And where did MS get those timed deal ideas from? Who knows, but it's not a new tactic.
Sony moneyhatted Tomb Raider sequels so they wouldnt show up on Saturn and N64 for 3 years.
en.wikipedia.org
The first entry in the series
Tomb Raider was released in 1996 for
personal computers (PC),
PlayStation and
Sega Saturn consoles.
[8][9] The Saturn and PlayStation versions were released in Japan in 1997.
[10][11] Its sequel,
Tomb Raider II, launched in 1997, again for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation. A month before release, Eidos finalised a deal with Sony Computer Entertainment to keep the console version of
Tomb Raider II and future games exclusive to PlayStation until the year 2000.
[8][9] The PlayStation version was released in Japan in 1998.
[12] Tomb Raider III launched in 1998.
[9] As with
Tomb Raider II, the PlayStation version released in Japan the following year.
[13] The fourth consecutive title in the series,
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, released in 1999. In 2000, with the end of the PlayStation exclusivity deal, the game also released on the
Dreamcast.
[8][14] In Japan, both console versions released the following year.
[15][16] Tomb Raider Chronicles released in 2000 on the same platforms as
The Last Revelation, with the PlayStation version's Japanese release as before coming the following year.
[8][14][17]