370°

Tomb Raider's Xbox exclusivity likely means more sales, higher profits

Polygon:
*Fans of the Tomb Raider series were upset when it was announced that Rise of the Tomb Raider would be an Xbox exclusive upon release. Why would Square Enix turn its back on PlayStation 4 customers? Why are they walking away from making the game a hit by limiting its potential audience?*

Ezz20133540d ago

i know this is Polygon and all
but
Did this guy said this with a straight face ?!

GamersHeaven3540d ago ShowReplies(16)
Infamous2983540d ago (Edited 3540d ago )

Oh Polygon ;),they never cease to amaze me with their hypocrisy. Even the comments in the comment section made by the articles writers are obviously pro-microsoft. They usually get defensive when some insult microsoft or their exclusives

HammadTheBeast3540d ago

This is so stupid. Tomb Raider in 2013 sold better on both Sony consoles over their MS counterparts, how does that possibly indicate that exclusivity on XBO will yield higher sales?

Especially with the console numbers right now...

Prime1573540d ago (Edited 3540d ago )

Here's the problem with this Polygon article that no one is talking about.

The author/interviewee keeps saying, "BUT THEY'RE LOSING SALES ... RIGHT?
Maybe not. You're going to hear from the players who only own the PS4, because they have the most to lose from this deal."

When the reality is that the install base of PC is much much greater. A simple google search showed me a nice graph from a few years back @ this website https://opengamingalliance....

It's not just the 10million PS4 owners, it's the 100+ million PC users. Here's how many steam users are ONLINE right NOW which has nothing to do with sales: http://store.steampowered.c...

It's not hard to own a PC that has greater capabilities than the ps4, yet alone the slightly inferior XB1.

ShinMaster3539d ago

Are they even aware that Tomb Raider:DE sold DOUBLE on PS4?

Ozmoses3540d ago (Edited 3540d ago )

I'd rather go to Egypt and raid a tomb before I bought an Xbox One for the new Tomb Raider..

it's a mediocre series now... it was a staple of gaming back in the 90's but not really anymore... newer ip's and better ideas have come along

and didn't they initially expect Tomb Raider 2013 to sell like 13 million copies or something... and than changed their minds and said they were happy???

I dunno.. Tomb Raider has always been just ok to me, nothing that great

nX3540d ago

Same here, I didn't even play half tgrough 2013's Tomb Raider, I don't get the hype about it. I enjoyed the classics on PS1 but these golden times are long gone.

colonel1793540d ago

I'm going to be virtually beaten to death here, but I agree with the article 100%. NOT with the title though, that's pure click-bait.

Square Enix is definitely going to benefit from this deal financially. Microsoft might be paying a lot of money to make the game coming only to Xbox One, when there's other systems and they are selling better.

I've stated that this deal was great for Microsoft, but after reading the article, in the long run, I don't think it benefits them as much as I initially thought. Like in the article says, the greatest sales happen the first days after the game is released, so if the sales are not good enough, they'll never will. We will have to wait to see if all the marketing Microsoft will pay for, will give results. Did it work for Titanfall?

Square Enix, on the other hand, are saving a lot of money whether in development or marketing or both. That will allow them to have a higher profits for each game sold even if they don't sell as much. As a business it is going to be very beneficial to them.

However, I think it was stupid that they did the deal when it comes to their reputation. Square Enix have been on a roll lately when it comes to disappoint their consumers and fans. They have been doing the exact opposite of what their fans want since 2006. This deal will only harm their reputation more.

All in all, this deal is very interesting, because not every day you get a very high profile third party game going exclusive (or timed exclusive) to one console. It will be very interesting to see the end result of this deal when the game comes out, and see if Microsoft really wins or not.

