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Rise of the Tomb Raider won’t be Xbox exclusive forever

Rise of the Tomb Raider: still coming up.

GamesCom began yesterday with a nasty surprise – Microsoft had bought the allegiance of Crystal Dynamics and Squeenix, and ensured Rise of the Tomb Raider wouldn’t launch on PC next Christmas.

Under duress, however, Xbox head Phil Spencer has admitted that the exclusivity deal “has a duration”. Thank chuff for that.

“When people want me to say, can you tell us when or if it’s coming to other platforms, it’s not my job,” Spencer told Eurogamer. “My job is not to talk about games I don’t own. I have a certain relationship on this version of Tomb Raider, which we announced, and I feel really good about our long term relationship with Crystal and Square.”

Spencer compared the Xbox One exclusivity deal to those brokered for Dead Rising 3 and Ryse – both of which now have PC versions on the way.

“I’m not trying to fake anybody out in terms of where this thing is,” he went on. “What they do with the franchise in the long run is not mine. I don’t control it. I don’t know where else Tomb Raider goes.”

Despite the application of thumbscrews, Spencer wouldn’t be drawn on the length of Tomb Raider’s Xbox-exclusive period. Because that would devalue a deal Microsoft have presumably paid a lot of money for.

Crystal Dynamics’ Darrell Gallagher yesterday pointed to December’s Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris as evidence that the series hadn’t left the PC.

“We know [Microsoft] will get behind this game more than any support we have had from them in the past,” he said. “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.”

Money! It’s funny. But not funny ha-ha. Feel any better about this yet?