Amazon Game Studios Will Be Publishing Crystal Dynamics’ Next Tomb Raider Game
Another man’s trash is another man’s treasure, which in this case is the Tomb Raider franchise. After Square Enix sold off Crystal Dynamics earlier this year and the franchise with it, Amazon Game Studios has swooped in to pick it up and has announced that its working with Crystal Dynamics to develop and publish the next Tomb Raider game.
Amazon has yet to share details about the upcoming game, but it did reveal that it will continue the narrative of the last three Tomb Raider games and that it will be a single-player title. The studio also noted that the game will be launching on multiple platforms and that it’s being developed on Unreal Engine 5.
“It includes all the elements that have made Tomb Raider one of the most revered franchises in gaming,” said Amazon in the official press release, “giving players control of the confident and multidimensional hero Lara Croft in an environment that rewards exploration and creative pathfinding, with mind-bending puzzles to solve, and a wide variety of enemies to face and overcome.”
“Crystal Dynamics is drawing on the power and cutting-edge technology of Unreal Engine 5 to take storytelling to the next level, in the biggest, most expansive Tomb Raider game to date,” the studio added.
With the new publishing agreement and the studio’s recent announcement that it will be publishing the western version of Blue Protocol, it looks like Amazon is moving away from internally developing games in favor of managing them from the sidelines similar to what they’ve been doing with Lost Ark.
“Tomb Raider is one of the most beloved IPs in entertainment history,” said Amazon Games VP Christoph Hartmann. “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. Our team is incredibly excited about collaborating with the talented and visionary Crystal Dynamics team to bring the next chapter of Lara Croft’s saga to players around the world.”
“Crystal Dynamics has an extraordinary opportunity following our acquisition by Embracer to redefine what a publishing relationship is for Tomb Raider,” said Crystal Dynamics Head of Studio Scot Amos. “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. They’re uniquely positioned to rewrite what publishing and development collaborations are, and we’re eager to forge this new path together, starting with building the biggest and best Tomb Raider game yet!”
Amazon promises to share more information at a later date as the game is still in the early stages of development.
