Core Design vs. Crystal Dynamics

Tomb Raider slowly declined in good reviews, with the 2003 release of "Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness" taking the hit. Many game related websites & magazines, such as IGN and Gamespot criticised the Playstation 2 version of the game more then the PC version, due to its problems with practically every part of the gameplay, which left its audience disappointed. According to a Wikipedia article on Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness:

"The game received mediocre reception from critics, receiving a 5.3/10 from IGN and a 6.5 from GameSpot, with an overall GameRankings score of 56% for the PS2 version. The Metacritic review site stated that PS2 version of Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness has met with "mixed or average reviews",[1] while the PC version received "generally negative reviews".[2]. Reviewers praised the improved graphics, sound and the environments, while they criticized large amount of bugs, control system, combat system, camera, steep system requirements etc."

Due to the failure and lack of positive attention, Eidos announced that following a poor review of both the Tomb Raider franchise and Core Design, the first developer behind the gaming series, development on further Tomb Raider titles were moved to the hands of another studio Crystal Dynamics, in the US. Originally Core Design is widely known for the Tomb Raider series, created by Toby Gard and Paul Howard Douglas, which as we know was released in 1996, followed by several sequels. The success of Tomb Raider and its subsequent sequels played a huge part in keeping Eidos Interactive financially solvent until the release of Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness. As Eidos made their final decision on how Tomb Raider would be handled for now on, this prompted three key members of the Core Design team and several others to leave the company and establish a game development team of their own, Circle Studio. Even the founder of Core Design departed due to the downfall of the latest Tomb Raider title which also threatened to damage Eidos even further financially, according to this statement:

"The move also followed the departure of Core founder Jeremy Heath-Smith from the boards of both Core and Eidos shortly after the launch of the long-delayed and critically panned title, which threatened to damage Eidos' full year results as its release date slipped marginally past the June 30 financial year-end. However, Eidos has now confirmed that all but 500,000 units of the title shipped within the June quarter, and the publisher expects to meet its original expectations for operating profit (pre goodwill) in the financial year to June '03".

The future for Core Design, however, looked unsure of, as without Lara Croft-or the founder Jeremy Heath-Smith, there's a question mark over the worth of the studio to Eidos. This must have been rather depressing for Core Design, knowing that Lara Croft, Tomb Raider and all other assets that go along with the game were going to be removed from them and given to a "better" developer to take care of for the sake of Eidos, throughout the entire time true Lara Croft creator Toby Gard was hardly ever mentioned as he left Core Design a long time ago. Other titles from the studio in the past few years had underperformed at retail, and Eidos' statement on the matter didn't inspire confidence, stating only that "the Company will now be evaluating the Core Design studio's on-going direction and contribution as part of the Group's overall development capabilities."

(Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness, developed by Core Design-2003)

(Tomb Raider: Legend, developed by Crystal Dynamics-2006)

Definitely a difference in just three years on how Lara Croft has been portrayed by either developer. Crystal Dynamics have made her seem more "realistic".

According to Paramount Pictures, the negative reviews Angel of Darkness recieved affected the 2003 opening sequel to the first Tomb Raider film, "Cradle of Life". The blame was slapped on to Core Design, Eidos now had only one hope left that Crystal Dynamics could possibly turn Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider franchise around, regaining back it's popularity and positive outcomes financially. As Crystal Dynamics are behind the latest "Legacy of Kain" games which have been critically acclaimed and given sufficient creative freedom, Tomb Raider stood a chance.

The Tomb Raider franchise took another battering when Paramount Pictures blamed the poor quality of Angel of Darkness for dismal opening weekend figures for the latest Tomb Raider movie, Cradle of Life, in the USA. However, the move to Crystal Dynamics may inject new life into the brand; the company's Legacy of Kain games have been critically acclaimed, and given sufficient creative freedom, there are certainly great things that could be done with Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider franchise.All original plans for the series were dropped from Core Design and passed on to Crystal Dynamics, who gave us Tomb Raider: Legend, Anniversary and Underworld.

[Resources]:

[1]-http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/eidos-moves-tomb-raider-away-from-core

[2]-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Core_Design