of paying for timed exclusivity either and would prefer to see the platform holder (Microsoft or Sony) pay more to make the game fully exclusive because the more exclusives I get for my two platforms, the better. However, I do believe that Microsoft should go after AAA third party games to be timed exclusive for at least a year. Reason being is that they can come in handy to “fill” gaps from their own first party releases. For example, Sony had nothing after Ratchet last June until HFW this past February. However, they did have Deathloop, Kena and Sifu as timed/full exclusives which helps fill out the empty gaps. I played and loved Kena so having only a four and a half month gap until HFW is far better than having an eight month gap.
Microsoft tends to just go after games that they can get into Game Pass day one which is great and all but the timed exclusivity is usually 3-6 months which for that little amount of time, I wouldn’t even bother to be honest. A year would be the minimum that I go after.
The only way to guarantee that Microsoft gets major third party AAA titles on Xbox Series day one is at the very least, getting the marketing deal for the game which ensures it launches on the platform day one but Microsoft isn’t even doing this.
You mention Microsoft paying one year timed exclusivity for Rise of the Tomb Raider which is what they should do and for some games it works. I bought the Xbox One ROTTR bundle when the game released because screw that, I wasn’t waiting a year to play what was and still is one hell of a game.
Both their strategies are different. Sony’s strategy is completely focused on timed/full exclusivity or major marketing deals like Hogwarts Legacy where most people will believe that it’s exclusive to PlayStation even though it’s not while Microsoft’s strategy is completely focused on Game Pass with day one games being a priority but only in the Indie/AA space as most publishers won’t accept a day one Game Pass payday for their AAA titles because they know that people will still buy them day one and those publishers can always go to Game Pass months/year later for a payday on the back end.
Both strategies seem to be working extremely well for both sides and if you’re an Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 gamer like I am, there’s really no way you can lose whatsoever because you have the both of best worlds and any timed/full exclusivity deal isn’t going to matter much if at all because you’ll still have access to it day one. Basically, it’s a win win.
While im nowhere near being a JRPG fan, I agree with you in regards to “will Microsoft get Persona 6 and Dragon Quest XII” day one? Or will Xbox fans have to wait yet again? This is why Microsoft should be far more aggressive than what they are. All they need to do is just get a marketing deal that ensures Xbox platforms gets the game day one. They don’t need to pay for any kind of exclusivity or a Game Pass deal. Just a marketing deal.
The problem is that it’s not what they’re doing. After last Sunday’s showcase, im no longer expecting to see a major AAA third party title on their showcases ever again. Look at 2020, 2021 and 2022, third party AAA reveals and new trailers decreased each year. Compare the last three years combined to 2018 OR 2019. The last three years combined showcased less AAA third party games than either 2018 or 2019 did individually.
If you’re an Xbox only fan or someone who prefers to play all your third party multi-platform games on Xbox, you have to hope that Microsoft and Spencer at the very least, go hard for marketing deals because that’s probably the only way you’re going to get these games day one. Otherwise, expect to wait an unknown amount of time for the ports and even then, it’s not when but IF they get ported to Xbox.
I get what you mean. While I own both XSX and PS5, XSX is my primary gaming console and I would prefer to play every third party multi-platform game on it but at the same time, if it’s a game that’s a timed/full exclusive for PS5, im not waiting to see IF/when the game ever comes to Xbox.
Don’t bunch in every Sony fan in one group. There’s a difference between fans, fanboys and extremists. Instead of hoping for the gaming media to ask questions, you should go straight to Microsoft and ask them to be aggressive with marketing deals so they can ensure the game releases on Xbox day one like it does on PlayStation. Asking for Schreier or gaming media for anything is just wasting your time because you’re not going to get anything out of it.
Actually, I believe what Sony is doing IS better than acquiring Square Enix. First, they’re paying way less money just to make the games fully exclusive to PlayStation. Second, they don’t have to spend billions just to acquire Square Enix when they can probably get whatever they want from them anyway albeit at a far cheaper price. Third, acquiring them means paying for development and the employees. I don’t see Sony doing this at all.
While Square Enix is probably the most likely publisher to be acquired by Sony, I believe that they stay the way they are. Acquiring smaller development studios and simply expanding them like they’re currently doing with their already owned internal studios. Why pay billions for Square Enix when they can just put all that money into small acquisitions and their internal studios which will gain them a lot more than acquiring Square Enix would.
