| Tomb Raider | |
|---|---|
 TheTomb Raider logo from 2022 onwards | |
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Developer(s) |
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| Publisher(s) |
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| Platform(s) | Various
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| First release | Tomb Raider 25 October 1996 |
| Latest release | Tomb Raider IV–VI Remastered 14 February 2025 |
Tomb Raider, known asLara Croft: Tomb Raider from 2001 to 2008, is amedia franchise that originated with anaction-adventure video game series created by British video game developerCore Design. The franchise is currently owned byCDE Entertainment; it was formerly owned byEidos Interactive, then bySquare Enix Europe after Square Enix's acquisition of Eidos in 2009 untilEmbracer Group purchased the intellectual property alongside Eidos in 2022. The franchise focuses on the fictional British archaeologistLara Croft, who travels around the world searching for lost artefacts and infiltrating dangerous tombs and ruins. Gameplay generally focuses on exploration, solving puzzles, navigating hostile environments filled with traps, and fighting enemies. Additional media has been developed for the franchise in the form offilm adaptations,comics andnovels.
Development of the firstTomb Raider began in 1994; it was released two years later. Its critical and commercial success prompted Core Design to develop a new game annually for the next four years, which put a strain on staff. The sixth game,Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, faced difficulties during development and was considered a failure at release. This prompted Eidos to switch development duties toCrystal Dynamics, which has been the series' primary developer since. Other developers have contributed to spin-off titles andports of mainline entries.
TheTomb Raider series had sold over 100 million units worldwide by 2024,[1] while the entire franchise generated close to $1.2 billion in revenue by 2002.[2] The series has received generally positive reviews from critics, and Lara Croft became one of the most recognisable video game characters, winning accolades and earning places on theWalk of Game andGuinness World Records.
| 1996 | Tomb Raider |
|---|---|
| 1997 | Tomb Raider II |
| 1998 | Tomb Raider III |
| 1999 | Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation |
| 2000 | Tomb Raider |
| Tomb Raider: Chronicles | |
| 2001 | Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword |
| 2002 | Tomb Raider: The Prophecy |
| 2003 | Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness |
| 2004–2005 | |
| 2006 | Tomb Raider: Legend |
| 2007 | Tomb Raider: Anniversary |
| 2008 | Tomb Raider: Underworld |
| 2009 | |
| 2010 | Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light |
| 2011–2012 | |
| 2013 | Tomb Raider |
| 2014 | Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris |
| 2015 | Lara Croft: Relic Run |
| Lara Croft Go | |
| Rise of the Tomb Raider | |
| 2016–2017 | |
| 2018 | Shadow of the Tomb Raider |
| 2019–2022 | |
| 2023 | Tomb Raider Reloaded |
| The Lara Croft Collection | |
| 2024 | Tomb Raider I–III Remastered |
| 2025 | Tomb Raider IV–VI Remastered |
The first sixTomb Raider games were developed by Core Design, a British video game development company owned byEidos Interactive. After the sixth game in the series was released to a mixed reception in 2003, development was transferred to American studioCrystal Dynamics, who have handled the main series since.[3] Since 2001, other developers have contributed either to ports of mainline games or with the development of spin-off titles.[3][4][5][6][7][8]
Tomb Raider, the first entry in the series, was released in 1996 forpersonal computers (PC),PlayStation andSega Saturn consoles.[9][10] The Saturn and PlayStation versions were released in Japan in 1997.[11][12] Its sequel,Tomb Raider II, launched in 1997, again for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation. A month before release, Eidos finalised a deal with Sony Computer Entertainment to keep the console version ofTomb Raider II and future games exclusive to PlayStation until the year 2000.[9][10] The PlayStation version was released in Japan in 1998.[13]Tomb Raider III launched in 1998.[10] As withTomb Raider II, the PlayStation version released in Japan the following year.[14]
The fourth consecutive title in the series,Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, released in 1999. In 2000, with the end of the PlayStation exclusivity deal, the game also released on theDreamcast.[9][15] In Japan, both console versions released the following year.[16][17]Tomb Raider: Chronicles released in 2000 on the same platforms asThe Last Revelation, with the PlayStation version's Japanese release as before coming the following year.[9][15][18] After a three-year gap,Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness was released on Microsoft Windows andPlayStation 2 (PS2) in 2003. The PlayStation 2 version was released in Japan that same year.[15][19]
The next entry,Tomb Raider: Legend, was released worldwide in 2006 for the Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2,Xbox,Xbox 360,PlayStation Portable (PSP),GameCube,Game Boy Advance (GBA) andNintendo DS.[8][20][21] The Xbox 360, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable versions were released in Japan the same year.[22] A year later, a remake of the first game titledTomb Raider: Anniversary was released worldwide in 2007 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360 and theWii.[23] The next entry,Tomb Raider: Underworld, was released in 2008 on Microsoft Windows,PlayStation 3 (PS3), PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Wii and DS.[24][25][26] The PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360 and Wii versions were released in Japan in 2009.[27][28][29][30]
In 2011,The Tomb Raider Trilogy was released for PlayStation 3 as a compilation release that includedAnniversary andLegend remastered in HD resolution, along with the PlayStation 3 version ofUnderworld. The disc includes avatars for PlayStation Home, a Theme Pack, new Trophies, Developer's Diary videos for the three games, and trailers forLara Croft and the Guardian of Light as bonus content.