GrandpaSnake3540d ago

i also want to mention that the game doesnt really have that much of a pull anymore but it has grown since the newest release. it should do well. i just dont like how some of these guys think this is big news, it seems to be very common now. its very odd that somehow it seems that microsoft is out to get a lot of the pioneers of gaming that blew up with playstation. i believe this is the game they are playing.

iceman063540d ago

I think it will prove beneficial for SE in the short run, i.e. they get the cash flow. It will benefit MS in the short term, i.e. they get the PR boost from obtaining a 3rd party exclusive. However, from a pure business standpoint, I don't think either will reap long-term benefits. Tomb Raider is a great series. But, it's no CoD (talking about sales here, not quality). I don't think many people will define it as a system seller at this point. They'd buy the game if it's available, but wouldn't spend $400 to play it. SE was already struggling to gain back consumer confidence before this. Now, they have effectively (right or wrong) marginalized a large segment of an already dwindling fan base and became heavily reliant on a HUGE corporation that could cut them at the drop of a hat. (one deal will help, but they need more than that at this point)
Plus, as much as MS have tried to distance themselves from the prior regime, this DOES harken back to the shady double speak of the Mattrick era. All in all, it is probably good for money right how, less so for business later, and troubling for the general consumer. (as choice is limited for them for a game that would normally and naturally be available for them considering that it's continuing a story from a game that they have access to.)

miyamoto3539d ago

With your long comment, I have three words for you my friend...

Final Fantasy XIII

again

Final Fantasy XIII

a very high profile game from ScrewedEnix

"As a business it is going to be very beneficial to them. "

The downfall of the Final Fantasy brand....that is the future of Tomb Raider in M$'s hands. Like Zune, Nokia, Bing, Surface, Windows Phone, Xbox One, Kinect, Xbox Entertainment Studios,
Beneficial business alright....okay....

"All in all, this deal is very interesting, because not every day you get a very high profile third party game going exclusive (or timed exclusive) to one console. It will be very interesting to see the end result of this deal when the game comes out, and see if Microsoft really wins or not."

The writing is on the wall M$ put the "tomb" in Tomb Raider.

"However, I think it was stupid that they did the deal when it comes to their reputation. Square Enix have been on a roll lately when it comes to disappoint their consumers and fans. They have been doing the exact opposite of what their fans want since 2006. This deal will only harm their reputation more."

....oh yes siree..
oops Screwed Enix did it again baby.

You should know by now everything M$ touches turns into turd.

CryofSilence3540d ago (Edited 3540d ago )

Polygon have their heads so far up Microsoft's arse that we can't tell where Microsoft ends and Polygon begins. Playful movie reference aside, I seriously doubt limiting the game to a console with half as many units in consumers' hands will increase sales and profits unless those consumers are really starving.

thisismyaccount3540d ago (Edited 3540d ago )

: Hypothetically speaking :

Assuming that the game development costs are about $50M for each new TR, Microsoft pays them $50M for each new Tomb Raider they make.

Square Enix makes a new TR for free essentially and sells 1M copies on the XB1. 1M at $60 = $60M thru game sales, SE makes a net win of $10M.

Microsoft hopes that from those 1M, few are new console owners of a XB1. Let´s assume again here about 50% buy an XB1 just for TR, thats 500´000 at $399 = ~$200M.

Going multiplat from here (based on perv. numbers and WD numbers from Ubi)

PS4 D.Edition sales reach the 2.5M at $60 = $150M
PC D.Edition sales reach the 500k at $30 = $1.8M

...no matter how you try to spin it > going multiplat will always mean > bigger revenue for the developer. If the game cost are over $50M and Microsoft´s Check is below $50M per new iteration, Square Enix is loosing money if they do not release a PS4/PC afterwards that is.

The Winner out of this Deal is Microsoft, they hope that from those TR15 sales, few also buy a console with it. At the end SE has to sell more than 1M copies of TR15 on the XB1 in 2015 to make this deal rentable in the long run.

Based on how TB13 sold on every platfrom, not sure if they´re able to accomplish that goal.

HanzoHattori3540d ago

Would you like hot or cold water splashed on your face to wake you up?

Cuzzo633540d ago

Did u guys even read the article. It made sense to me... If Micro covers most of the cost for a timed exclusive for this game to even be made its a win win for everybody. The game gets made, GOTY edition comes to ps4 later.... If it didn't happen. The game probably would never see the light of day... It coulda went either way really... Square is in financial struggle. Something had to be done and Micro was the savior

hqgamez3540d ago

can we ban this site from n4g? just making ppl click on them getting this garbage site money.

