Developed by Tequila Works, an adventure game called ‘Rime’ (known then as Echoes of Siren) was originally pitched to Microsoft for the Xbox, Windows, and Windows Phone platforms as an exclusive title. Microsoft declined the pitch and the developer subsequently took the game to Sony, who is now claiming the game as an exclusive for the PS4 console.
Rime tells the story of a boy who must use his wits and ingenuity to survive and ultimately escape from a mysterious island and a terrible curse. That’s the plot of the game (you can watch the trailer of the game via the video embedded below). Microsoft refused to pay for the partial funding of the game, which asked for $3 million for the Xbox platform and $40,000 for the Windows platform. Sony took the ball from Microsoft and made the game an exclusive to the Xbox One’s primary competitor – the PlayStation 4.
In a Twitter post today, Microsoft Studio boss Phil Spencer hinted that Microsoft has regretted declining some of these games, which have moved on and become exclusives on Sony’s PS4 platform. As a matter of fact, Spencer even revealed that Microsoft passed on Guitar Hero for the Xbox One. However, Spencer admitted that Microsoft will miss some great games but that is the “nature of the beast.”
Rime has yet to be released so there is no telling how popular the game will become. If the game does manage to be a hit, Microsoft likely won’t toss and turn at night over this “missed opportunity.” After all, Microsoft has a plethora of other popular games to worry about – like Titanfall. What do you think?
@Hyathod Part of job is living with mistakes. Passed on Guitar Hero…I can list many misses regretfully. I try to focus on what we did ship
— Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) February 19, 2014