A reboot of the series, titledTomb Raider, was released worldwide in 2013 forMicrosoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.[31][32] Its sequel,Rise of the Tomb Raider, was released in 2015 on the Xbox 360 andXbox One.[33][34] The game was part of a timed exclusivity deal with Microsoft.[35] Versions for thePlayStation 4 andMicrosoft Windows were released in 2016.[36] Another sequel,Shadow of the Tomb Raider,[37] was released worldwide onPlayStation 4,Xbox One, andMicrosoft Windows in 2018.[38] An arcade game based on this incarnation was released byBandai Namco Amusement in Europe in 2018.[39]
Core Design developed two Game Boy Colour titles in the early 2000s. The first, a side-scrolling game simply titledTomb Raider was released in 2000.[7][40] The second, its sequel,Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword, was released in 2001.[7][41] A Game Boy Advance title calledTomb Raider: The Prophecy was released in 2002. Unlike the first two Game Boy titles, this was developed byUbi Soft Milan and published byUbi Soft, adopting an isometric perspective and moving away from the side-scrolling platform-based gameplay.[7][42]
From 2010 to 2015, a subseries simply titledLara Croft was in development at Crystal Dynamics, with different gameplay than the main series and existing in its own continuity.[43][44] The first game,Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, was released in 2010 as a downloadable title for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.[43] It was followed byLara Croft and the Temple of Osiris, released for retail and download in 2014 for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.[45] Both titles were released in a compilation entitledThe Lara Croft Collection forNintendo Switch in 2023.[46] An entry for mobile devices, anendless runner platformer titledLara Croft: Relic Run, was released in 2015.[44] Square Enix Montreal also released a platform-puzzler for mobile devices,Lara Croft Go in 2015.[47]
In 2003, fourTomb Raider titles for mobile phones were released.[48] Developed by Emerald City Games for iOS and Android devices,Tomb Raider Reloaded is an action arcade andfree-to-play game released byCDE Entertainment in 2022.[49] ATomb Raider themed downloadable content expansion forPowerWash Simulator was released for free on 31 January 2023.[50]
The plans for the franchise following the release ofTomb Raider II in 1997 were heavily revised. Initially, an expansion disk was planned forII entitledThe Further Adventures of Lara Croft, which would have been set in India. Some engineering work was conducted for the PlayStation version to allow for a disk swap after launching the base game. A segment from issue 64 ofGamesMaster informally referred to the expansion asTomb Raider 2.5 and stated that it would have seven levels. A full sequel, then billed asTomb Raider III was planned to have a two-year development period and release on the PlayStation 2. This game would have had a remote island setting and a focus on survival, including a need to find food and water. Core Design developer Gavin Rummery has stated that the island setting would not have resembled the 2013 reboot, but rather have been "self-contained". Eidos was initially behind the plan but intended to maintain an annual release schedule, and therefore brought in a new team to handleThe Further Adventures of Lara Croft. Rummery objected on the grounds that splittingTomb Raider out across multiple teams could lead to conflict between the projects, and has stated that it led him to "eventually throw in the towel." Eidos pursued annual releases with the new team. The India setting from the expansion disk was adopted forTomb Raider III, a sequel for the original PlayStation, and the PlayStation 2 title was dropped. Rummery credits the failure ofThe Angel of Darkness in 2003 to burnout of the second team from annual releases, which stemmed from those directional changes in the late 1990s. The details were ultimately revealed by interviews with former staffers conducted forThe Making of Tomb Raider in 2021.[51]
After the release ofThe Angel of Darkness in 2003, Core Design continued working on the franchise for another three years, but both of the projects under development in that period were cancelled. A sequel titledThe Lost Dominion was undergoing preliminary development that year, but the negative reception ofThe Angel of Darkness caused it and a wider trilogy to be scrapped.[9][52] With Eidos's approval, Core Design then began development of an updated edition of the first game for the PSP calledTomb Raider: 10th Anniversary in late 2005, with a projected release date of Christmas 2006. Development continued while other Core Design staff were working on the platformerFree Running. When Core Design was sold toRebellion Developments in June 2006,[53] Eidos requested the project's cancellation. It was suggested by staff that Eidos did not want to let outside developers handle the franchise.[54][55] AnIndiana Jones "reskin" of the game was never completed, andFree Running was ultimately the studio's final title in 2007. Core Design—by then named Rebellion Derby—shut down in 2010. A January 2006 build of10th Anniversary was leaked online in 2020, and remains available on theInternet Archive.[56][57][58]
