What you need to know
- Earlier in 2022, Square Enix sold its western studios and much of the IP, including Crystal Dynamics and Tomb Raider, to Embracer Group.
- Crystal Dynamics previously revealed that it was working on a new Tomb Raider game using Unreal Engine 5.
- The new Tomb Raider game will be published by Amazon Games.
It may be a while before Lara Croft's next adventure is playable, but we now know that it will have a new publisher.
Developer Crystal Dynamics shared on Thursday that the next Tomb Raider game is being published by Amazon Games. The game, which was previously confirmed to be in development using Unreal Engine 5, is a multiplatform single-player experience. This yet-unnamed title is still early in development and does not have a release window.
This comes after Crystal Dynamics and other western Square Enix Studios were purchased by the growing conglomerate Embracer Group earlier in the year, with IP such as Tomb Raider and Deus Ex included in the sale.
“Crystal Dynamics has an extraordinary opportunity following our acquisition by Embracer to redefine what a publishing relationship is for Tomb Raider,” said Scot Amos, head of studio at 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.
"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 Games is branching out as a publisher, having published Lost Ark in 2021, while recently being announced as the publisher for Bandai Namco's upcoming Blue Protocol. In addition to working on a new Tomb Raider game, Crystal Dynamics is continuing to aid The Initiative and Xbox Game Studios on the upcoming spy shooter Perfect Dark.
Windows Central's take
Amazon Games is pivoting to quickly position itself as a third-party publisher, which makes sense. It is curious that Embracer Group wouldn't want a big IP like Tomb Raider published through one of its internal labels, though perhaps the support being offered by Amazon was too good to pass up.
The film rights for the Tomb Raider franchise are currently in a bidding war, but if Amazon can get ahold of them, it would make sense to push for media synergy across games and Prime Video.
