Support NeoGAF

[TheJollyCorner]

Seriously though, I'm English and have spent quite a lot of time with young upper class women, mostly due to living in the countryside and enjoying horse riding. Her accent is just fucking weird, and her delivery is all wrong.

This is my favorite post for the entire year. Amazing.

Forget about the accent. She's a bad voice actor too.

Nah, bro. This is bad voice acting. I feel like some people have completely forgot what real honest to god bad voice acting is. Luddington is serviceable, which is really all a game like Tomb Raider needs, IMO.

 

[Lys Skygge]

This deal just seemed so pointless. All it did is piss a lot of people off.

I really hope we get some sort of "behind the scenes" write up. Even if it isn't from the studio themselves but an investigative journalist; like Kotakus excellent piece highlighting what went wrong with Destiny.

 

[Nirolak]

If people think that then they are out of touch with how the world works. Now if it's true that cd were the ones that orchestrated and brought the deal to S-E about making it an exclusive for MS, that main person is definitely in some trouble with the higher ups. What that would mean? Could range from demotion to just getting rid of that one person to the studio not getting that type of freedom it had to even propose that kind of deal again. The studio is not shutting down over this, that's for sure.

Right, I already covered this earlier, but I'm talking about why they'd reply in said threads to reassure people.

 

[Apathy]

Right, I already covered this earlier, but I'm talking about why they'd reply in said threads to reassure people.

Oh i was agreeing with you. People are just too irrational when it comes to this industry and instantly jump to "doom" talk at any moment

 

[DarthWalden]

Sad story. I feel bad for the development team.

The game is great but locking it to a 2nd place platform and releasing it the same day as fallout 4 and a week after CoD was a God damage mistake.

If this game released in February it would have sold very well.

 

[qualitydisc]

no publisher/developer is going to be remotely happy that the 6 years trying to build a franchise has resulted in a sequel that will likely sell less than the first game.

As a general trend, don't most sequels sell less than their predecessors? Something something diminishing returns

 

[dreamfall]

Where's the "Square just shot themselves in the foot" post?!

It's a shame because whatever timed exclusivity clause they entered, CD created a great game they should be proud of, and it'll take some time to be commercially successful. Whoever decided to launch it on the same day as Fallout 4 while being coy about how it would release elsewhere just was pretty stupid.

Can't wait to replay it on PC, I thought the game was incredible.

 

[Nightengale]

As a general trend, don't most sequels sell less than their predecessors? Something something diminishing returns

Untrue. Sequels tend to sell more. Sequels only sell less after enough iterations that franchise fatigue happens.

 

[omonimo]

So they are happy to have developed the game? I'm confuse. Isn't it their job? What they expected to do? A car? Man this PR.

 

[gundamkyoukai]

As a general trend, don't most sequels sell less than their predecessors? Something something diminishing returns

No .
Most IP grow \sell around the same after there first game , then peak and sell less .
We will have to wait and see PC\PS4 sales but having such a huge drop off after one game don't happen.

 

[Vire]

Should have been multiplatform and released on the same day as Halo 5 instead of Fallout 4.

What a shame, this game absolutely deserves your sale. It's really good, one of the best I've played this year.

 

[Somnia]

So they are happy to have developed the game? I'm confuse. Isn't it their job? What they expected to do? A car? Man this PR.

Like any entertainment they are happy with how the product they made turned out. Shows like Mad Men had horrible ratings, but it was a critical darling and kept going because of that. The cast/crew were happy with how it turned out, but clearly not with the ratings (till later in life when it grew). Just like Crystal Dynamics are happy with what they created.

 

[Square Triangle]

I'm sure it's a fantastic game and the team worked extremely hard on delivering a great product. With that said, I don't think anyone with a straight face would have said that sales wouldn't be low. Hopefully it rebounds back in the coming months and the PS4 launch is successful.

 

[Vigilant Walrus]

So they are happy to have developed the game? I'm confuse. Isn't it their job? What they expected to do? A car? Man this PR.

I think he is happy that it has been so well received.


