We don't know the cost to make the game or the amount on the check MS gave for the exclusive deal. At the end of the day I can only assume they aren't complete idiots and the reimbursement from MS made up the difference. That, and they are banking on the idea that the game is very good and they can just release an "ultimate edition" on all platforms in the holiday of 2016 when there is no Fallout, no Star Wars, no Black Ops III, no Halo 5, no Forza, and fare a lot better.

I don't see why it would kill the franchise. I doubt Capcom leaving SFV off the Xbone is going to kill the franchise and it sold millions on 360.

I agree we don't know how much MS gave, but we do know they didn't pay for the cost of the whole game, nor will they make up for lost profits. No developer makes games to lose profits and this game hasn't even sold a million yet. Within weeks of release the game was discounted to half price and thrown into buy one get one free deals. 

If the game broke even or is making a profit, the PC launch wouldn't have been pushed 5-6 months forward like it has. 

Although you are right about there not being a SW-BF, Blops3, and FO4, you forget there will be:

1) a COD game 

2) Mass Effect 

3) TLG 

4) GTS 

5) a new Destiny or expansion 

6) BF5 

7) FFXV 

8) world of final fantasy 

Granted some of these games are not big, but 4 possibly 5 are. In addition, all the above will be released as new games with marketing and release hype unlike RotTR. 

Then there is a new piece of hardware being released along with over a dozen games with possibly one of the most anticipated games called No Man's Sky and Sony is bound to advertise the shit out of it. 

Last but not least, the SFV deal was was entirely different to the TR deal. SFV deal wasn't made sometime into development but from the beginning. The game is also being co-developed with Sony and only got off the ground due to financial support from Sony. 

At no stage did SE or CD clearly state that the game wouldn't be made of it wasn't for MS. What they have said repeatedly is that MS is a great partner and they believe MS will help them take this franchise to the next level. 

Either way, I don't think the franchise will die. SE at going to make big money over this and next year with FFXV, WoFF, Nier Automata and others. They will take the hit, and learn from their mistakes. CD probably also played a part in this deal and will probably be given a smaller budget, but more likely I see Sony bringing the franchise home for its next instalment with a timed deal or full exclusivity. 

Uncharted is now coming to an end and Sony knows they no longer have it to bank on or a game in the action adventure Indy genre. I wouldn't be surprised if Sony have already negotiated it with SE. 

Depends on PS4 and PC sales, but it will fail there too IMO. Maybe not in sales numbers, but at least in profitability (PC=Steam sales essentially).

I'd like a new studio for the series, with a return to a real Tomb Raider. CD failed too hard this time. Even if it's not an AAA anymore, it could be good and more original than what we have now. And, of course, no exclusivity anymore (except maybe a PC/PS4 one if the sales are good).

It will be years were people will constantly make fun of Square about this. "So the next TR game gonna be Linux exclusive?" And constantly bug for a confirmed release on Sony platforms. "So, gonna be released on PS4 this year? Or we gotta wait another 100." Before people buy it, and forget about this nonsense. Damage yeah. Squares image. But they're use to that, by now. It will probably make people even more cirtical towards the story. And any werid nonsense, in it. A ton of people will insult the game even harder than the reboot was.

They'll be a new Uncharted game. WIth a new main character in not too long. Just like Mass Effect 4 is a relaunch.

The effect is my friends and I getting sick of hearing about TR before having the opportunity to buy it.

It's extremely unlikely that the money SE was given by Microsoft makes up for the loss of sales for ROTR. It ultimately depends on how the game sells on PC and PS4. Hindsight is 20/20 but I can guarantee you that if SE knew how the sales of the PS4 and XB1 were going to play out and that Uncharted would get delayed to the 2nd Quarter of 2016. They wouldn't have made the deal. 

It's really sad. They're now effectively bundling RoTR free with NVIDIA chips like they are totally killing their franchise cause the fans will be like,I'll wait til it's free when I upgrade or if on PS4, not buying at $60. Just tragic.

LOL the game released during the holidays. Virtually every game was available for big discounts or in B2G1 B1G1 packages. This is a silly point.

And this is just an incorrect point. The PC version was Q1 2016. Releasing it at the end of January would mean a maximum of a 2 month push forward. Do you have proof it was pushed up 2 months ahead of their planned PC launch? Also, why or how would the game have already broken even or made a profit?

I didn't forget about any of those. They are not Black Ops 3 or Fallout or Halo. I mean.. you have FF and TLG on there. Plus there will still be at least 5 platforms they can draw from, assuming they bother with a last gen port of any "ultimate edition".

New hardware, awesome! Sounds like another platform they can sell it on. And as a launch game, no less. It'll sell nicely.

No Man's Sky one of the most anticipated games... yikes.

This is a strange thing on this forum where when you compare the SFV and TR deal, both moneyhat deals done to games that would have existed anyway, people get like.. almost offended that you would dare compare the deals. It's amusing. But I wasn't comparing the behind the scenes stuff you're speculating/defending on. I am merely talking about a franchise where a previous entry sold very well on other platforms, releasing a sequel that rules some of them out. And yeah, these deals are different, because eventually TR will return to PS4. SFV is never coming to Xbox. On the scale of moneyhats that are bad for gamers, SFV is infinitely worse. But this is about business. MS paid Square for TR time, Sony is paying Capcom for SFV time. I can't imagine either deal will work out bad for the companies in the grand scheme of things.

I doubt the developer had anything to do with what the publisher did. lol @ bringing it "home".

Anyways, I am done here.

Its sad how the future of this great franchise is in the hands of the console that was left out in the first place, the Playstation 4.

Great work Microsoft and Square Enix, great fucking work.

This franchise was sentenced to death the day that they announced the Timed Exclusivity deal.

Next year will be even more packed than this year, the release of this game will be dwarfed with the rest of the newest games.

I remember all the times TR sold like crap with it's former titles and spinoffs and then I realized the franchise is still around.

I feel people are making this out to be the absolute objective death knell due to it being MS and being very easy to attach a stigma towards, of course nothing ill would be said if Sony did the same, likely for anything at all.

I can't wait to see it still live on though because it lived on through a lot more crap and while it does continue to live I'll be sure to document the stigmas for future reference (the kind of crow that does need to be served cold).