This is the weirdest part. Tomb Raider was going to be made for the XB1 no matter what. This is not like the Bloodborne, Quantum Break, Killer Instinct or Street Fighter situation were the developers used either Microsoft's or Sony's resources to kick start or fully develop the game.

So honestly, Microsoft is not giving anything to their users with this investment. I mean the "Backwards compatibility" was a great example on how to provide your users with a better experience. But I don't see the benefit of this Tomb Raider deal.

What do we get as gamers?

You get a game on XB1 this fall. 

You don't know that the last game made enough money to really warrant a sequel.  We all assume it did well enough.  Or, maybe the last game made enough to have a sequel, but the developer timelines or the scope of the game were going to be different.  Maybe the game would have come out in 2016 if they had to finish all versions at the same time.  Maybe this version will have a number of features or additional content because they focused on one platform for this release date.  In the end, this may actually make the game better for the XB1 and the PS4 next year.

Or, maybe none of those things, but I doubt the game receives no benefit from this.  PS4 gamers aren't really harmed, the game comes to their system still and will have the most content and bug free version.  Heck, any real gamer will be busy with UC4 (a probable better game anyway) to fill the gap.

Funny, I don't remember anyone complaining when Sony had:

Guerrilla Games be a Killzone studio for 9 years.
Polyphony be a GT machine for 9 years now and really for like 16 years now, theyve only been able to branch out from racing games to make... a motorcycle racing game
Naughty Dog be a Jak studio for 5 years (in which time they pumped out 4 games) or an Uncharted machine for 5 years (3 games). And now back on it with an Uncharted collection and Uncharted 4
SSM has been a GoW studio for over a decade. We just saw a GoW 3 remaster and they're working on GoW 4. And Sony canceled their apparently very good new IP. Hmm.

I'll bump this thread in 9-10 years if 343i and The Coliation and Turn 10 are still making games for the same franchises. Because it seems pretty much every console company has the same devs making their big hits again and again yet people ITT seem to be singling out MS for it as if they're doing some terrible thing LOL.

The TROTR deal doesn't benefit gamers correct but it does benefit MS. The TR franchise has turned a corner and has good momentum behind it (although this deal will do more harm to the franchise on PS in the long run. Think Bioshock and Mass Effect) and to have it exclusive for a whole year is a big deal. MS will advertise the shit out of it this holiday and couple this exclusive with Forza and Halo and it will shift a lot of consoles.

MS are also the publishers for the game on their platforms so although they will spend millions on advertising (advertising that will also shift the X1) they will also be getting a bigger cut from sales. This game will been seen be seen by millions of gamers as full exclusive.

I think he is saying that the game would of came out for the X1 no matter what. The deal made was more than likely to delay it coming to the PS4 rather than expediting the X1 version. IF this is the case then it doesn't benefit gamers. Of couse we are all persuming.

Well Naughty Dog went from Crash to Jak to Uncharted to TLoU, so I don't really see a valid point on ND, but the rest of the named studios are developing big hitters most of the time. However Sony still has a ton of new IP's from their first parties & unparalled Japanese support. This is literally like comparing Halo/ Forza/ Gears/ Fable to Killzone/ Uncharted/ GT/ GoW & leaving out the rest of Sony/ MS first party portfolio. We're leaving out titles like Ico, SoTC, LBP, LoD, Syphon Filter, Tearaway, Knack, Dreams, Horizon, Sly, inFamous, PixelJunk Shooter, Journey, TLG & the tons of fresh first party content over a ten year span. So it's still different from MS situation. A MS first party didn't even create Halo or Gears, they just bought & own the IP, lmao. Forza is the only new IP that was created in MS studios that wasn't taken over for a third party. 

Eh, I don't see it all. Look at the games release schedule, it releases the same days as freaking Fallout 4 (which MS is incidentally co-marketing as well) a week before Battlefront, a couple days after CoD and a couple weeks after Halo 5, that game will be eaten alive during that time frame. And I've said this before, but the only exclusive that will be actually relevant in shifting consoles this holiday season will be Halo 5, everything else will be up to multiplats and prize.

Just take a look at Amazon.com, RoTR is currently at #503 of the bestseller list, compare that to the X1 versions of the games I've listed here and it's not even close:

Fallout 4: 82

Battlefront: 120

CoD: 49

Halo 5: 212

So really I don't see TR move a huge amount of units, let alone consoles this holiday season and I expect most of the MS marketing in the timeframe of its release to be focused on Halo 5 and later Fallout 4, both of which will shift a lot more X1s than this game, also MS marketing money isn't as much of a guarantee as some people like to make it out to be.

I knew what he meant.  The truth is that he is just as likely or maybe more so than my theories.  We as forum dwellers take the lack of information and fill it in with whatever fits either common sense or our personal agenda.  We will probably never really know it of course it really doesn't matter.  The reality is that unless actual content is held back like the destiny deal, how could it really hurt the gamer.  They can buy an XB1 no or just wait a year and play it then.  No actual harm, just the self righteous belief that companys owe gamers certain things.  Its a business, they have to do what makes the most financial success.

