Amazon Games announced Thursday that it will be the global publisher for the next entry in the long-running Tomb Raider series of video games.
The next Tomb Raider, as yet unnamed, is currently under development for multiple platforms at Crystal Dynamics, headquartered in San Mateo, Calif. with satellite divisions in Bellevue, Wash. and Austin, Texas. The new game will once again star the series’ traditional protagonist, British treasure hunter Lara Croft, in a “single-player, narrative-driven adventure.”
This marks the first big single-player game under Amazon’s publishing umbrella, as well as the single highest-profile franchise. While she isn’t quite the household name she was in the ’90s, Lara Croft is still one of the most recognizable characters in video game history, and her most recent games have all sold millions of copies.
In terms of sheer brand recognition, Tomb Raider provides a significant boost to Amazon’s profile in the video game industry, even in the wake of sustained mismanagement by its previous publisher, Square Enix.
Tomb Raider joins a publishing portfolio at Amazon Games which includes its own New World, which just released a new expansion, Brimstone Sands; Smilegate’s Lost Ark; upcoming projects from Disruptive Games and Glowmade; and, just announced at the 2022 Game Awards, the forthcoming Blue Protocol, which Amazon will publish and localize for territories outside Japan.
“Tomb Raider is one of the most beloved IPs in entertainment history,” wrote Amazon Games VP Christoph Hartmann in a press release.
“Amazon Games is committed to bringing players games of the highest quality, from the best developers, across all variety of platforms and genres, and we’re honored by the opportunity to work with this storied developer and franchise.”
The new Tomb Raider has been in production at Crystal Dynamics since April. It will be the 21st overall entry in the Tomb Raider series, which celebrated its 25th anniversary last year; the first game in the franchise built with the next-generation Unreal Engine 5; and the seventh made by Crystal Dynamics, which took over mainline development on the series with 2006’s Tomb Raider: Legend.
Reportedly, the new Tomb Raider is planned to “unify the timelines,” in the words of Crystal Dynamics representatives. It will take elements from both the original version of Lara Croft, as seen in 1996’s Tomb Raider and its successors, and the more realistic reboot of the character from the “Survival Trilogy,” made up of 2012’s Tomb Raider, 2015’s Rise of the Tomb Raider, and 2018’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
This is the first official announcement about the future of the Tomb Raider series since the rights to the franchise changed hands in August, when Crystal Dynamics was acquired by the Swedish gaming conglomerate Embracer Group.
“Crystal Dynamics has an extraordinary opportunity following our acquisition by Embracer to redefine what a publishing relationship is for Tomb Raider,” wrote Scot Amos, head of studio for Crystal Dynamics.
“Transformative is what we’re looking for, and with Amazon Games, we found a team that shares our creative vision, ambitions, and values for a Lara Croft universe across the spectrum of possibilities.”
