Should the PS4 and Gamers Boycott Tomb Raider?

[Tactical Pause]

No, we don't need to boycott everything that doesn't go exactly as we'd like it to.

Timed exclusives happen all the time. Yes, this is a particularly big one, but it won't negatively affect anyone in the long run, and was probably a solid financial decision for a company struggling to stay in the black.

This is not a reason to boycott, and it's because of things like this that the word 'boycott' is now utterly meaningless in the gaming sphere.

 

[Riff Moonraker]

The selling out, misleading and lets face it downright lying to consumers needs to end. Should the PS4 or Gamers simply Boycott Tomb Raider under principle now.

Sure Tomb Raider isn't really an exclusive, but that doesn't change the fact Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix sold out and purposely tried to mislead people into buying MSs shitty system to play a game that they don't need to buy their shitty system to play, and did everything under the sun to try and avoid the question outright.

Luckily MS has sung this dance before and game journalists were ready, but that doesn't make it any less of a sell out or wrong.

ROFL

So, should we also do the same for the games that Sony is having as timed exclusives? Because, you know, they are doing the EXACT SAME THING. So, unless you are planning on doing it across the board, then you are just being a fanboy.

Also, while you have every right to call the Xbox One a "shitty" system, I have every right to disagree with you. Its actually a very GOOD system, and I enjoy it, and will be enjoying it a hell of alot this fall with all the games coming out for it.

I cant stand Sony, and I cannot stand the playstation, but people have a choice and that is their right. You arent going to see me get on here and call your playstation a shitty console, because I think its insulting to the people that DO buy it, and I am honestly getting tired of all the garbage comments like yours flying around when its not frakking true. But you go right ahead and do your thing, and once it TR DOES come to the ps4, dont buy it! Problem solved!

 

[Eve Charm]

Really how would you tell the difference between a boycott and not owning the xbone, since the only people up in arms about this are people that don't own a Xbone.

The whole point of owning a console at this point is exclusives so I'm not going to complain when something is exclusive for a bit, upset or not it's one damn game that is in your power to get still if you want it bad enough.

 

[llamastorm.games]

I'd say get a grip...
Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft are always trying to lock down 3rd party exclusives. I think people often call it business...

Wait, so because they bought a timed-exclusivity deal, just like what your Sony overlords have done in the past, the developers of the game are scum of the earth? Do xbox gamers deserve the same rights to qq about not having PS4 exclusives? I'd assume you wouldn't think so, given how anti-Microsoft your post is. Get over yourself, exclusives aren't a new thing; until Sony is willing to stop doing them, Microsoft has NO reason to stop pursuing them as well.

And people on these forums always say that its the PC gamers that are violent and uppity, yet at least we don't cry 'boycott' at the first missed exclusive.

^^I think sony fans are only so annoyed because it's a game they actually want to play. How many times has Sony gotten a 3rd party exclusive this gen...

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

Oh for fuck's sake ...

Tomb Raider is not the first title to sign itself up to an exclusivity deal, timed or not, and nor will it be the last. Getting upset at this is ultimately pointless, as rival companies have always sought to broker deals that will give them an edge over their competitors.

And while we're on the subject, I'm pretty sure Sony have bagged their share of exclusives in the past, so why aren't we boycotting them? There are plenty of devs that produce games just for PC and not for consoles, so why aren't we boycotting them? Nintendo is practically built on exclusives that will never see the light of day on any other platform, so why aren't we boycotting them? Could it possibly be that your outrage stems not from the practice of exclusives at all, but rather from your own annoyance that Microsoft did a deal on a franchise you had your eye on? Just because you are peeved over something does not turn it into an industry-wide problem that requires mass customer protest.

 

[Something Amyss]

The selling out

wot.

No, seriously, wot.

Okay, seriously, we need to talk about this, folks. The idea that a company which exists to sell a commercial item to the consumer is "selling out" for taking an additional action is absurd. Either they'd already sold out when they signed up to make games, or they haven't sold out just because they're not specifically pandering to you with this game.

I know a lot of Tomb Raider fans are upset that Tomb Raider will be "exclusive" to the one platform likely to move the least units (by virtue of a relatively small install base compared to PS4 and PC), but there's no need to get hyperbolic.

And you know what? If you're really that angry that they "lied" to you or whatever, boycott it when it comes to your platform of choice. But if you want future games to come to PS4 or PC, it'd be a bad move. So I guess the real question is "should consumers cut off their collective nose to spite their face?"

The reality is a boycott of other platforms might well send the message instead that there's no market for such a game on those platforms. This might have the end result of either no new Tomb Raider games for a while (Remember, this was the company already disappointed with 4 million sales of the reboot) or continued Xbox exclusive. Since "exclusives" tend to go PC as well at this point (save, maybe, some of the biggest titles), this could be worst of all for PS4 users, who will be the only ones truly left out in the cold.