Lara Croft is the main protagonist and playable character of the video game series. She travels around the world in search of many forgotten artefacts and locations, frequently connected to supernatural powers.[61][62][63] While her biography has changed throughout the series, her shared traits are her origins as the only daughter and heir of the aristocratic Croft family.[61][64][65] She is portrayed as intelligent, athletic, elegant, fluent in multiple languages, and determined to fulfil her own goals at any cost. She has brown eyes and brown hair worn in abraid orponytail. The character's classic outfit consists of a turquoise singlet, light brown shorts, calf-high boots, and tall white socks. Recurring accessories include fingerless gloves, a backpack, a utility belt with holsters on either side, and twin pistols. Later games have multiple new outfits for her.[60][66][67][68]
Lara Croft has been voiced by five actresses in the video game series:Shelley Blond, Judith Gibbins, Jonell Elliott,Keeley Hawes, andCamilla Luddington. In other media, Croft was also voiced byMinnie Driver in the animated series and portrayed byAngelina Jolie andAlicia Vikander in feature films. Multiple models and body doubles have portrayed Croft in promotional material until thereboot in 2013. Eight different real-life models have portrayed her at promotional events.[69][70]
In January 2023,The Hollywood Reporter reported thatPhoebe Waller-Bridge was set to write a TV show adaptation[71] of the video game franchise forAmazon. It was also reported that this would involve a tie-in video game and film in an interconnected universe, likened to theMarvel Cinematic Universe.[72]
The circumstances of her first adventures, along with the drive behind her adventures, differ depending on the continuity. In the original continuities, she is on a plane that crashes in the Himalayas: her journey back to civilization against the odds help to begin her journey towards her adult life as an adventuress and treasure hunter.[61][64] In the original continuity, after her ordeal in the Himalayas, she left behind her privileged life and made a living writing about her exploits as an adventurer, mercenary, and cat burglar. Shortly after these books she was disowned by her family.[73][74] InThe Last Revelation, Lara was caught in a collapsing pyramid at the game's end, leaving her fate unknown: this was because the staff, exhausted from four years of non-stop development, wanted to move on from the character.[69]Chronicles was told through a series of flashbacks at a wake for Lara, whileThe Angel of Darkness was set an unspecified time afterThe Last Revelation, with Lara revealed to have survived. The circumstances of her survival were originally part of the game but were cut due to time constraints and the pushing of the publisher Eidos.[69][75]
In theLegend continuity, her mother Amelia was involved in the crash, and she is partially driven by the need to discover the truth behind her mother's disappearance and vindicate her father's theories about Amelia's disappearance.[76] This obsession with the truth is present inAnniversary, and ends up bringing the world to the brink of destruction during the events ofUnderworld.[77][78] Her father is referred to as Lord Henshingly Croft in the original games and Lord Richard Croft in theLegend continuity.[61][64] TheLara Croft subseries take place within their own separate continuity, devoting itself to adventures similar to earlier games while the main series goes in a different stylistic direction.[44]
In the 2013 reboot continuity, Lara's mother vanished at an early age, and her father became obsessed with finding the secrets of immortality, eventually resulting in an apparent suicide. Lara distanced herself from her father's memory, believing like many others that his obsession had caused him to go mad. After studying at university, Lara gets an opportunity to work on an archaeology program, in the search for the mythic kingdom ofYamatai. The voyage to find the kingdom results in a shipwreck on an island, which is later discovered to be Yamatai, but the island is also home to savage bandits, who were victims of previous wrecks. Lara's attempts to find a way off the island lead her to discover that the island itself is stopping them from leaving, which she discovered is linked to the still-living soul of the Sun QueenHimiko. Lara tries to find a way to banish the spirit of the sun queen in order to get home. The aftermath of the events of the game causes Lara to see that her father was right, and that she had needlessly distanced herself from him. She decides to finish his work, and uncover the mysteries of the world. The game's sequels portray Lara Croft in conflict with an ancient organization Trinity, in their quest to obtain supernatural items for their world domination.
