You don’t just take a nearly 20 year old franchise that’s been multiplatform and try to say its Xbox only all of a sudden. That’s the lesson what Microsoft learnt from yesterday’s announcement, when some fans were very angry and upset that they will be either forced to buy an Xbox or they will be deprived from the next Tomb Raider game.

Today Xbox boss Phil Spencer has admitted to Eurogamer that this exclusivity won’t last forever. Asked if there is a limited period of time covered by the deal between Microsoft and Square Enix, Spencer replied, “Yes, the deal has a duration. I didn’t buy it. I don’t own the franchise.”

Still, there’s the question of how long the game will remain Xbox-only. “It’s not because I’m trying to be a headfake on anybody,” Spencer said. “It’s a deal between us and the partner. People ask me how much did we pay. There are certain things I’m just not going to talk about because it’s a business deal between us and then. Obviously the deal does have a duration. I didn’t buy the IP in perpetuity.”

As to what will happen to the Rise of Tomb Raider – whether it will be Xbox/PC only, or will have a PS3/PS4 version as well is up to Square. “I didn’t buy the IP. I didn’t buy the studio. It’s not mine. Where this thing will go over time, just like Dead Rising 3 or Ryse, we’ll see what happens with the game. I don’t own every iteration of Tomb Raider.”