Christopher3540d ago

I'm not sure if Ben is a fan of gaming so much as he is a fan of the business elements of the gaming industry.

I think many people can see the business aspect of this deal. SE (note: not Crystal Dynamics) makes money for nothing other than delaying a PS4/PC release and MS gets to go out with a ton of marketing BS where they try to lie to customers by telling them "only on Xbox" when in reality it's coming out on all platforms.

But, that isn't the issue here. The issue here is the support of your fans. Whether it's in treating them with respect by not treating some of them as second class citizens or the mishandling of informing people on whether this deal is a timed exclusive or not. Especially when some of those 'second class citizens' made their definitive edition a lot more successful and worth while than the console they've made a deal with.

As fans of games, we deserve to be treated with respect rather than lied to pretty blatantly when it's us that got them to a position to make a sequel to the game in the first place.

FanboyKilla3540d ago (Edited 3540d ago )

lol obviously not all tomb raider fans were upset. it should read, playstation fans were upset when it was announced exclusive. lmfao thats kind of the point. why would a ps fan be excited for this? lmfao that last tomb raider was f n awesome lol lol lol lol remember sony fans that definitive edition on ps4.

i dont think ms job is to make sony fanboys happy. ummmmmm uhhhh thats sonys job.

greenlantern28143539d ago (Edited 3539d ago )

Lmfao that you seem not to know this is only a timed exclusive lmfao at all your Xbox fanboy comments for
some one with the name FanboyKilla you sure are one.

TBONEJF3540d ago

This guy is a idiot or some kind of nut ball. u don't WIN WITH EXCLUSIVITY. Look at CALL OF DUTY on every console sold over a million units first two weeks

Gamer19823540d ago

Tomb Raider won't sell consoles anyway so surprised MS went for it. Uncharted on system outsold TR across all systems so I think this game announcement is going to have a lot less impact than titanfall did especially because its not first and foremost a shooter and secondly people know its a timed exclusive unlike titanfall (which was a console exclusive). We all saw how little difference titanfall made but TR on 360 sold under 2 million and on the Xbox one it sold 170k worldwide.. Both together is under 2 million. Not the best game really to get a timed exclusive on.

+ Show (9) more repliesLast reply 3539d ago
eyeDEVOUR3540d ago ShowReplies(1)
extermin8or3540d ago

Wow.... Polygon have timely shown their true colours.... Yet again (it'd green btw if you were wondering) I mean I don't understand how his logic is working.not.many xbox gamers will buy a he purely because it'd exclusive if.they never bothered with the series before that's not going to be enough to change their mind
mind.

fermcr3540d ago (Edited 3540d ago )

Contrary to stupid fanboy belief, it was a smart move by Microsoft. It's busines, and that's that.

... and I don't even have a X1.

EDIT below:
Exclusives (or timed in this case) sell consoles. Exclusives get more hyped up. Being a exclusive it will get more publicity by Microsoft. Being a exclusive it will sell more copies on the X1 then if it was multiplatform.
If you remember Rockstar was going to do something similar with Agent on the PS3. They know that a game being exclusive to one console it will get more hyped and more publicity. ... then later on they would probably release the game on other platforms beside the PS3.

iamnsuperman3540d ago (Edited 3540d ago )

Is it though?
Tomb Raider was always going to come to the One anyway they have just paid to keep it off over platforms (money that could have easily gone elsewhere).

The we need to talk about the launch window. Jeez it is going to suffer. It is not only up against Uncharted but third party games like AC, COD, Battlefield? and others. I don't think it could stand up to that (the game push 6 million units in march which isn't usually the most contested of months). Then we need to look at Halo. Halo has got to release in the same period. Microsoft are not going to let their biggest franchise miss the Christmas rush. Basically Microsoft has paid money to, what some people say, compete with Uncharted yet it is going up against Halo and other third party games as well. I would understand if it was launching in March or in a part of the year Microsoft hasn't got a heavy hitter comming out but this time period isn't smart. They have paid money to compete in some heavily contested months

cleft53540d ago (Edited 3540d ago )

It would be a smart move if this was exclusive for the lifetime of the console. All this is, is a timed exclusive game. Yet to get this timed exclusive they dumped a boatload of cash on Square Enix. Cash that could have been put towards a new fully exclusive game for gamers. Instead they overpaid for Tomb Raider of all things.