The gameplay ofTomb Raider is primarily based around anaction-adventure framework, with Lara navigating environments and solving mechanical and environmental puzzles, in addition to fighting enemies and avoiding traps. These puzzles, primarily set within ancient tombs and temples, can extend across multiple rooms and areas within a level. Lara can swim through water, a rarity in games at the time that has continued through the series.[20][69][79][80] According to original software engineer and later studio manager Gavin Rummery, the original set-up of interlinking rooms was inspired by Egyptian multi-roomed tombs, particularly thetomb of Tutankhamun.[69] The feel of the gameplay was intended to evoke that of the 1989 video gamePrince of Persia.[81] In the original games, Lara utilised a "bulldozer" steering set-up, with two buttons pushing her forward and back and two buttons steering her left and right, and in combat Lara automatically locked onto enemies when they came within range. The camera automatically adjusts depending on Lara's action, but defaults to a third-person perspective in most instances. This basic formula remained unchanged through the first series of games.Angel of Darkness added stealth elements.[79][80][82][83]
ForLegend, the control scheme and character movement was redesigned to provide a smooth and fluid experience. One of the key elements present was how buttons for different actions cleanly transitioned into different actions, along with these moves being incorporated into combat to create effects such as stunning or knocking down enemies. Quick-time events were added into certain segments within each level, and many of the puzzles were based around sophisticated in-game physics.[20][69][84][85]Anniversary, while going through the same locales of the original game, was rebuilt using the gameplay and environmental puzzles ofLegend.[86] ForUnderworld, the gameplay was redesigned around a phrase the staff had put to themselves: "What Could Lara Do?". Using this set-up, they created a greater variety of moves and greater interaction with the environment, along with expanding and improving combat.[87]
The gameplay underwent another major change for the 2013 reboot. Gameplay altered from progression through linear levels to navigating an open world, with hunting for supplies and upgrading equipment and weapons becoming a key part of gameplay, yet tombs were mostly optional, and platforming was less present in comparison to combat. The combat was redesigned to be similar to theUncharted series: the previous reticle-based lock-on mechanics were replaced by a free-roaming aim.[88]Rise of the Tomb Raider built on the 2013 reboot's foundation, adding dynamic weather systems, reintroducing swimming, and increasing the prevalence of non-optional tombs with more platforming elements.[89]
The concept forTomb Raider originated in 1994 at Core Design, a British game development studio.[90] One of the people involved in its creation wasToby Gard, who was mostly responsible for creating the character of Lara Croft. Gard originally envisioned the character as a man: company co-founder Jeremy Heath-Smith was worried the character would be seen as derivative ofIndiana Jones, so Gard changed the character's gender. Her design underwent multiple revisions and redrafts during early development.[3][69] The game proved an unexpected commercial success, reversing Eidos' then-bleak financial situation.[10] After the success ofTomb Raider, work began on a sequel. Gard was no longer given creative control of the character, and it was stated by development staff that he was both saddened and disappointed by the use of Lara Croft's sex appeal in marketing. Gard left Core Design in 1997, alongsideTomb Raider co-creator Paul Douglas, to found their own gaming companyConfounding Factor.[10][69][91]
The remaining team members, alongside new arrivals, would work on the sequelTomb Raider II which released a year after the original game and proved as big a commercial success.[92] The development team were burned out by release due to theextreme crunch policy at Core Design.[51] The vision for the franchise in late 1997 involved an expansion pack forTomb Raider II, entitledThe Further Adventures of Lara Croft, followed by asurvival game calledTomb Raider III to be released two or three years later for thePlayStation 2. Eidos were initially behind this direction, but later were driven by a desire to have annual releases for the Christmas window. This led them to request that a second team be created to develop an expanded version ofThe Further Adventures and release that asTomb Raider III in the interim. The decision was not communicated to the original team, which learned of the move only whenTomb Raider III was publicly announced as a 1998 title for the original PlayStation. They were exhausted and withdrew from the PlayStation 2 project in response, which was soon cancelled. TheTomb Raider II team did not work on the franchise again, with some team members going on to work onProject Eden.[51]
