Tomb-Raider
06-11-06, 02:09
'Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition', also known simply as 'Tomb Raider: Anniversary Edition', is the next release of the Tomb Raider series. This is a remake of the original game. It will be released for the PSP, PS2 and the PC. The release date is said to be the end of this year, yet it is still unoficial. This game will include updated graphics, tighter controls and new mechanics, yet still including all the classical levels. There may also be some extra media, such as bigger arsenal of weapons, new secret areas or new outfits.
Tomb Raider Controversy
The news about Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition has been puzzling, to say the least. The latest rumor is that Core and Crystal Dynamics were both making such a game and Core's got 86ed. I've tried to collect all the information I could about the situation and summarize it here, with links. Some tiny speculative observations are made at the end. (Update: A refinement of the conclusions of this article is has been posted.)
The failure of Core-developed Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness in 2003 prompted publisher Eidos to hand control of the franchise to Crystal Dynamics, creators of the Legacy of Kain series of games. Core's role as part of Eidos was to be reevaluated, which some took to mean Core would be sold off. (The sale of Core Design would eventually take place, though not immediately.)
Two years later, in April 2005, Eidos officially announced Tomb Raider: Legend was in development by Crystal Dynamics on several platforms. (Aside: Curmudgeon Gamer review here.) Crystal Dynamics had reportedly replayed and studied all previous Tomb Raider games before beginning work. Eidos also revealed that Toby Gard, one of the original Tomb Raider creators, had been hired as a consultant to guide development.
During this same period, the publisher SCi had just made a bid to buy Eidos. That bid would prove successful, and the stock deal was concluded on 19 May 2005. It might be worth noting that Toby Gard's previous game, Galleon, had been published by SCi.
In June 2005, Bill Gardner was made head of publishing for SCi/Eidos in North America, based in San Fancisco. (Contemporaneous interview with Gardner.) Work presumably continues on Tomb Raider: Legend at Crystal Dynamics, also located in San Francisco. For reference, Core Design is in Derby, UK.
Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition was mentioned for the first time in an SCi financial report at the end of September 2005. Other than the intended platform, the PSP (PlayStation Portable), no details were given. SCi's intentions were reconfirmed in a January 2006 Annual Report (PDF) which again listed Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition for the PSP. A late January 2006 press release said simply that they, presumably a developer under SCi, were "developing a special edition of Tomb Raider to celebrate the Tenth Anniversary of Lara Croft".
In early April 2006, a year after its initial announcement, Tomb Raider: Legend was released for Xbox, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and Windows. (A PSP version was later released on 21 June 2006.) At E3 in May 2006, a port of Tomb Raider: Legend was announced for the Nintendo GameCube, due for release in late 2006. No announcements were made concerning Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition.
An email from an unnamed source appeared on Kotaku on 31 May 2006, reporting the following:
Turns out Eidos/SCi are planning on celebrating Lara's 10th birthday by releasing a remake of her original adventure. We are talking improved graphics, new moves, the lot. If there is time, the "new" game will feature a remake of both Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider II: The Dagger of Xian, but right now the developers are focusing on Lara Croft's first adventure.
Note that the developer is never mentioned, only Eidos and SCi. We do not know at this point whether Core or Crystal Dynamics is leading the project.
About a week later, an unfinished trailer for Tomb Raider: Anniversary Edition (note the missing "10th") appeared online, clearly branded by Core. The PSP game shown in the trailer is clearly the original Tomb Raider, albeit with "improved graphics" and "new moves" as suggested by the email Kotaku had published. This led to speculation that Core, not Crystal Dynamics, had been given the job of bringing this game to market.
But there was a twist: whoever released the video also indicated that the game shown had been cancelled by SCi and Eidos.
The very next day, 8 June 2006, a news item appeared on Core's official site saying that, contrary to reports, they had not been closed and were in fact on the verge of making a very exciting announcement. Earlier rumors had indicated that Core's assets had in fact been sold by Eidos/SCi to Rebellion Entertainment.
In the meantime, someone was pressuring sites like Google Video and YouTube to remove the leaked trailer. A later report on 12 June 2006 at Kotaku indicated that the trailer had evoked "ire" from Eidos.
The nature of the leaked trailer was in part revealed on 15 June 2006 when Core updated its news page with this information:
The video of Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition that appeared on certain sites was an unauthorised release of an internal presentation of a game that was being developed by Core Design until very recently. It was running on PSP and used a Core-developed engine. However, following a recent review this project has been officially cancelled by SCi.