I am sorry but Tomb Raider is not a system seller. Tomb Raider was a great return to form for the series, but who goes out and buy a console to play this game. People aren't naive enough to think that the PS4/PC version of the game won't have all of the content and extra features when it comes out. So who did this help really? I don't even think this will help Square Enix in the end.

morganfell3540d ago

I am not so sure it is a smart move from a sales perspective. I believe Microsoft now thinks this might have been poorly handled as well. This is why Phil Spencer relented and he personally let it be known this was a timed exclusive.

The amount of vitriol has spread to sales of the X1 and he knows it. Instead of people saying, "Well I'll buy an X1 to play the game", potential MS customers have in droves turned on the company. It is actually looking as if the game will hurt sales. Some of those customers may relent in a year's time but this issue will surface again and it will surface among numerous AAA games from Sony and on PC making it far easier for gamers to tell MS to take a hike.

No, overall and even from a business perspective this was a bad move. Combined with the amount of cash this likely cost MS whose Xbox Division is in the red this was not as good as it first appeared.

colonel1793540d ago (Edited 3540d ago )

I agree.

When Microsoft was making the deal, they might have thought that everyone would buy an Xbox One to play it. They might have overestimated the game's value, because while the reboot is great, it might not be a system seller at all, and combine that with the poor reception that the announcement received.

We will just have to wait and see how successful the game really is. How will the install base of the Xbox One be by the time the game releases and how will the PS4's be? The is no doubt that Microsoft will market the game so much that there might even get toilet paper branded with Tomb Raider, but will it be enough?

Jeff2573540d ago

When the deal was made Square probably thought that the XBOX One would also be doing a lot better as well. They probably assumed it would be the big system especially in the US. But now we can see that things just haven't gone that way and they were both stuck in the deal. Microsoft has been making some good solid moves lately but with this message being so unclear initially it has done some more damage that will definitely hurt them in the long run. If the game is good it will still sell well but it won't help sell that many XBOX Ones. When it releases on the PS4 and PC I expect that will still be where the bulk of the sales go.

morganfell3540d ago

@Jeff,

This is a point I made early on and I agree with you. We do not know the time frame when the deal was made. Look at Titanfall. Respawn has openly acknowledged that everyone expected the X1 to sweep sales when the deal was made and they were shocked to see things turn and would not have entered the agreement so readily and made such a deal had they have known.

SniperControl3540d ago

@colonel179

It didn't work for Titanfall that well, MS hyped and marketed that game to the moon and back, yet it only produced a slight bump in sales figures for March.

Tomb Raider may be a good game, but it ain't a system seller.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3540d ago
SniperControl3540d ago

"Exclusives (or timed in this case) sell consoles"

Titanfall didn't help X1 much in sales(and that was hyped to hell by MS), the PS4 still beat it for that month.

Games like Halo, COD, GTA and Uncharted sell consoles, certainly not Tomb Raider.

LostFlock3540d ago

Agree 100 percent , I liked the last TR but that series even with the slow success it had to build up to make money/sale expectations is not on the same triple A level as a halo, gears, etc. and if Titanfall kind of failed to really make a dent in sales of consoles then TR has very little chance. Hell we don't even know what other games come out within TR's release.

beerzombie3540d ago

But Titanfall came out with a 560$ price tag. tomb raider will be at 460$ and maybe even a holiday pack in.
So when people start to buy a new console and games in 2015 they can look at the back catalog and then see A brand new shiny Tomb raider and say Ill buy that.
Still might not beat Sony ps4 but it can help increase X1 sales. By then Xbox 360 owners will be thinking about a new console.

Spotie3540d ago

It MIGHT sell better on XB1 than it would have originally.

It definitely WON'T sell more on Xbox than it would have on Xbox, PC and Playstation. Won't even come close. And I doubt Microsoft adequately compensated SE for that difference.