Going forwards the franchise would be worked on by a new team. With Eidos' new vision for the franchise they would aim for annual releases. Core Design's policy at the time involved years-long crunch periods, which placed strain on them and ultimately led to similar burnout.[51][92] For this reason, and the feeling that they had exhausted the series' potential, the team tried to kill off Lara at the end of the fourth game,The Last Revelation.[93] Eidos insisted that the series continue,[92] and soChronicles was developed by the Tomb Raider team while an additional group made preparations for the transition to PlayStation 2 withThe Angel of Darkness.[52] TheChronicles team strongly disliked being forced to continue the franchise, with the lead animator enjoying creating new death animations for Lara on that basis.[94] The game was poorly received, with reviewers suggesting the series was growing stale.[95] During this period, multiple handheld titles were developed by both Core Design and third-party developers.[7][15]
The production ofThe Angel of Darkness was beset by problems from an early stage, with the team wanting to create a grander game to compete with contemporary action-adventure games. When theChronicles team came back over to work onThe Angel of Darkness, they found that production had completely "gone off the rails", with the entire project having been scrapped and restarted once already.[52] Under pressure from Eidos, key sections of the game needed to be cut, and it was released before the team felt it was ready.[52][69] It also suffered from crunch and burnout.[51] The game received negative reactions from critics, and was cited byParamount as the reason for thesecondTomb Raider film underperforming.[52][69][80][96]
While development of the next titleLegend moved to Crystal Dynamics, Core Design continued to work on the franchise. A remake of the original game forPlayStation Portable was in development there, entitled10th Anniversary. While Eidos had been averse to furtherTomb Raider titles from the group, their recent purchase by SCi meant that the decision would now be made by the new parent company, and they were in favour. By 2006 the title was nearly finished, but after Crystal Dynamics sent a demo to SCi showing the first level ofLegend running on PSP,10th Anniversary was cancelled and Crystal Dynamics were charged with making a remake of the original instead. One of the key reasons for this was the fact that Crystal Dynamics had stronger capabilities to do a cross-platform launch. The decision "went down like a cup of cold sick" at Core Design. The studio attempted to reskin the title as aNational Treasure orIndiana Jones game in the wake of the decision, but these did not come to fruition. The loss of theTomb Raider IP was a factor in the studio's closure several years later.[97][98]
After the critical backlash againstThe Angel of Darkness, Eidos decided to take production of theTomb Raider series out of Core Design's hands and give it to another subsidiary studio. Production of the next game was given to Crystal Dynamics in 2003, a studio that had made its name with theLegacy of Kain series.[80][99][100] Eidos CEOIan Livingstone stated that while the critical failure ofThe Angel of Darkness was a major reason for taking the series away from Core Design, the decision was motivated by their inordinate struggles with developing for the PlayStation 2, and by how many members of the Core team had complained that they were "burnt out" onTomb Raider. He added that "for a UK company, moving the development of its prized asset from Derby to California was a big decision to make but, as it turned out, absolutely the right one to make".[92] One of the main priorities for both Eidos and Crystal Dynamics was to regain the fanbase's trust in the brand, along with helping the series reclaim the status and selling power it had beforeThe Angel of Darkness' release.[101] Their main goal was to put Lara back inside tombs, with their physics-based engine enabling more intricate puzzles.[84]Legend was well received, and was the first game in a rebooted trilogy.[102][103] AfterLegend was finished, the team decided to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the series by remaking the original game, rebuilding the environments and redesigning the story to fit in with the events and gameplay ofLegend.[68][69] Alongside the development ofAnniversary, an entry forseventh-generation hardware was in development, although it used established gaming architecture fromLegend and this caused problems for the development team.[104] This released asTomb Raider: Underworld in 2008.
