Amazon Games boss says development of next Tomb Raider game ‘going well’
The next Tomb Raider game is currently in development at Crystal Dynamics. While there is no update on when the action-adventure title might launch, the boss of Amazon Games has said that work on the game is progressing despite turmoil at Crystal Dynamics’ owner Embracer Group. Amazon Games is set to release the next Tomb Raider game after striking a deal with the developer in 2022.
Work on next Tomb Raider title continues
In a interview Speaking to IGN on Thursday, Amazon Games vice president Christoph Hartmann said that working on a new Tomb Raider game was a “huge, huge task” that came with high expectations, but development on the title was moving forward.
“I mean, making a new Tomb Raider, the bar is set so high. The longer you go on, the higher the expectations get, so it’s a huge, huge task, but things are moving along. I mean, there are some really great ideas in there,” Hartmann told IGN.
While the Amazon Games boss wouldn’t give any details about the game or its development, he did say that work on the game is going well and progressing.
Unrest at Embracer Group
Hartmann also spoke about the impact of financial turmoil at Embracer Group, the Swedish conglomerate that owns Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics. The company had been on an acquisition spree until last year, buying several video game studios and intellectual property, including Crystal Dynamics from Square Enix in 2022.
However, Embracer fell into debt after a $2 billion (approximately Rs. 16,783 crore) investment deal with Saudi Arabia’s Savvy Games Group was struck. This led to a stock price increase, mass layoffs at the company and its many subsidiaries, the closure of studios, the cancellation of multiple projects in development, and eventually the sale of several studios within its portfolio.
In March 2023, the company sold Gearbox Entertainment to Take-Two Interactive for $460 million (approximately Rs. 3,860 crore) and rejected Saber Interactive for $247 million (approximately Rs. 2,072 crore). However, the rights to several major franchises such as The Lord of the Rings and Tomb Raider will remain with Embracer.
In April 2024, Embracer announced its plan to split into three independent companies, namely Asmodee Group, Coffee Stain & Friends, and Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends, each focusing on separate properties. The entity Middle-earth Enterprises & Friends, which will remain under Embracer, holds the rights to The Lord of the Rings, Tomb Raider, and other major IPs, and owns Crystal Dynamics and a few other major game studios.
In the interview, Hartmann said that the Tomb Raider developer has been “fairly sheltered” from the churn at Embracer, allowing the studio to continue working on the next game in the series. “People obviously look at what the parent company is doing, but it’s never impacted resources, never led to any management changes for them, so it’s going great,” he said.
Amazon Games a deal signed with Crystal Dynamics in 2022 to publish the next multi-platform Tomb Raider game worldwide. As part of the agreement, Amazon Games will also provide development support for the as-yet-untitled title.
The next Tomb Raider game will be a single-player, story-driven adventure that continues Lara Croft’s story. Crystal Dynamics is using Unreal Engine 5 to develop the game, which the company claims will be the “biggest, most expansive Tomb Raider game yet.”
