"Why does it always rain on me?"

Rise of the Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics definitely didn’t mean to upset you when it agreed to an exclusivity deal with Microsoft. In the aftermath of last week’s Gamescom 2014 backlash, the studio has posted a new message on the franchise’s official blog, reiterating once again that the release will be a timed exclusive on the Xbox One and Xbox 360.

“Yes, our deal with Microsoft has a duration,” it wrote in response to a query about the nature of the arrangement. “We aren’t discussing details of the deal, and are focused on delivering a great game on the Xbox One and Xbox 360.” The wording remains somewhat ambiguous, but it’s pretty clear at this point that a PlayStation 4 version will arrive in 2016.

Of course, even if that does turn out to be the case, the wait will still prove disappointing for Tomb Raider fans that prefer playing on PlayStation platforms, so were you even in Crystal Dynamics’ thoughts when it signed on the dotted line? “Of course,” the company stressed. “We did not make this decision lightly.”

The firm concluded that it didn’t “intend to cause any confusion” last week, where the title was framed as a full exclusive rather than a timed one. We’re not convinced that we agree, as Microsoft used very clever language designed to mislead. Exactly how much the developer had to do with that is unclear, but seeing as it toed the corporate line, we’re holding the studio responsible, too.

[source tombraider.tumblr.com]