Core was saying a couple of things indirectly: that the game was not based on the Tomb Raider: Legend engine developed by Crystal Dynamics ("Core-developed engine") and that their project had been cancelled. In retrospect, it appears that they were most certainly not saying that Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition had been cancelled, only their project. In fact, the post at Tomb Raider Chronicles on Core's news said that "sources have suggested Crystal Dynamics will continue to press ahead with a Tomb Raider/Tomb Raider II remake with original Lara Croft architect Toby Gard leading the project".
This seemed to be confirmed the very next day, 16 June 2006, with a brief Eidos press release:
Eidos Confirms 10th Anniversary Edition of Tomb Raider
June 16, 2006 - Eidos Interactive, one of the world's leading publishers and developers of entertainment software, confirms today that they are developing a special '10th Anniversary Edition' of Tomb Raider.
The new game is being developed by Crystal Dynamics, who recently launched Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend on Xbox 360, PS2, Xbox, PC and PSP, with versions on Nintendo DS, GBA and GameCube later in 2006.
"Our '10th Anniversary Edition' of Tomb Raider, is a one-off title to celebrate both Lara and Tomb Raider, it will appeal not only to the loyal fans of the Tomb Raider series but will also attract a totally new audience." Said Larry Sparks, Head of Brands Management at Eidos.
Tomb Raider originally launched in 1996 and is still one of the best selling videogame franchises of all time, with over 30 million copies sold.
The special '10th Anniversary Edition' of Tomb Raider will be available on PlayStation 2, PSP and PC.
Unfortunately, the press release could have been more clear about what precisely is being made. Is it indeed a remake of the original? So different that they call it a "new game"?
Clearly, this new title will be developed not by Core but by Crystal Dynamics. Since Core claimed the leaked trailer showed their work, what we've seen cannot represent what Crystal Dynamics is developing.
And the latest twist is another anonymous source, published at Kotaku on 18 June 2006:
The video was done by Core for E3. It was shown at E3 and got people excited. The game was about 50% complete. The video was straight from a PSP engine built by Core - not a PC render or anything. The game could have been completed for Christmas.
Eidos then told Core they didn't want the project, and to cease work on it immediately.
[...]
This week it was revealed that Eidos have sold off Core Designs [to Rebellion] and that Crystal Dynamics have been working on a game of the same name for the past 6 months using their own Tomb Raider: Legend engine. It is believed this announcement was forced out due to the large amount of negative press and forum posts about Eidos after fans discovered they had cancelled the Core Designs project. Eidos is still using the Core video to publicize that Crystal Dynamics are working on a similar game. Core did not know about the Crystal Dynamics project until this week, the same as everyone else.
Compare the Core Tomb Raider 10th Anniversary Edition video to the Tomb Raider: Legend PSP videos and decide which one looks better, runs smoother, and stays truer to the original Tomb Raider franchise.
So what really happened?
For what it's worth, here's my speculation (see points below for some details):
For reasons unknown, Core and Crystal Dynamics were working independently on the same 10th anniversary game. Perhaps Core had been given a green light to try and after the SCi/Eidos merger, no one remembered that detail. Meanwhile, Crystal Dynamics successfully launched Tomb Raider: Legend and was considered by the management, especially in North America, to be the obvious team for the new game.
For maximum effect, SCi/Eidos conspicuously didn't announce anything at E3, and then started some well-chosen leaks afterward. Crystal Dynamics were the first anonymous tip to Kotaku.
Core felt spurned. They knew they were being sold to Rebellion and that Crystal Dynamics had to be working on the same game, because the Kotaku leak mentioned Tomb Raider II, which isn't in their version. (Everything I've seen in the Core-produced trailer is material remade from just the original Tomb Raider -- nothing is shown of Tomb Raider II.) So someone at Core decided to stick it to SCi/Eidos and Crystal Dynamics by giving the public its first taste of a remake -- Core's remake -- along with the ominous and misleading "cancelled" project information.
SCi/Eidos tried to control the damage quietly, but were forced to put out their press release and pressed Core to disavow the trailer release. The last anonymous tip to Kotaku is the most interesting. While it still takes the line that Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider II are being put into the remake, the tone at the end seems to indicate to me that the Core trailer looked very good compared to whatever Crystal Dynamics has put together
If Crystal Dynamics has come up with something that isn't as impressive to fans as the leaked trailer from Core, it will be interesting indeed to see how well it is received. My gut feeling right now is that fans will be disappointed at the comparison.
