Gamescom 2014: Rise of the Tomb Raider to be Xbox One exclusive

Microsoft and Crystal Dynamics dropped quite the bomb today at Gamescom as they announced that the upcoming Tomb Raider (reboot) sequel would be coming exclusively to the Xbox One.

As exclusives go, this is a big one. Massively successful (to the tune of 7 million copies sold), the first game in the rebooted Tomb Raider franchise was a hit with both fans and critics alike. I guess you could say it won over a few too, as I wasn’t a follower of the games in the least and I loved it for it’s refreshingly gritty and way more realistic (read: less superhero-y) take on one of the longest lived characters in gaming, Lara Croft.

Developer Crystal Dynamics announced the inevitable sequel earlier this year at E3 and now we see a little more of it along with further detailing that it’s to be an Xbox One exclusive. And it sounds like this isn’t set to be a timed job either as studio head Darrell Gallagher explained that PC and PS4 players will have to go the Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris route for their adventuring.

The ‘get’ is a big win for Microsoft, who are sitting in second place globally (in the next-gen race) with greater than five million units sold of their Xbox One console. And while that’s pretty impressive, the PS4 commands the lead with around seven million consoles moved out the door, which is even more so. As to what it would take for the Redmond Washington tech giant to catch up, well simply put it’d take exclusives. And good ones, of which Tomb Raider definitely qualifies.

Rise of the Tomb Raider is scheduled to arrive on the Xbox One next Holiday season (2015), expect to see lots more about this one between now and then.

Update: Looks like Rise of the Tomb Raider will be a timed exclusive, as many thought originally. The Gallagher statement was just a tad misinterpreted I guess. 

Source: The Guardian