“This Has Been a Great Year for Games”

COGconnected recently went hands-on with Shadow of the Tomb Raider (SOTTR), the gameplay of which looks promising. In addition to a full-blown demo playthrough, we interviewed Eidos Montreal’s game director, Daniel Bisson and lead writer, Jill Murray. During that time, we addressed the elephant in the room, which is the release day proximity of Insomniac’s Spider-Man.

While we can all agree that Shadow of the Tomb Raider and Marvel’s Spider-Man are two different games, there’s always a chance that the fanbases intersect. By how much is up for debate. Considering the high—some might say extreme—anticipation for a new game starring the comic book web-slinger, one might suspect Eidos and Square Enix are worried. SOTTR launches on September 14th, just a week after the PS4 exclusive hits the market. Thus, when asked how they felt about competition, Eidos Monreal’s lead writer and game director responded:

“This has been a great year for games,” Murray told COGconnected.

“Yea, exactly that. I’m not worried about Spider-Man,” Bisson said. “I have friends working on it, so I’m very happy for them too, and I think, you were saying it, it’s a great year. And for me, Spider-Man and Shadow of the Tomb Raider can co-exist. It’s a different experience. One’s way more about movement, the city and things, and this one is way more about exploring and finding things that make life special.”

“Only one game has Lara Croft,” Murray finished.

Clearly, Tomb Raider lies amongst publisher Square Enix’s flagship franchises. The last installment, however, has yet to sell as many copies as the first. A few factors that may be responsible include its close proximity to Bethesda’s Fallout 4 and its limited exclusivity window on Xbox One. The next sequel will launch after Destiny 2: Forsaken and Spider-Man, with a host of new titles to follow later in the month.

Do you think September is a congested month for AAA releases? Feel free to comment your thoughts down below.