Tomb Raider Controversy
The news about Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition has been puzzling, to say the least. The latest rumor is that Core and Crystal Dynamics were both making such a game and Core's got 86ed. I've tried to collect all the information I could about the situation and summarize it here, with links. Some tiny speculative observations are made at the end. (Update: A refinement of the conclusions of this article is has been posted.)
The failure of Core-developed Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness in 2003 prompted publisher Eidos to hand control of the franchise to Crystal Dynamics, creators of the Legacy of Kain series of games. Core's role as part of Eidos was to be reevaluated, which some took to mean Core would be sold off. (The sale of Core Design would eventually take place, though not immediately.)
Two years later, in April 2005, Eidos officially announced Tomb Raider: Legend was in development by Crystal Dynamics on several platforms. (Aside: Curmudgeon Gamer review here.) Crystal Dynamics had reportedly replayed and studied all previous Tomb Raider games before beginning work. Eidos also revealed that Toby Gard, one of the original Tomb Raider creators, had been hired as a consultant to guide development.
During this same period, the publisher SCi had just made a bid to buy Eidos. That bid would prove successful, and the stock deal was concluded on 19 May 2005. It might be worth noting that Toby Gard's previous game, Galleon, had been published by SCi.
In June 2005, Bill Gardner was made head of publishing for SCi/Eidos in North America, based in San Fancisco. (Contemporaneous interview with Gardner.) Work presumably continues on Tomb Raider: Legend at Crystal Dynamics, also located in San Francisco. For reference, Core Design is in Derby, UK.
Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition was mentioned for the first time in an SCi financial report at the end of September 2005. Other than the intended platform, the PSP (PlayStation Portable), no details were given. SCi's intentions were reconfirmed in a January 2006 Annual Report (PDF) which again listed Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition for the PSP. A late January 2006 press release said simply that they, presumably a developer under SCi, were "developing a special edition of Tomb Raider to celebrate the Tenth Anniversary of Lara Croft".
In early April 2006, a year after its initial announcement, Tomb Raider: Legend was released for Xbox, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, and Windows. (A PSP version was later released on 21 June 2006.) At E3 in May 2006, a port of Tomb Raider: Legend was announced for the Nintendo GameCube, due for release in late 2006. No announcements were made concerning Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition.
An email from an unnamed source appeared on Kotaku on 31 May 2006, reporting the following:
Turns out Eidos/SCi are planning on celebrating Lara's 10th birthday by releasing a remake of her original adventure. We are talking improved graphics, new moves, the lot. If there is time, the "new" game will feature a remake of both Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider II: The Dagger of Xian, but right now the developers are focusing on Lara Croft's first adventure.
Note that the developer is never mentioned, only Eidos and SCi. We do not know at this point whether Core or Crystal Dynamics is leading the project.
About a week later, an unfinished trailer for Tomb Raider: Anniversary Edition (note the missing "10th") appeared online, clearly branded by Core. The PSP game shown in the trailer is clearly the original Tomb Raider, albeit with "improved graphics" and "new moves" as suggested by the email Kotaku had published. This led to speculation that Core, not Crystal Dynamics, had been given the job of bringing this game to market.
But there was a twist: whoever released the video also indicated that the game shown had been cancelled by SCi and Eidos.
The very next day, 8 June 2006, a news item appeared on Core's official site saying that, contrary to reports, they had not been closed and were in fact on the verge of making a very exciting announcement. Earlier rumors had indicated that Core's assets had in fact been sold by Eidos/SCi to Rebellion Entertainment.
In the meantime, someone was pressuring sites like Google Video and YouTube to remove the leaked trailer. A later report on 12 June 2006 at Kotaku indicated that the trailer had evoked "ire" from Eidos.
The nature of the leaked trailer was in part revealed on 15 June 2006 when Core updated its news page with this information:
The video of Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition that appeared on certain sites was an unauthorised release of an internal presentation of a game that was being developed by Core Design until very recently. It was running on PSP and used a Core-developed engine. However, following a recent review this project has been officially cancelled by SCi.