In 2009, the year after the release ofUnderworld, Eidos was bought by Square Enix and later renamedSquare Enix Europe, giving Square Enix ownership of theTomb Raider franchise.[105][106] Development of Tomb Raider remained with Crystal Dynamics, now under the new structure. A new subseries began in 2010, billed simply asLara Croft rather thanTomb Raider while using the aesthetics of theLegend continuity.[43] The first of these wasLara Croft and the Guardian of Light, followed byLara Croft and the Temple of Osiris in 2014. From 2015 the subseries aimed at the mobile format withRelic Run,[45][107] and laterLara Croft Go which received critical acclaim.[108]
During this period, a second development team was working on a second reboot of the series and character, which put emphasis on a darker and grittier interpretation of the character.[59][109] Another priority was presenting Lara as a more human character, putting her in vulnerable situations, and showing how she begins her journey to becoming a "tomb raider" through both narrative and gameplay.[110] The reboot, simply entitledTomb Raider, was met with critical acclaim at launch in 2013, and became the start of the "Survivor Trilogy".[111][112] A sequel, eventually revealed asRise of the Tomb Raider, was in development a few months after the reboot's release.[33][113] In response to criticisms about a lack of classic tombs, more optional and story-based tombs were incorporated into the game.[114] It continued the team's new portrayal of Lara, showing more sides to her character and her growing obsession with discovering the truth.[63] In 2018,Shadow of the Tomb Raider was released to coincide with a new film starringAlicia Vikander as Lara Croft, simply titledTomb Raider, taking heavy inspiration from the 2013 game of the same name.[115][116]Shadow was developed byEidos-Montréal as Crystal Dynamics completedMarvel's Avengers, though Crystal would provide secondary support. The game concluded Lara's origin story. A "Definitive Edition", featuring all 7 DLCs forShadow was released in November 2019.[117]
Following the conclusion of the Survivor trilogy, both Crystal Dynamics and Eidos-Montréal were busy with Marvel properties, and so there were no furtherTomb Raider games for several years. In Crystal Dynamics' case, continued support forMarvel's Avengers lasted until 2023.[118] While there were no new games in this period, the franchise was active via other avenues. In 2021,Legendary Television and DJ2 Entertainment announced ananime series set after the events ofShadow of the Tomb Raider forNetflix.[119] The series' title was revealed asTomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft and it was released in October 2024.[120] A great many crossovers with other video game franchises were held in the early 2020s, with an article fromFandom Wire identifying 14 franchises that received crossovers, ranging fromFall Guys toDead by Daylight. These were generally in the form of cosmetic additions or through Lara appearing as a playable character.[121]
Embracer Group purchased a number ofSquare Enix Europe assets in May 2022 for$300 million, including Crystal Dynamics and theTomb Raider franchise.[122][123] The studio announced the next mainTomb Raider title in 2022 as a game that would "unify the timelines", and combine elements from all three series, including the work of Core Design. In this timeline, Lara would be a seasoned adventurer.[124] This instalment will useUnreal Engine 5,[125] and will be published byAmazon Games.[126]Tomb Raider Reloaded, a mobile game, was published bySquare Enix London Mobile in 2023.[127]Tomb Raider was only briefly under Embracer Group, as the company suffered from over-expansion and announced in 2024 that it was to split into three companies; the IP is to be held byMiddle-earth Enterprises after it completes its separation.[128][129]
The period also saw a number of re-releases in the form of collected editions and remasters.Feral Interactive's Lara Croft spin-offs were re-released asThe Lara Croft Collection for Nintendo Switch in 2023.[130]Aspyr released remasters of all six Core Design titles across two collections asTomb Raider I–III Remastered andTomb Raider IV–VI Remastered in 2024 and 2025. The remasters were made available forNintendo Switch,PlayStation 4,PlayStation 5,Windows,Xbox One, andXbox Series X/S.[131][132] The Core Design games were also re-released in their original form forEvercade across two cartridges, withTomb Raider Collection 1 covering the first three games, andTomb Raider Collection 2 covering the fourth and fifth. The Evercade re-releases did not includeThe Angel of Darkness.[133][134]