So, in one's quest for vengeance, one must ask: is this the outcome I want? Is this the outcome I am prepared for?

Myself, I say "no." But then, I wasn't going to buy a Tomb Raider game day one anyway. I liked TR2013, but it didn't make me think a sequel would be a must-have day 1 buy. My decision to not immediately buy on release will likely "hurt" them as much as a decision to boycott. But hey, I'm just not into pre-order culture and I rarely "need" a game enough to buy day one. If you feel different, then by all means. I just don't feel the need for revenge or protest. At the same time, I don't feel the game is likely to be worth all the bang for my buck I want.

Oh chill, they confirmed that it's just a timed exclusive.

It's coming out on one platform before the other. Not the end of the world.

I mean, sure, if you want to scream boycott over that then feel free, it's your money. But... meh.

That's the point of the thread, though.

 

[Riff Moonraker]

Oh for fuck's sake ...

Tomb Raider is not the first title to sign itself up to an exclusivity deal, timed or not, and nor will it be the last. Getting upset at this is ultimately pointless, as rival companies have always sought to broker deals that will give them an edge over their competitors.

And while we're on the subject, I'm pretty sure Sony have bagged their share of exclusives in the past, so why aren't we boycotting them? There are plenty of devs that produce games just for PC and not for consoles, so why aren't we boycotting them? Nintendo is practically built on exclusives that will never see the light of day on any other platform, so why aren't we boycotting them? Could it possibly be that your outrage stems not from the practice of exclusives at all, but rather from your own annoyance that Microsoft did a deal on a franchise you had your eye on? Just because you are peeved over something does not turn it into an industry-wide problem that requires mass customer protest.

Exactly! It seems as if there is some kind of jaded filter in the air around here.

 

[CriticalMiss]

Obviously it's going to come out later on Playstations Various and the devs will bundle it up with all of the inevitable DLC packs. So I don't think they should really boycott the game, just refuse to buy it on release day or for the full price and instead wait until Squeenix have had time to sweat and drop the price in a desperate attempt to make up for lost sales. Outright boycotting the game on one console is just going to show Squeenix that people who own that console don't want those kinds of games, making them lean more towards different platforms.

If it's only on current gen then I'm certainly not playing it since I have neither console but if it is released on PC I'll just wait for the Definitive Director's Cut We-Didn't-Get-Game-of-the-Year-Last-Year Deluxe Definitive Steelbook Ultimate Platinum Gold Frankincense Mhyrr Edition to be on sale for about a tenner.

 

[Something Amyss]

Ok, this is just dumb. Most Tomb Raider fans who have a PS4 (or PC) will already have a copy of the previous Tomb Riader.

So how the hell do you boycott a product they're not even selling to you?

Unless you want to boycott Square Enix, which would make a little more sense.

Well, there's another Tomb Raider coming that's not exclusive, plus this one's only a timed exclusive.

There's two options that are commercially viable. Call it dumb if you want, but it's ridiculous to call it dumb because you can't think of widely available ways to do it.

 

[lacktheknack]

No way.

We get the improved edition every time this happens, which I'm more than OK with.

 

[Something Amyss]

Tomb Raider is not the first title to sign itself up to an exclusivity deal, timed or not, and nor will it be the last. Getting upset at this is ultimately pointless, as rival companies have always sought to broker deals that will give them an edge over their competitors.

In fairness, there's been outrage with those titles, too. Hell, some people got REALLY mad about timed exclusives last gen. And even now, if it's not out for PC? There are tantrums.

So just as the timed exclusivity isn't novel, neither is the response.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

Best boycott is to just buy it second hand when its finally released. lol. Seriously, talks of boycotts etc are just an emotional reaction as no one ever goes through with them. Remember the boycotts for L4D2 and that capcom beat em up game? Thing is you can be upset by TR not being on PS4/PC, but that game isnt even out till next year on XB1 so by time its released on PS4/PC you will just judge it on how good the game is. But if people really want CD to suffer then buy second hand and ensure they dont get your cash.

I dont even own any current gen consoles. But if sony bought Silent Hills as a timed exclusive (like MS did with TR) it would be annoying. But that wouldnt stop me buying it once it was released on XB1/PC. For me its just business, both companies are looking after their own fan base and the companies want the money. I would still agree its shitty to make a muli platform game a timed exclusive....but i can always play other games until its released. Remember how long we used to wait for Japanese games to be released in the west? lol.

 

[pspman45]

I don't really like Tomb Raider, so this doesn't effect me at all, but lets say every PS4 and PC player boycotts the new tomb raider, what does this say to Square Enix? this does not show them that PS4 and PC owners are not to be "messed with," they will see it as "nobody was interested in our game on PS4 or PC, so clearly our audience is on the Xbox One" When Bioshock came out on the 360 first, then came out on PS3 a year or so later, PS3 owners ate that shit up, and guess what, Bioshock 2 and Infinite were no longer exclusives. Another thing to consider is that this whole "exclusivity" thing has been a PR nightmare for Microsoft and Square Enix, and if the sales figures we got from the UK are at all representative of the rest of the world, we know that there are way more PS4 users that Xbox One users
If you really want to play Tomb Raider but not on Xbox One, then buy it anyway, show Square Enix that there IS an audience on PS4 and PC, SHOW them that they missed out on a ton of sales in the precious week 1 launch window, and they won't do this again.