How is paying for something you were going to get for free anyway a good move for Microsoft? How is pissing off the majority of your franchise's fanbase a good move? How do either of these things alone- to say nothing of together- make good business sense?

come_bom3540d ago (Edited 3540d ago )

Brilliant comment! /s

One question. So why does Sony or Nintendo have 3rd party exclusives, since, by your logic, 3rd party exclusive games don't sell consoles ?

... or better yet, why 1st party exclusives?

Sony and Nintendo should just release their 1st party games on all platforms and make more money, it won't matter for PS4/WiiU owners, because they will get the game the same on the PS4 (Sony exclusives) WiiU (Nintendo exclusives).

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3540d ago
Snookies123540d ago

"Fans of the Tomb Raider series were upset when it was announced that Rise of the Tomb Raider would be an Xbox exclusive upon release. Why would Square Enix turn its back on PlayStation 4 customers?"

This alone shows that they're just anti-Sony. Guess us PC players don't count, even though we're getting shafted as well.

beerzombie3540d ago

Your wrong in 2015 Uncharted 4 will probably be coming out so if you think about what will Sony fan-boys like you buy?
It helps them by not having competition and then 2016 they sale it on ps4.
It helps X1 by have a counter to Uncharted 4 game of the year but also Halo 5 so if you one of the 75 million X-360 fan-boys you might not jump ship to Ps4.

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70°

It’ll Be Fine, Right? Five Games With Unfortunate Release Strategies

Mark from WellPlayed writes about five game launches that were impacted by unfortunate scheduling.

Read Full Story >>
well-played.com.au
jznrpg352d ago (Edited 352d ago )

Zero Dawn sold really well so I’m not sure this belongs. The second game released next to a big game again and it hurt it some I forget what it was though, oh yeah Elden Ring .
But a good game is a good game to me I don’t care when they release personally but they do have to think about it when you want to get more people to buy it.

250°

The Tomb Raider Survivor Trilogy's Take on Lara Croft Deserved More Recognition

The Survivor Trilogy was a drastic reimagining of Lara Croft and Tomb Raider, and it provokes changes for the character that are truly fantastic.

Read Full Story >>
gamerant.com
isarai466d ago (Edited 466d ago )

Deserves less IMO, i think the 1st in the new trilogy was a perfect 1st step for the new direction. The next 2 games were half steps at best. Not only that, every character in the series including Lara is just annoying and doesn't make sense in terms of motive, like yes they have a motive, but none of it seems proportional to the lengths they are willing to go through for it. The most annoying thing is every one of the games say "become the Tomb Raider" yet 3 games later and we're still not there? No thanks. Then there's the mess of the 3rd game, massive skill tree that serves almost no purpose as there's literally only like 3-4 short encounters in the whole game, and they took till the 3rd game to finally manage some decent puzzles even remotely close to previous games in the series. Nah, the trilogy infuriated me to no end as a long time fan of the series, i hope we get better going forward cause that crap sucked.

Army_of_Darkness464d ago

The first in the trilogy was my favorite. I thought they were going into the right direction with that one until the second one came out and seemed like a graphical downgrade but the gameplay was okay. As for the Third, Graphics were really nice but it was kinda boring me to death with its non-stop platforming and exploring with not enough action! Well, for me anyway...

DeathTouch464d ago

Graphics on the 3rd one were abysmal. It’s more colorful and has more variety, but everything else was a noticeable downgrade.

The more open world with NPC quests was also handled very poorly, to the point I missed Angel of Darkness.

thesoftware730464d ago

I know it is your opinion, but she did progress as a character in each game, she even got more muscular and seasoned.

That is the thing, people first complained that there was not enough platforming and actual tomb raiding in the first and second games. Shadow remedied that and kept the combat elements.

3-4 encounters? huh? did we play the same game? there was plenty of combat and, the skill tree did matter, like being able to hang enemies from trees, set explosives traps on bodies, being able to counter, and that are just a few of the combat skills. The skill tree also had things like being able to hold your breath underwater longer, crafting upgrades, zipline upgrade, and climbing upgrades that all changed how you can approach situations.

Not knocking your opinion, but we definitely had different experiences. I had 98% completion on the shadow.