Microsoft is trying to create an incentive to lessen the gap between itself and Sony. They just so happens to have a one year exclusive deal with one of the most highly rated titles of the year.
In the opposite scenario, with a game that sells well but receives low scores, you would focus on that. A PR persons job is not to give a fair estimate of the current situation, but to say or spin the situation in a favorable manner for the product he or she is doing the public relations with.
That seems to be a pretty obvious practice, also used heavily by Sony.

 

[BabyFaceKillah]

Lol

 

[LPride]

It took me half a page to realize they were talking about Tomb Raider and not the Rise of the Triad Remake from 2014

 

[Percy]

The silence on the game's sales is deafening.

 

[John Wick]

"Square are happy with Crystal and Eidos Montreal"

From what i heard, no they are not, Square especially, CD were the ones who have the close relationship with Microsoft, and they worked with Microsoft to put the deal to square.

This is one of the reasons I won't be buying this game on PS4 or PC. SE need to be taught a lesson. Maybe if it's bargain basement price of £5

 

[Blood Diamonds]

SE need to be taught a lesson. Maybe if it's bargain basement price of £5

lmao

some of you are just way too much

 

[EvilAlPacino]

If the game was a PS4 only timed game, it could have sold as many as the XB even with the large PS4 user base.

Let's not pretend this couldn't happen because it could of easily happened.

Buuuut since it's the XB then of course people want to be up in arms.

Either way, what's done is done. I have the game and it's a fantastic game.

 

[Wereroku]

If the game was a PS4 only timed game, it could have sold as many as the XB even with the large PS4 user base.

Let's not pretend this couldn't happen because it could of easily happened.

Buuuut since it's the XB then of course people want to be up in arms.

Either way, what's done is done. I have the game and it's a fantastic game.

Ehhh it probably would have sold better if it was PS4/PC. However it still would have been slaughtered by FO4. They really should have released it later.

 

[kamineko]

Well, SE should be happy with the devs. Seems like they are the only ones who didn't drop the ball

I hope there's interest when it hits other platforms. Game deserves better than this

 

[Unknown One]

lmao

some of you are just way too much

His name is John Wick. He performed mass murder because his dog got killed. He is being consistent.

 

[Apathy]

If the game was a PS4 only timed game, it could have sold as many as the XB even with the large PS4 user base.

Let's not pretend this couldn't happen because it could of easily happened.

Buuuut since it's the XB then of course people want to be up in arms.

Either way, what's done is done. I have the game and it's a fantastic game.

Your fanboyism is showing. You don't need a degree in mathematics to see if this was a ps4 exclusive it would have sold more than it being a xbox exclusive. Double the install base alone would have made it sell better.

 

[Chobel]

"Square are happy with Crystal and Eidos Montreal"

From what i heard, no they are not, Square especially, CD were the ones who have the close relationship with Microsoft, and they worked with Microsoft to put the deal to square.

What do you mean by "I heard"? Like insider info?

OK, just saw your reply in the previous page.

 

[EvilAlPacino]

Your fanboyism is showing. You don't need a degree in mathematics to see if this was a ps4 exclusive it would have sold more than it being a xbox exclusive. Double the install base alone would have made it sell better.

It's not about fanboyism. So take it easy. I'm just seeing it from the other side.

I have a PS4 too, but not willing to wait a year for it.

 

[Apathy]

It's not about fanboyism. So take it easy. I'm just seeing it from the other side.

I have a PS4 too, but not willing to wait a year for it.

Really? Cause if you are you're doing a really bad job of it. We aren't "up in arms" because it's an xbox exclusive, we're "up in arms" cause it's a stupid move anyone with a brain could have seen from a mile away.

 

[Shenmue]

Damn all of those posts basically are an admission that the game performed poorly at retail... Poor Lara.

 

[EvilAlPacino]

Really? Cause if you are you're doing a really bad job of it. We aren't "up in arms" because it's an xbox exclusive, we're "up in arms" cause it's a stupid move anyone with a brain could have seen from a mile away.

Take it the way you want to take it. I have my viewpoint and that's that. Nothing to get upset about.

 

[jackdoe]

Your fanboyism is showing. You don't need a degree in mathematics to see if this was a ps4 exclusive it would have sold more than it being a xbox exclusive. Double the install base alone would have made it sell better.