 

[COMaestro]

The selling out, misleading and lets face it downright lying to consumers needs to end. Should the PS4 or Gamers simply Boycott Tomb Raider under principle now.

Sure Tomb Raider isn't really an exclusive, but that doesn't change the fact Crystal Dynamics and Square Enix sold out and purposely tried to mislead people into buying MSs shitty system to play a game that they don't need to buy their shitty system to play, and did everything under the sun to try and avoid the question outright.

Luckily MS has sung this dance before and game journalists were ready, but that doesn't make it any less of a sell out or wrong.

What lie or misleading has been done here? The game doesn't come out until Holiday 2015, more than a year away. Do you really think anyone is so hot for this game that they are going to go out and pick up an Xbox and preorder a game that they know they'll need to wait more than a year before it's released? Is anyone REALLY that impatient and can't wait for more info?

Because let's face it: we don't KNOW if Rise of the Tomb Raider is going to be exclusive or not. We DO know that Microsoft has a guaranteed timed exclusivity to the game. After that point, it's up to Square Enix to decide if they are going to port it or not. At this time they may have no plans to port it, meaning there is absolutely no lie or misleading happening in their statements. If MS was willing to pay them a bunch of money to make it a timed exclusive and Squeenix felt that was their best option financially, then so what? They are a business out to make money. That's what they do.

However, I think we can be pretty confident that they will make ports as it would be stupid of them not to do so. Especially with the new gen devices, their architecture is going to be so similar from Xbox One to PS4 and PC, both of which have a larger install base than Xbox, a port should be easy to program and do nothing but make them more money. As I said before, they are a business, out to make money.

I see no reason to boycott a game, or even all games from a company (unless all the games are terrible I guess) just because they were willing to accept money to make a timed exclusive.

So far I have seen no evidence of lying or misleading. If they come out and say, "We plan to never make a version of this game for PS4 or PC" at some point but then go ahead and do so, THEN I will agree that they have lied. Until then, I see no lying, no misleading, and no reason for any kind of boycott.

 

[El Luck]

meh, whatever. "Oh noes, I don't get the game on the same day as everyone else" oh dear. My heart, it bleeds for you.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

Tomb Raider is not the first title to sign itself up to an exclusivity deal, timed or not, and nor will it be the last. Getting upset at this is ultimately pointless, as rival companies have always sought to broker deals that will give them an edge over their competitors.

In fairness, there's been outrage with those titles, too. Hell, some people got REALLY mad about timed exclusives last gen. And even now, if it's not out for PC? There are tantrums.

So just as the timed exclusivity isn't novel, neither is the response.

That's true enough. It still irks me to hear the call of "Boycott! Boycott!" whenever it happens though. I guess I should just learn to expect (and ignore) it.

 

[DirgeNovak]

If I do buy it, it'll likely be after the price drops to $20 and/or used. I have no great interest in the TR series anyway, so I wouldn't have bought it at full price even if it had a simultaneous release.

But in general, if a game I'm really interested in is a timed Xbone exclusive, I'll be disappointed, but fairly okay with it as long the PS4 version has the same price as the Xbone version. If the Xbone version is down to $40 when the PS4 version comes out and the PS4 one is still $70, you can go fuck yourselves.

 

[Something Amyss]

That's true enough. It still irks me to hear the call of "Boycott! Boycott!" whenever it happens though. I guess I should just learn to expect (and ignore) it.

I'm pretty sure the publishers already have.

It wouldn't be so bad if the boycott threats weren't almost always impotent and the complaints didn't get pettier and pettier.

Hell, in this one, it sounds like actively cutting off your nose to spite your face.

"We want Tomb Raider on [platform]. So to protest temporary exclusivity, when it comes to [platform], we will not buy it." I absolutely get where you're coming from, though.

 

[Evonisia]

It's a timed exclusive. If you want to not buy it when it's inevitably released on the PS4/PC to teach them a lesson, go ahead. Or, as some others have said, just buy it second hand.

I'm going to buy it on the Xbox One, because I was always going to do that regardless of how many platforms it was on and the last Tomb Raider was a much better experience than the second Uncharted game (one which everyone seems to love over the others).

 

[ninja51]

I won't be buying the second because I thought the first was a hunk of cut-scene in place of gameplay, trite, unoriginal, boring, and uninspired shit. The developers and publishers of this series seem to be continuing the trend though along with added business before art decisions however... So, even more reason not to get any Tomb Raider games!