Crystal Dynamics has confirmed it will not developer the Xbox 360 version of Rise of the Tomb Raider.
The Xbox 360 version of Rise of the Tomb Raider will not be developed by Crystal Dynamics.
Instead, external studio Nixxes Software will handle the Xbox 360 version of the game, while Crystal Dynamics focuses on the main Xbox One edition.
The news comes from Square Enix boss Darrell Gallagher, who revealed the information in the latest edition of Game Informer.
“We’re wholly focused on Rise being an Xbox One title without limitation, without even thinking of the Xbox 360 version,” said Gallagher.
Gallagher still believes the Xbox 360 edition is a worthy investment though, hence why Crystal Dynamics is passing developer duties to Nixxes Software rather than scrapping it altogether.
Related: Upcoming Xbox One Games 2015
With over 84 million Xbox 360 consoles out in the world, there’s definitely still a viable business opportunity to be had.
“At the same time, the Xbox 360’s ecosystem is still super strong,” added Gallagher. “There are millions of players out there who have an Xbox 360 and those console transitions take time.”
“So we did a test. Nixxes put together a tech demo of Rise of the Tomb Raider content running on Xbox 360 and we were totally blown away by what they achieved. But the existence of that game isn’t limiting our work on the Xbox One version.”
Nixxes already has experience developing Tomb Raider titles, including helping on last year’s Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition.
Some have argued that games launching across platform generations have held back the Xbox One and PS4 versions of the game.
Hopefully Crystal Dynamics has avoided this for Rise of the Tomb Raider, which will launch this autumn exclusively on Xbox One and Xbox 360.
That Xbox exclusivity is down to a deal made between Square Enix and Microsoft – the latter of which is actually publishing the title.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
