We all hate getting back-stabbed; that moment when you think you have found loyalty, only to find that someone or something has had their or its head turned by something they or it perceive to be greater.
That’s how many PlayStation loyalists felt when the news broke that the upcoming Rise of The Tomb Raider – the latest in the long-running series – will be exclusive to Xbox systems, at least for a while. Currently, all we know is that the game will be a timed-exclusive for the Xbox One with a downgraded version being made for the Xbox 360.
But that’s not really the point. Yes, chances are that PS4 owners will get their hands on the game eventually because the 2013 reboot of Tomb Raider was a success on all systems. Nevertheless, Tomb Raider had often been a franchise that could be used to identify the PlayStation. Some of the TR games were huge on the PS2, for instance. Arguably, the core fan base for the series were PlayStation owners, so to take it away from them, if only for a time, seems utterly nonsensical let alone unfair.
Of course, the PS4 will have Uncharted 4 arriving in 2016 to soften the blow – a series which has taken inspiration heavily from Tomb Raider – but has the damage already been done? According to some feedback on social media, apparently so. On the official Facebook page for the game an update was posted yesterday hinting at some sort of news reveal on June 1. Let’s conduct a brief analysis of some of the comments to see that Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix are treading on thin ice.
So what do you make of all this? Are you an upset PlayStation gamer? The only reason this has happened is down to money, if we’re all being honest, and that’s a bit disheartening. So is this a nail in the coffin for the franchise or can Crystal Dynamics somehow redeem itself? Time will tell.