The originalTomb Raider theme was composed byNathan McCree. He created the original theme music after having discussions with Gard about the character of Lara Croft. Having decided to use Classical English music as an inspiration, he decided to create something simple for the theme song. Its simplicity made rearrangements and orchestrations easy. For his work on the first threeTomb Raider games, he was given fairly minimal briefs, and forTomb Raider III he was working on the game as a freelancer as he had left the company.[135][136] ForThe Last Revelation,Peter Connelly replaced Nathan McCree as the main composer, using McCree's music as a basis for his work. He composed the opening theme forThe Last Revelation, saying that the opening melody came to him out of the blue, and added Egyptian motifs to fit in with the game's setting.Chronicles was originally going to have a sizeable original opening theme, but due to time constraints the majority of it ended up being discarded, much to Connelly's later regret. Only the opening segment survived.[137] The music forThe Angel of Darkness, composed by Connelly and Martin Iveson, was the one element of production that did not encounter problems, as recording was finished before the major content cuts happened. Scored using a full orchestra as opposed to the synthesised instruments of previous titles, it was performed by theLondon Symphony Orchestra.[52][137]
ForLegend,Troels Brun Folmann composed the music and managed the sound effects. Alongside composing a large amount of music for the game, he created micro-scores for small segments within gameplay.[138] Folmann returned to scoreAnniversary, doing re-orchestrations of the original score, along with expanding them.[69] ForUnderworld, Folmann handled the main theme whileColin O'Malley handled the rest of the soundtrack, which featured far less looping music thanLegend.[139] The 2013 reboot was scored byJason Graves, who had become known through his work on theDead Space franchise. Along with his orchestral style, he created a special instrument to create discordant sounds within the music, and musical elements from around the globe to represent the inhabitants of the game's island location.[140][141] ForRise of the Tomb Raider, the composer wasBobby Tahouri, who had previously worked as assistant composer on video games and theatrical films.[142]Guardian of Light used no original music, instead using extracts from the music ofLegend,Anniversary andUnderworld.[143] The music forTemple of Osiris was written by Will Roget II, who had originally worked on licensed video games includingStar Wars: The Old Republic.Temple of Osiris was the first title in theLara Croft subseries to have an original score, using Egyptian and Middle Eastern musical elements while creating a new main theme that could be used in futureLara Croft games.[144]
Over the lifetime of the franchise, four custom proprietary game engines have been built to support the main titles.Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) was the final main series title to use a proprietary engine, as the franchise is now moving toUnreal Engine 5. The change reflects a wider industry shift in recent years away from proprietary engines.[145][146]
The firstTomb Raider used a custom-built game engine, as other equivalent engines available to Core Design at the time were not versatile enough to realise the team's vision. The engine was designed by Paul Douglas, who handled the game'sartificial intelligence (AI) and the three-dimensional (3D) graphics. The choice of a 3D game was influenced by the team's opinion that the game type was under-represented when compared tofirst-person shooters such asDoom. Its 3D style meant multiple elements were difficult to implement, including the AI and camera control. Another noted aspect was the multi-layered levels, as compared to equivalent 3D action-adventure games of the time which were limited to a flat-floor system. Lara's movements were hand-animated and coordinated rather than created usingmotion capture. The reason for this was that the team wanted uniformity in her movement, which was not possible with motion capture technology of the time.[81] ForTomb Raider II, minor upgrades were made to the engine, with the main improvements being to the AI and smoothing out Lara's model.[83]Tomb Raider III underwent major revisions, including rewrites to the graphics engine and improvements in the lighting and AI systems.[147] The engine was given a major overhaul forThe Last Revelation. The first five games make use of full-motion video cutscenes. For the first three games, they were primarily used as transitional periods depicting Lara moving from one level to another or one location to another.[148][149] ForChronicles, fairly minor revisions were made.[48][150]
ForThe Angel of Darkness, a new engine was built from scratch, but due to being unfamiliar and unused to the technology of the PS2, the team encountered multiple problems such as needing to remove areas and characters due to polygon restrictions. Due to the deadlines imposed, the team were forced to cut corners, meaning that the game reached store shelves in a poor condition.[52]
ForLegend, the staff at Crystal Dynamics created a proprietary engine from the ground up, named the Crystal Engine.[20][151] The engine and the game's content were developed in parallel, leading to scheduling and workload difficulties.[20]Anniversary used the same engine asLegend.[152]Underworld used a new engine built specifically for the game, although its basic codebase was shared withLegend. The group of developers who were working on this new engine were not tied specifically to theUnderworld project, but rather shared by other projects, and this led to issues of prioritisation and communication. There were also problems with complicateddependencies and over-ambition.[104][153] InUnderworld, Lara's movements were animated using full motion capture, with Olympic gymnast Heidi Moneymaker providing the character's animations.[154]
