Some day in the future, Square Enix will probably announce PS4 and PC versions of Rise of the Tomb Raider. The road to that announcement, however, will be long and painful.
Here's a rough timeline of how everything's going to play out:
August 13th - August 17th, 2014
Microsoft and Square Enix executives carefully state in Gamescom interviews that Rise of the Tomb Raider will be "exclusive on Xbox for holiday 2015." Journalists will attempt to parse this statement with poor results.
JOURNALIST: So when you say "exclusive on Xbox for holiday 2015," does that mean it's exclusive to Xbox only in 2015? Or that it's coming in 2015 and it's an Xbox exclusive?
EXECUTIVE: It means that it's coming in holiday 2015, exclusively to Xbox.
JOURNALIST: So is it a timed exclusive?
EXECUTIVE: We're putting the "tomb" back in Tomb Raider!
August 20th, 2014
Amazon begins accepting pre-orders for Rise of the Tomb Raider. The French version of Amazon lists the game for Xbox One, PS4 and PC. The PS4 and PC listings are taken down after widespread media attention. Square Enix does not comment.
October 15th, 2014
A NeoGAF user notices that a Crystal Dynamics programmer's LinkedIn profile says Rise is also coming to PS4 and PC. He removes any mention of these platforms following widespread media attention. Square Enix does not comment.
November 1st, 2014
Square Enix officially confirms the platforms for Rise of the Tomb Raider: Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC. They note that when they said "exclusive to Xbox," they meant "console exclusive."
December 11th, 2014
Square Enix premieres the first gameplay trailer for Rise during Spike's VGX 2014. At the same event, Naughty Dog shares Uncharted 4's second trailer, which announces a Holiday 2015 release. The prospect of a new Uncharted makes many PS4 gamers stop fretting over Rise for the time being.
The Internet realizes that an Xbox One treasure hunting game is going head-to-head with a PS4 treasure hunting game next fall and loses their minds. Half of the gaming articles published in the next year start with the phrase "Uncharted 4 vs. Rise of the Tomb Raider."
March 4th, 2015
A voice actor for Rise of the Tomb Raider tweets a photo of a mo-cap session with hashtags #Xbox and #PlayStation. He deletes the tweet following widespread media attention. Square Enix does not comment.
June 15th, 2015
During Microsoft's E3 2015 press conference, the company shows off a new gameplay trailer from Rise. The trailer simply notes that the game is "coming this fall," with no mention of exclusivity. In interviews with Square Enix, journalists bring up the constant rumors of a PS4 release.
JOURNALIST: Are there plans for a PS4 version of Rise of the Tomb Raider?
EXECUTIVE: Right now we're focused on releasing the game on Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC.
JOURNALIST: What about after those versions launch?
EXECUTIVE: This game really shows the human side of Lara. What is she willing to sacrifice to raid all those tombs?
November 17th, 2015
Rise launches worldwide, two weeks after Uncharted 4. A fresh round of comparisons between the two games are published. Depending on which game they favor more, websites are accused of being bribed by Microsoft or Sony.
January 4th, 2016
A fan petition to bring Rise to PS4 hits 20,000 signatures. A Square Enix community manager responds by saying they admire fans' passion for the series.
June 12th, 2016
During their E3 press conference, Sony shows off a trailer for the "Definitive Edition" of Rise of the Tomb Raider. The "Definitive Edition" includes the Arctic Warfare, Savage Lands and Forgotten Tombs DLC packs released for the other versions.
That same day, Microsoft announces Borderlands 3 is an Xbox exclusive for 2017.
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