Core was saying a couple of things indirectly: that the game was not based on the Tomb Raider: Legend engine developed by Crystal Dynamics ("Core-developed engine") and that their project had been cancelled. In retrospect, it appears that they were most certainly not saying that Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition had been cancelled, only their project. In fact, the post at Tomb Raider Chronicles on Core's news said that "sources have suggested Crystal Dynamics will continue to press ahead with a Tomb Raider/Tomb Raider II remake with original Lara Croft architect Toby Gard leading the project".
This seemed to be confirmed the very next day, 16 June 2006, with a brief Eidos press release:
Eidos Confirms 10th Anniversary Edition of Tomb Raider
June 16, 2006 - Eidos Interactive, one of the world's leading publishers and developers of entertainment software, confirms today that they are developing a special '10th Anniversary Edition' of Tomb Raider.
The new game is being developed by Crystal Dynamics, who recently launched Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Legend on Xbox 360, PS2, Xbox, PC and PSP, with versions on Nintendo DS, GBA and GameCube later in 2006.
"Our '10th Anniversary Edition' of Tomb Raider, is a one-off title to celebrate both Lara and Tomb Raider, it will appeal not only to the loyal fans of the Tomb Raider series but will also attract a totally new audience." Said Larry Sparks, Head of Brands Management at Eidos.
Tomb Raider originally launched in 1996 and is still one of the best selling videogame franchises of all time, with over 30 million copies sold.
The special '10th Anniversary Edition' of Tomb Raider will be available on PlayStation 2, PSP and PC.
Unfortunately, the press release could have been more clear about what precisely is being made. Is it indeed a remake of the original? So different that they call it a "new game"?
Clearly, this new title will be developed not by Core but by Crystal Dynamics. Since Core claimed the leaked trailer showed their work, what we've seen cannot represent what Crystal Dynamics is developing.
And the latest twist is another anonymous source, published at Kotaku on 18 June 2006:
The video was done by Core for E3. It was shown at E3 and got people excited. The game was about 50% complete. The video was straight from a PSP engine built by Core - not a PC render or anything. The game could have been completed for Christmas.
Eidos then told Core they didn't want the project, and to cease work on it immediately.
[...]
This week it was revealed that Eidos have sold off Core Designs [to Rebellion] and that Crystal Dynamics have been working on a game of the same name for the past 6 months using their own Tomb Raider: Legend engine. It is believed this announcement was forced out due to the large amount of negative press and forum posts about Eidos after fans discovered they had cancelled the Core Designs project. Eidos is still using the Core video to publicize that Crystal Dynamics are working on a similar game. Core did not know about the Crystal Dynamics project until this week, the same as everyone else.
Compare the Core Tomb Raider 10th Anniversary Edition video to the Tomb Raider: Legend PSP videos and decide which one looks better, runs smoother, and stays truer to the original Tomb Raider franchise.
So what really happened?
For what it's worth, here's my speculation (see points below for some details):
For reasons unknown, Core and Crystal Dynamics were working independently on the same 10th anniversary game. Perhaps Core had been given a green light to try and after the SCi/Eidos merger, no one remembered that detail. Meanwhile, Crystal Dynamics successfully launched Tomb Raider: Legend and was considered by the management, especially in North America, to be the obvious team for the new game.
For maximum effect, SCi/Eidos conspicuously didn't announce anything at E3, and then started some well-chosen leaks afterward. Crystal Dynamics were the first anonymous tip to Kotaku.
Core felt spurned. They knew they were being sold to Rebellion and that Crystal Dynamics had to be working on the same game, because the Kotaku leak mentioned Tomb Raider II, which isn't in their version. (Everything I've seen in the Core-produced trailer is material remade from just the original Tomb Raider -- nothing is shown of Tomb Raider II.) So someone at Core decided to stick it to SCi/Eidos and Crystal Dynamics by giving the public its first taste of a remake -- Core's remake -- along with the ominous and misleading "cancelled" project information.
SCi/Eidos tried to control the damage quietly, but were forced to put out their press release and pressed Core to disavow the trailer release. The last anonymous tip to Kotaku is the most interesting. While it still takes the line that Tomb Raider and Tomb Raider II are being put into the remake, the tone at the end seems to indicate to me that the Core trailer looked very good compared to whatever Crystal Dynamics has put together
If Crystal Dynamics has come up with something that isn't as impressive to fans as the leaked trailer from Core, it will be interesting indeed to see how well it is received. My gut feeling right now is that fans will be disappointed at the comparison.