For the 2013 reboot, an updated version of the Crystal engine called Foundation was created for the game.[155][failed verification] Motion capture was again used for this title.[156] An updated version of the Foundation engine was used again forRise of the Tomb Raider.[157] Lara's hair movements were made more realistic using a technology calledTressFX inTomb Raider and PureHair inRise of the Tomb Raider.[158] The Foundation engine remained in use for the third entry in the reboot series,Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and featured new graphical enhancements from developerEidos-Montréal.[159]
Both the character of Lara Croft and the concepts behind theTomb Raider franchise have evolved thematically and in popularity since the first game's release in 1996.[160] The success of the game series led to several commercial tie-ins that further catapulted to cultural icon status,[161] including feature spin-off games, feature films, and comics.[162]
Upon release,Tomb Raider became an unexpected success, reaching the top of sales charts and remaining for a time. It went on to sell over 7 million units worldwide.[69][80]Tomb Raider II was a greater commercial success, with debut sales higher than the first game and total worldwide sales of 8 million units.[10][80] Despite varying critical receptions, series sales continued to be strong until the release ofChronicles, which sold 1.5 million units.[80] WhileThe Angel of Darkness met with initial strong sales, it failed to meet expectations. Since the release ofLegend, the series has picked up in terms of sales, popularity,[31] and critical acclaim.[163] The 2013reboot sold 11 million units, becoming the most commercially successfulTomb Raider title to date.[164][165] As of 2021, the series has sold over 85 million units worldwide.[166] In addition to the games' success, the2001 film adaptation grossed $275 million, making it the highest-grossing video game adaptation until being overtaken in 2010 byPrince of Persia: The Sands of Time.[167] Additionally, the firstTomb Raider comic book issue was the best-selling comic book of 1999[168] and the 2001 film adaptation had the biggest opening weekend (US$47.7m) for an action film with a female lead sinceAliens in 1986.[167]
Multiple video game journalists, includingElectronic Gaming Monthly's Crispin Boyer in 1997 andEurogamer's Martyn Carroll in 2008, have cited the series as a pioneer in the medium, both laying the foundations for and popularising action-adventure and platforming games. Carrol credited the series for bringing video gaming out into the cultural mainstream.[80][83][169][170] In a different article, Eurogamer citedThe Angel of Darkness as a pioneer of mixing different video game genres.[171] The public's reactions to the series over the years have conversely had a profound effect upon the series' direction and identity, as noted in a 2008 review of the series' history byDevelop.[31] In 2006,Tomb Raider was voted one of Britain's top 10 designs in the Great British Design Quest organised by theBBC and theDesign Museum. The game appeared in a list of British design icons which includedConcorde,Mini,World Wide Web,Grand Theft Auto,K2 telephone box,London tube map,AEC Routemaster bus, and theSupermarine Spitfire.[172][173] In 2020,Tomb Raider featured on aseries of UK postage stamps issued by theRoyal Mail to celebrate classic UK video games.[174][175]
The character of Lara Croft has similarly enjoyed popularity, standing out during her initial appearance in the male-dominated video game market, and continuing to stand out throughout the series' history.[31][69][80][169][170][176] After her debut in 1996, Lara Croft was featured on the front cover of British culture magazineThe Face, a position previously held by real-life celebrities. She similarly was featured in Irish rock bandU2'sPopMart Tour.[69][170] The character was inducted onto theWalk of Game in 2006,[177] and earned multiple mentions in theGuinness World Records: she was recognised as the "most successful human video game heroine" in 2006, and earned six awards in 2010. As part of the latter honours,Guinness World Records editor Gaz Deaves said that the character "epitomises all that's great about video gaming".[178][179] In an article for1UP.com, Jeremy Parish said that Lara's sex appeal was the main draw for early fans, a facet Eidos exploited for marketing and attempted to emulate in other products. He cited other writers' statements that her popularity stemmed from player empathy with her ability to survive tough situations, alongside contrasting against weaker female characters such asPrincess Peach.[170] However, alongside this praise, she has divided opinion as to her character design and consequent sexuality: she is both hailed as an empowering figure for women and a negative role model due to her hyper-sexualized and unrealistic appearance.[69]
The animated series is set to debut in 2024.
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