At the end of 2022, Crystal Dynamics—now owned by Embracer—announced that it had begun development on a new Tomb Raider game in partnership with Amazon.
Fans have long speculated that the new game is in trouble, since we haven’t heard anything about the project other than rumours, like Croft heading up a new generation of tomb raiders tasked with protecting the historical integrity of artefacts.
Those worries were only compounded yesterday when Kotaku senior reporter Ethan Gach claimed on BlueSky that the studio is “struggling with Tomb Raider” right now.
While he didn’t give any further details, a financial report from Embracer revealed earlier this year that a triple-A project in development by the studio had been delayed to FY 2026/27, and that Crystal Dynamics had “recently signed an agreement with an external partner for one of its largest IPs”. It’s heavily speculated that the project in reference is Tomb Raider, which would line up with claims that the team is “struggling”.
Is Tomb Raider In The Late Stages Of Development?
It was also widely reported in May earlier this year that the new Tomb Raider had entered the late stages of development, based on a job listing “looking for a seasoned designer”. But these reports may have misconstrued the position’s role, and what it means for the project.
The studio was hiring for a strike team, which is a short-term, cross-discipline group of developers who focus on a specific area of the game. But as we explained at the time, they aren’t always used towards the end of development.
The last mainline Tomb Raider game was released in 2018, around seven years ago.
While often the case, especially as developers dropping all responsibilities to focus on one area can lead to crossed wires and confusion of authority, strike teams are also invaluable at the end of specific milestones, or in tackling a high-priority issue. Given that the game appears to have been internally delayed, this is likely what the strike team was for.
Tomb Raider
- Released
-
November 14, 1996
- ESRB
-
T For Teen // Animated Blood, Violence
- Developer(s)
-
Core Design, Aspyr
- Publisher(s)
-
Eidos Interactive
- Engine
-
Crystal Engine
