Microsoft surprised everyone at their gamescom press confernece last week when they announced that Rise of the Tomb Raider will be an Xbox exclusive. While the language initially used suggested it would be exclusive forever, Xbox boss Phil Spencer then revealed that the deal "has a duration".
Eurogamer has now posted the entire interview in which Spencer revealed the timed nature of the deal and said Tomb Raider can be Microsoft's answer to Uncharted.
Both Rise of the Tomb Raider and Uncharted 4: A Thief's End are set for release in late 2015 and Spencer says he very much sees this as an opportunity:
"Totally. I'm a big fan of Uncharted and I wish we had an action adventure game of that ilk. We've started some, and we've looked at them. But we don't have one today of that quality. This is an opportunity."
While Microsoft were willing to make this deal with Square Enix, Spencer says they wouldn't do it for a game that's similar to the franchises already in their exclusive line-up.
"When you think about our portfolio, if it was a sci-fi shooter, I probably wouldn't do that. I've got one of those. Or if it's a Gears competitor, or a Forza competitor, there are things I wouldn't go after. But this is one that clearly fit in our portfolio really well. That's definitely part of the analysis."
Spencer adds that the deal "wasn't an attack against anybody else" but many feel Microsoft's money would have been better spent on developing its own Uncharted rival rather than making their Tomb Raider agreement.
Amazon listings suggest that the game will ultimately be available for PC, PS3, and PS4 eventually but for now, Rise of the Tomb Raider is set for release in holiday 2015 on Xbox 360 and Xbox One.