We see these threads on a regular basis about a studio closure. Almost universally the responses in such threads go something like this.
"Damn, those guys made some great games. Hope they all find new jobs".
"Feel bad for all who lost their job".
"Another one bites the dust. This industry can't sustain AAA studios anymore".
Yet the moment we hear of a deal like yesterday's Tomb Raider announcement, where a publisher/developer is taking a chunk of money for some sort of exclusivity, the responses go something like this.
"What a bunch of asshole scumbags".
"I hope their studio goes down in flames for this, to teach them a lesson".
"What a horrible idea. Those traitors!"
I just think this is a moment where some people would benefit from stepping back and looking at these situations from the perspective of a studio head, or a publisher who owns the studio. This is a hard business to succeed in. There are far more failures than successes. If someone is offering you financial security, just to make your game exclusive to their platform for 6 months, are you really going to say "Nah, that would be wrong"? No, you're gonna take that check.
Likewise, looking at Microsoft. If you're truly a fan of this industry, I'd ask you to consider this. Anyone investing in the videogame industry is helping to perpetuate the hobby you love. They're pumping money into projects that you might one day enjoy immensely. Sure, you may not have the platform a certain game is on right now, but maybe one day you will own it, and you might love that game. And ultimately that money from Microsoft helped make that project happen. Not only that, but just the money in general coming into the industry might help fund another project from that studio down the line.
My point is it's not as simple as it might seem when you hear a game is now exclusive to one platform, because of a check. There is far more to the bigger story, and you may even end up benefitting down the line from something like this, even though that doesn't seem obvious right now. Money keeps this industry afloat, and personally I welcome anyone investing their money to help make great games, on whatever platform they initially appear.