It probably would have sold the same in the US and UK. The other regions though... It still cracks me up that they released this title in Japan as a timed Xbox One exclusive. I don't know what they were thinking with that one. Really, if they wanted it to have a chance against other multiplatform monsters, then they needed it to be multiplatform as well.

 

[DarthWalden]

Your fanboyism is showing. You don't need a degree in mathematics to see if this was a ps4 exclusive it would have sold more than it being a xbox exclusive. Double the install base alone would have made it sell better.

No doubt it would have sold more. But I think it would have bombed regardless launching against fallout and a week after COD.

 

[wachie]

Damn all of those posts basically are an admission that the game performed poorly at retail... Poor Lara.

Tralalalalalala GAME REVIEWED WELL Tralalalalalalaala

 

[Shenmue]

The TR fanbase is on PC/PS4 and the PS4 has double the install base of the XB1. Of course it would have sold way more.

How is this even up for debate?

 

[DR2K]

Probably the same way Nintendo is happy with Bayonetta 2.

 

[Stilton Disco]

It's not about fanboyism. So take it easy. I'm just seeing it from the other side.

I have a PS4 too, but not willing to wait a year for it.

If you're not a fanboy then look at it from this perspective, TR as a series always sells better on Playstation and PC than Xbox.

It also makes a huge amount of it's sales in Europe, where the XO is almost non existent.

More than even last gen, the sales of anything not a sports game or FPS have been very lacking on Xbox.

Even with co marketing for MS, deals, Sony had been taking a far bigger slice of a more diverse range of pies.

TR: Definitive Edition, saw a 70% split in sales in the PS4's favour, and that was early on in the generation, when sales were far closer between the two systems.

Now I agree Fallout 4 stole RotTR's spotlight, but given the 2:1 worldwide sales advantage, greater representation in key markets, historical preference for the system amongst the fanbase and wider variety of buying tastes from the player base generally, a PS4 exclussive would have at the very least seen more than twice the amount of sales, based on the DE alone, and more realistically I'd wager that at least four or five times the sales worldwide would have been probable.

We have no way of knowing of course, but seriously, every single thing was against this deal working out from day one. Fallout was just the final nail in the coffin it was engraved on.

 

[M52B28]

I wish people would move on. It's already announced for other platforms, Phil already "decided" to not do these anymore, and it's obvious how this one performed. No need to beat a dead horse.

It is turning into a fairly pointless discussion now. I guess people love expressing their opinion about Microsoft and this studio.

I find it fairly tasteless with some of the things that are being said about this studio and Microsoft.

 

[Apathy]

It probably would have sold the same in the US and UK. The other regions though... It still cracks me up that they released this title in Japan as a timed Xbox One exclusive. I don't know what they were thinking with that one. Really, if they wanted it to have a chance against other multiplatform monsters, then they needed it to be multiplatform as well.

No doubt it would have sold more. But I think it would have bombed regardless launching against fallout and a week after COD.

Oh it would have bombed either way. The original poster was insinuating it would have sold the same, which is an irrational argument. Going from 3.4 million on 3 platforms in the first month being a disappointment to cutting it down to 1 platform and expecting it to magically have amazing selling power was a stupid move. Even if it were on the ps4, as an exclusive it would have still been idiotic to think that. In top of that add the release of fallout, plus sandwiched in with other huge games, you have to actively be ignoring reality to think it was a good idea.

 

[Ninja Sharingan]

This deal just seemed so pointless. All it did is piss a lot of people off.

I really hope we get some sort of "behind the scenes" write up. Even if it isn't from the studio themselves but an investigative journalist; like Kotakus excellent piece highlighting what went wrong with Destiny.

But nothing went wrong here. The game is great, it was just signed to a silly deal.

 

[Samurai G0SU]

Gonna buy this as my Xmas present to myself .

 

[Lys Skygge]

But nothing went wrong here. The game is great, it was just signed to a silly deal.

When I say "what went wrong" I mean the business side. I'd love to see a higher up just be frank with fans. What were they thinking to alienate Tomb Raiders core audience? Do they feel the deal was a success? If given the chance would they do it all again?