There are plenty of studios and franchises i left out on both sides because my point is already proven. Every one of these big companies sets developers on their big franchises over and over again, so its silly to single MS out. Or feign concern/disappointment when MS cancels one IP to put a dev onto a bigger IP with more guaranteed impact (Black Tusk/GoW) while simultaneously being stoked for yet another SSM God of War game.

Im not going to bother posting in the thread again, but the hypocrisy and lengths people will go to for fodder is amusing. Kind of like how the Tomb Raider deal is bad by MS and terrible for gamers of all platforms, but the money Sony paid for SFV is just a brilliant business deal and great for gamers LOL.

Microsoft *is* investing into Phantom Dust and is making a new IP (oh lets say that IP is .......Gigantic) ....with regards to Tomb Raider its.... not like.....Microsoft is.......STRAPPED FOR CASH.PFFFTTTTTHAHAHAHA!

• Bought Gears, Bought Minecraft, Bought Rise of Nations.
• Own Scalebound, Quantum Break, Ori, Screamride.
• Got dibs on Ryse and Sunset Overdrive.
• Revived Killer Instinct, Crackdown and Phantom Dust
• Keeping that Gears, Halo, Forza M and Forza H wagon a rollin.

Prefer this over Knack, The Order and Driveclub (RIP in Peace)...at least Microsoft likes to keep it's IP alive and relevant and something to be relied upon every holiday. I'm not a PS4 owner, but i'd wager they would rather play a built for next gen sequel of Syphon FIlter, Colony Wars, Motorstorm, Socom, wipeOut, Jak & Daxter or god of war this holiday then a HD remaster of Beyond/Heavy Rain/uncharted/tearaway.

If you're talking about games that haven't had a release in decades.... Kameo: Elements of Power, Perfect Dark Zero, Viva Pinata, Jetpac Refuelled, Kinect Sports are all seperate IP from a single studio...plus, technically the Ico games are from the same franchise.

I did plan on listing Lococycle, Ori and the Blind Forest, Max, Kalimba, Splosion Man, Captain Smiley, The Splatters and several more, but the following word should suffice for your digital/handheld area:

Minecraft

Project Spark came out years ago man. Banjo Kazooie: Nuts and Bolts and Crackdown represent'

No idea what LoD is, but ...oh Gigantic, State of Decay, Crimson Dragon, take your pic.

Not So. Microsoft Purchased Bungie, 18 months before Halo was released.

On the other hand, Sony didn't own these IP's until they bought the studio

LBP, Sly, inFamous,

They still don't own these ones:

PixelJunk Shooter, Journey

Kinect Adventures is on about 30 million copies. Twice as much as the best selling Playstation game. It was created by Good Science Studios, a team created and built by Microsoft Studios sheer force of will.  You are welcome.

Alternatively, Halo, Gears and Forza show no signs of slowing in popularity like Killzone, Motorstorm and Uncharted are....did...have. That Microsoft well not drying up.

Also, the management decision behind Black Tusk game changeover was simple. Create new IP, hope it sells vs. take steward of existing IP that does sell. Easy money.

SB, QB and RC are all Microsoft IP, so aside from the fact that they don't own the studio, they are in no danger of being lost to other consoles. The only risk is if these studios encounter financial difficulty and shut down (which bear in mind, can happen even if your 1st party owned)...at which point MS could "offer support" which is swap cash for a stake in the companys shares or wait until chapter 11 and simply save them from bankruptcy.

Either way, fundementally, Microsoft is in position to handle both outcomes. The other risk is if a rival buys them out (but not the IP)...and Microsoft can out bid everyone.

Sunset is unique, because based on what Insomniac told us when they were looking for publishers, every publisher except Microsoft demanded ownership of the IP (including Sony). Sony lost an exclusive, Microsoft gained one and 3rd parties lost a multiplatform title. That's unlikely to change for a sequel.

Insomniac only wants the IP to add value to their company which helps them remain independant, (lets say that value is $30 million)...so *if* Microsoft wanted to create their own studio to continue the SSO franchise and Insomniac wanted to go in a different direction, Microsoft could simple offer them the equivilent value + (Say $60 million) and offer some of the regulars jobs there.

As Gears and Minecraft show...if Microsoft wants the IP, they can get the IP.

Also, I don't recall this being an issue on PS4 given that of these games released ...

• LBP3 was made by Sumo Digital
• Bloodborne was made by From Software
• The Order was Made by Ready at Dawn
• Until Dawn was made by Supermassive Games
• Sony San Diago made MLB The Show 2015

...the only internal studio is the bolded....and the MLB IP is not owned by Sony only licensed from the MLBA.

Games developed from studios internally, there is an 18 month gap between Driveclub and Uncharted 4, assuming it releases Q1 2016....