Console Exclusives: When is it okay to release on only one console.

UPDATE

It has been confirmed that the console exclusivity for Rise of the Tomb Raider is temporary and the game will come out for the PS3 and PS4 at a later date. That date has not been announced yet though. 

In case you haven't heard, a lot of people are rather angry at Square Enix, this time due to a controversial announcement at this years Gamescon. Specifically to make the sequel to the relaunch of Tomb Raider to be Xbox One exclusive. The previous game was launched on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. A "Definitive Edition" was released later on for the PS4 and the Xbox One.

Now I'm not going to sit here and claim that every game should release on every console. In fact many console exclusives are what saved previous consoles from being completely ignored. I'm also not going to say that we should only have one console choice. Not only would that be outright illegal in most countries, due to anti-monopoly laws, but it would also hurt the gaming industry as a whole since there would no longer be any reason to improve the product. If you're the only person out there making games, you have no one to compete with so why bother. Instead I'm going to be focusing on why people are angry and when it's a good idea to be console exclusive.

WHY ALL THE DRAMA?

I would say the number one reason why people are angry is the fact that the previous Tomb Raider game came out for all consoles (except the Wii U which probably wouldn't have had the processing power to run the game). Most people can't afford to own both the Xbox One and the PS4. Some can't even afford one or the other. *cough cough me cough cough* Because of this, a lot of PlayStation owners are feeling a bit left out. Not to mention that before the Xbox line of consoles even existed, Tomb Raider was primarily a PlayStation game. 

Another big reason is that the logic behind it doesn't make a lot of sense. Square Enix has said that it was disappointing with the sales numbers for Tomb Raider. Going console exlusive in that respect makes no sense since it will limit the amount of people who can buy it by more than half. (The most recent sales numbers show that the PS4 is ahead in console sales). Not only that, people who prefer playing with a mouse and keyboard are left out to. 

Finally, many people smell the stench of money behind this, specifically Microsoft's money. I haven't dug too far into this so take this as a rumor (unless otherwise revealed to be true later) that Microsoft paid Square Enix quite a bit of money for this exclusive deal. Something that Microsoft has been known for doing in the past, most specifically the DLC Map Packs for the Call of Duty line of games. 

SHOULD I BE MAD TO?

I don't know, do you like Tomb Raider? 

WHEN IS IT A GOOD IDEA TO GO EXCLUSIVE?

I believe there are a few rules when it comes to deciding whether a game should be exclusive or not. If the Intelectual Property is owned by that console maker, like Mario or Master Chief, then it makes sense that the game will be exclusive to that console. Another reason is if the console manufacturer specifically came to you asking you to make a game for their system. This will usually happen when they hand an IP over to a 3rd party developer for a one game contract. Or in some cases a multi game contract. Metroid Other M is the only one I can think of off the top of my head that fits that description.

There is also the idea that maybe the game will only WORK on one of the consoles. Usually these instances will fall to motion games. I can't imagine a game like Bomb Blocks working on the Xbox 360. Maybe on the PS3 with the move controller but it probably wouldn't sell.  

WHEN IS IT A BAD IDEA?

Really any other time it would be a terrible idea to go console exclusive. It limits your audience as well as revenue stream. Maybe if you were a small indie developer and could only afford the developers kit for one system. Most of those types of games are released on the PC first for that exact reason. No cost unless you're using someone else game engine. 

Now of course there are a variety of other reasons why a company may decide to go exclusive vs not. Maybe there is some bad blood between the two companies. Maybe you don't want people to have to pay for Xbox Live or PlayStation Plus in order to play your game. But those seem to be the most common. Anyway, I highly doubt that the Tomb Raider sequel will stay "exclusive" for long. The only question is will people still buy it at that point.