SoulWarrior464d ago (Edited 464d ago )

Sorry but i'm with him about the low number of encounters, the game throws loads of weapons and skills you're way with a comparatively low amount of places to actually use them, so they felt under utilised.

-Foxtrot465d ago

Yeah...no

It was awful, for THREE GAMES it was "become the Tomb Raider" where she went back to square one after each game. Not to mention after a huge reaction of killing someone for the first time she then becomes Rambo straight after and goes on a slaughter spree without a single other reaction. Her development was all over the place.

She was whiney, weak and in later game a little arrogant and selfish

Oh and the voice actress compared to the previous ones was not as good

Lara Croft deserved better and while they are decent games as they are, we deserved actual Tomb Raider games, we could have had better survival games if they just stuck with the original Lara Crofts origin about her plane going down. Surviving 2 weeks in the Himalayas...I'd have liked to seen that, who knows what mystical threat she could have faced in the mountains or underground some secret concealed cave.

Tacoboto464d ago

I thought Shadow of the Tomb Raider had better gameplay than Rise, but it annoyed me the most of the trilogy when I stopped to think about the story.

It's like they deliberately decided to make her unlikeable and did nothing to make the character you're playing as likeable or have even one sign of humility.

SoulWarrior465d ago

2013 I thought was a fine entry, but Rise and especially Shadow were painfully mediocre follow ups imo, I really didn't like how selfish and angry her character was in those two.

Terry_B464d ago

No. Please forget the crap completely.

northpaws464d ago

First one was decent, played through it twice.
Second one was okay, played through it once.
Third one was really bad, tried twice a year apart, still can't get through the first two hours, it is just really bad.

thesoftware730464d ago

Honest question, what did you find bad about it? the opening 2 hrs of Shadow were fantastic imo.

The opening was very similar to the first 2, what did you find really bad?

Not looking for an argument, just an honest question.

Starman69464d ago

3rd one just didn't feel like a tomb raider game. Possibly because the development was passed to another development team. Big mistake! Microsoft killed tomb raider making the first game a timed exclusive. Never recovered after that.

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200°

Get three Tomb Raider games free at Epic Games Store

Starting today, Tomb Raider, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and Rise of the Tomb Raider are free at Epic Games Store. The free game offers run until January 6 at 11 AM Eastern. Once you claim them, they’re yours to keep.

Read Full Story >>
gamefreaks365.com
CrimsonWing69845d ago (Edited 845d ago )

They're all solid games, but nothing quite matched the epicness of the first one for me. I think the 3rd one started off strong but once you got to that Peruvian area it took a massive nose dive for me.

lelo2play845d ago (Edited 845d ago )

You got to be kidding!
The first one was great at the time... but this latest trilogy of Tomb Raider games are also great.

LiViNgLeGaCY844d ago

I think he means the first one in the new trilogy.

CrimsonWing69844d ago

I meant the first of the new trilogy.

Furesis844d ago

yeah i remember liking the first one when it came out, so i tried the second one sometime after release and i just could not get into it, i couldn't finish it. So i might try the 3rd now that i got it for free but ehh. But i do remember enjoying the first one, i wonder if i'd feel the same way if i played it today? Better not taint those memories lol

ANIALATOR136844d ago

I was the same for some reason. Never finished the second one. I got like half way through maybe.

ActualWhiteMan844d ago (Edited 844d ago )

The first one of the latest trilogy is a masterpiece

Fishy Fingers845d ago

I'll take a copy of Shadow... Cheers.

Profchaos845d ago

Great games I've played them all on ps4 but it'll be good to finally try shadow on my rtx card.

Double_O_Revan845d ago

Trying to claim them and the store keeps crashing. lol.

gamefreaks365844d ago

EGS has been having issues all day.

RedDevils844d ago

Weird I don't has that issue.

Double_O_Revan844d ago

I finally got it after a while. But it was real bad for a while.

PeeShuter844d ago (Edited 844d ago )

Claim games by going to the website and login using ur credentials. I did the same as i couldnt use epic launcher. Also try reinstalling Epic Launcher I did it and it worked.

Double_O_Revan844d ago

I always go through the website. It was all just down for a while yesterday it seems.

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