Crystal Dynamics’ upcoming “Rise of the Tomb Raider” will be an Xbox exclusive title despite the gaming studio’s history with PlayStation.
The announcement came on the heels of Gamescom 2014, where Microsoft’s Corporate Vice President Phil Harrison expressed excitement for the latest addition to their Xbox exclusives, according to BBC.
The news came to a surprise to fans that have been loyal to the original “Tomb Raider” since its release on the first generation PlayStation. Crystal Dynamics Head of Studios Darrell Gallagher acknowledged the backlash on the game’s official blog.
“Today’s announcement with Microsoft is one step to help us put Tomb Raider on top of action adventure gaming. Our friends at Microsoft have always seen huge potential in Tomb Raider and have believed in our vision since our first unveil with them on their stage at E3 2011,” Gallagher wrote.
“We know they will get behind this game more than any support we have had from them in the past - we believe this will be a step to really forging the Tomb Raider brand as one of the biggest in gaming, with the help, belief and backing of a major partner like Microsoft.”
Though the Crystal Dynamics partnered with Microsoft for the latest “Tomb Raider” title, the developers claimed the deal wouldn’t keep them from creating spinoffs for PlayStation and PC.
We have Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris coming to those platforms this December, and Tomb Raider: The Definitive Edition is available on PS4,” the developer stated in the blog. “We know that there are probably many more questions and concerns. Please do send them to us, and we’ll answer to the best of our ability. Meanwhile we’re going all out to try and make something truly special - the most ambitious Tomb Raider game ever built.”
The game developers have no set a release date for “Rise of the Tomb Raider.”
