COLOGNE, Germany, Aug. 12 (UPI) -- Crystal Dynamics announced at the Gamescom 2014 trade fair that its flagship game Rise of the Tomb Raider will be an Xbox exclusive title.
The announcement was made in Cologne, Germany, and was followed by a teaser video for the game which shows lead character Lara Croft getting counseling from a therapist, as the video cuts away to flashbacks from the previous title. No details of the game were divulged at the event and gamers will have to wait for its release during the 2015 holiday season.
"We're incredibly excited to have Rise of the Tomb Raider come to our platform in 2015," Microsoft corporate vice-president Phil Harrison said at the event. "It's a franchise I've admired for over 18 years, and I can't wait for Xbox One gamers to play the game next year."
The game developer, which partnered with Sony's Playstation for the previous title in the series, said it would benefit from the tie-up with the Xbox brand. The decision has taken many by surprise, especially since Xbox sales have lagged behind Playstation numbers.
"Our friends at Microsoft have always seen huge potential in Tomb Raider and have believed in our vision since our first unveil with them on their stage at E3 2011. We know they will get behind this game more than any support we have had from them in the past -- we believe this will be a step to really forging the Tomb Raider brand as one of the biggest in gaming, with the help, belief and backing of a major partner like Microsoft," said Crystal Dynamics' studio head Darrell Gallagher.
Microsoft will be hoping the highly anticipated game will help boost sales of its console, which have been disappointing, leading to the company dropping the console's price.
The last game, simply called Tomb Raider, had rebooted the entire series and taken Croft to her first treasure hunting adventure. At the time, the game was well-reviwed and benefited from Playstation's popularity, as well as versions for PCs and Macs.
Titanfall, which was released earlier this year as an exclusive title, was expected to help the Xbox gain ground on the Playstation, but despite getting rave reviews from critics and gamers alike, the game didn't help Xbox sales.