I'm glad the game is critically acclaimed. But on the business side of things a lot seemed to have gone wrong.

 

[CrichtonKicks]

But nothing went wrong here. The game is great, it was just signed to a silly deal.

Further the game is coming after a "reasonable" 2.5 turnaround from the initial release of TR 2013. So hopefully dev costs were reasonable. Especially considering the 4.5 year gap between TR: Underworld and TR 2013.

 

[The Baron Count]

I'm going to assume you're thinking of fields where the artist or whatever is often working independently and has the leeway to not care so much about sales. I also know the movie and television industries are not two of those fields you're referring to.

Pretty sure music isn't that either.

I have seen plenty of well known directors and musicians release great things that don't light the world on fire sales wise and not have people treat it as spin.

If this was some exec who didn't work on the game then I would absolutely see your point. A person in that position would be primarily focused on sales. However this was the director of the game expressing that he was happy with the reaction from people who actually played it.

That's my issue. Everything he said was directly related to the quality of the game he personally worked on. Not the commercial success. Yet instantly that's where the discussion goes.

 

[Jumeira]

The TR fanbase is on PC/PS4 and the PS4 has double the install base of the XB1. Of course it would have sold way more.

How is this even up for debate?

PC? What games have sold better on PC? I see this alot, would like to know how true this is. Most sales I see PC has the smallest percentage, going by UK charts.

And didn't original TR sell best on 360?

 

[Ninja Sharingan]

When I say "what went wrong" I mean the business side. I'd love to see a higher up just be frank with fans. What were they thinking to alienate Tomb Raiders core audience? Do they feel the deal was a success? If given the chance would they do it all again?

I'm glad the game is critically acclaimed. But on the business side of things a lot seemed to have gone wrong.

I'm sure square knows all the numbers and it made sense for them to do it. They will have done the mathe. This can't be detrimental to the money the game has made or they wouldn't have done it. People get paid a lot of money to work out that kind of stuff. I do wish it would have come out on everything tho. The game deserves a large fan Base

 

[cebri.one]

Sadly TR was a great rebirth of the franchise and i think the move has killed all their momentum. Hopefully it will sell well on PC and PS4.

 

[Dragon]

It is turning into a fairly pointless discussion now. I guess people love expressing their opinion about Microsoft and this studio.

I find it fairly tasteless with some of the things that are being said about this studio and Microsoft.

It's more like "I told you so" to people who thought this was going to be a success for SE. I doubt it was CD's decision to do so but PR gonna PR.

BTW, are you going to quote these tasteless posts or just making a general comment which is just as pointless as you claim the thread to be?

 

[Elios83]

"Square are happy with Crystal and Eidos Montreal"

From what i heard, no they are not, Square especially, CD were the ones who have the close relationship with Microsoft, and they worked with Microsoft to put the deal to square.

I suspected as much given all the interviews and the ''passion'' showed by a few CD execs.
Guess like Darrell Gallagher will have to explain a bunch of things to Square Enix ^^''

 

[Toki767]

I'm sure square knows all the numbers and it made sense for them to do it. They will have done the mathe. This can't be detrimental to the money the game has made or they wouldn't have done it. People get paid a lot of money to work out that kind of stuff. I do wish it would have come out on everything tho. The game deserves a large fan Base

When Tomb Raider exclusivity was announced, the PS4 was at what, 15-20 million sales? I kind of wonder if Square Enix even thought the PS4 would be at 30 million by this time.

It was a really weird move considering Matsuda is a finance guy.

 

[evilr]

Every gamer told SQUARE that this is a terrible deal and it'll fail. We said this at Gamescom when they bloody announced it! So why on earth did a few people, who actually get paid to make these sort of deals, still go ahead with it?

 

[D4Danger]

Sadly TR was a great rebirth of the franchise and i think the move has killed all their momentum. Hopefully it will sell well on PC and PS4.

if they avoid any sort of stupid exclusivity deal and release it at a better time it'll be fine.

When everyone gets to play Rise I think you'll see more enthusiasm for the series again.

anyway, for those worried about the franchise I would guess they're already on to the next one. RotTR post-credit spoiler for possible location of next game:

Spoiler

hints at Mexico which would be a nice change.