Amazon Games and Crystal Dynamics recently announced an agreement to make a new Tomb Raider game.
Lara Croft will return in a game powered by the latest Unreal Engine 5 technology. Crystal Dynamics will be responsible for its development while Amazon Games will provide support and publish the game globally.
The as-yet-untitled new Tomb Raider is a narrative-driven single player adventure that continues the story of Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider series. The promise is that the new game will include all the elements that made Tomb Raider one of the most revered franchises in gaming, giving players control of the brave and confident Lara Croft in an environment rich in exploration, with mind-blowing puzzles to solve and a wide variety of enemies to face.
This game will be the first since Square Enix sold Western studios Crystal Dynamics, Square Enix Montreal and Eidos Montreal to Embracer Group for $300 million in May. For Square Enix, the sale heralds its departure from big Western AAA titles that it says were financial disappointments, so it can focus on other technologies like blockchain, AI and cloud gaming. Clearly, Crystal Dynamics and Amazon Games believe there's still a lot of life left in Lara Croft.
“Tomb Raider is one of the most beloved intellectual properties in entertainment history,” said Christoph Hartmann, vice president of Amazon Games, in a statement. “Amazon Games is committed to bringing gamers the highest quality games, from the best developers, across all varieties of platforms and genres, and we are honored to have the opportunity to work with such a talented game developer. Our team is incredibly excited to collaborate with the talented and visionary team at Crystal Dynamics to bring the next chapter in the Lara Croft saga to gamers around the world.”
Crystal Dynamics wants to use Unreal Engine 5 to take storytelling to the next level in the biggest and most immersive Tomb Raider game to date, Amazon said. The title is currently in early development and more details will be announced at a later date.
“Crystal Dynamics has an extraordinary opportunity following our acquisition by Embracer to redefine what a publishing relationship is for Tomb Raider,”
said Scot Amos, studio head at Crystal Dynamics, in a statement.
“Innovation is what we look for, and with Amazon Games we have found a team that shares our creative vision, ambitions and values for a Lara Croft universe across the full spectrum of possibilities. They are uniquely positioned to rewrite what publishing and development collaborations are all about, and we look forward to blazing this new path together, starting with building the biggest and best Tomb Raider game yet.”
The most recent “Survivor Trilogy”, consisting of Tomb Raider (2013), Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015) and Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018), received over 200 awards and nominations.
The upcoming Tomb Raider title will mark Amazon Games' first single-player narrative title, following success with multiplayer titles New World and Lost Ark.