@rvone said:
Why does this matter when they already admitted its timed exclusive?
They didn't.
Yes, this was in Patrick's article as well, but did you read the actual wording instead of the headline? He says "Yes, the deal has a duration. I didn't buy it. I don't own the franchise." What does that even mean?
In other stories we see the same narrative in which Microsoft keeps distinguishing between the current game and the franchise. Given the fact that they're being this opaque still means that it can go either way: (1) this game will make its way to PC eventually, or (2) the sequel to Rise of the Tomb Raider hasn't been secured by Microsoft yet (because the "don't own the franchise") meaning they just aren't in the position to make claims regarding that game.
And to the people pointing out Mass Effect, yes, Microsoft published that game but it took 5 years for it to appear on PS3 which was the result of EA buying BioWare instead of Microsoft wanting to publish it on PS3.
I feel like I'm going insane whenever I read anything about this whole story.
The original crystal dynamics statement very clearly said it was not a timed exclusive, and the follow-up statement said absolutely NOTHING except "we don't own the tomb raider franchise for eternity", it certainly didn't say it's a timed deal.
Yet every fucking thing I've seen online before I saw your post has been parroting the same shit. I know my understanding of english isn't perfect, but I'm pretty sure it's not dire enough that I'm the one in the wrong here. It might be exclusive, but no statement released about the deal has said it is.
I'm not insane, right?
No, I don't think you're going insane, but if you are, I'm probably also insane. It's infuriating to read all these outlets label it as a 'timed exclusive' while the underlying statements by Microsoft are obtuse as fuck. If I recall correctly, in this week's Bombcast, Tomb Raider again was mentioned in the context of timed exclusives. It's really weird.
Just to throw my lot in here. This news popping up in several outlets the past couple of days has been bothering me. There's literally nothing here to suggest the game has switched from a timed exclusive to a full blown exclusive.
The FAQ which Crystal Dynamics had to post after the initial announcement (because it was so unclear as to what the deal actually meant) says this:
- What does exclusive to Xbox mean?
It means that Rise of the Tomb Raider is coming Holiday 2015 exclusively on Xbox One and Xbox 360. - Does the exclusive to Xbox have a duration? Is it timed? How long is the duration? Can we expect a PlayStation 4 or PC release in the future?
Yes, our deal with Microsoft has a duration. We aren’t discussing details of the deal, and are focused on delivering a great game on Xbox One and Xbox 360.
So yes, the game IS a timed exclusive, my guess is for a year, so expect the game on other formats by Holiday 2016. On top of that, if the game had became an actual Xbox exclusive, Microsoft would be shouting about it from the rooftops.
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