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Tomb Raider

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Tomb Raider

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video game franchise centering around the adventures of the English archaeologist Lara Croft

Key facts

Genre
Action-adventure
Developers
Core Design (1996–2006) Aspyr (1998–2003, 2022–2025) Crystal Dynamics (2003–2017, 2021–present) Eidos-Montréal (2015–2019) Square Enix Montréal (2015–2016) Flying Wild Hog (2022–present)
Publishers
Eidos Interactive (1996–2009) Square Enix (2010–2021) Microsoft Studios (2015–2016) Aspyr (2024–2025) Amazon Games (since 2026)
First release
Tomb Raider , 25 October 1996
Latest release
Tomb Raider IV–VI Remastered , 14 February 2025

via Wikipedia infobox

~40 min read

Encyclopedic overview

Tomb Raider, known as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider from 1996 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created by British developer Core Design. The franchise is currently owned by Embracer Group and operated by CDE Entertainment; it was formerly owned by Eidos Interactive, then by Square Enix Europe after Square Enix's acquisition of Eidos in 2009 until Embracer Group purchased the intellectual property alongside Eidos in 2022. The franchise focuses on the fictional British archaeologist Lara 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 of film adaptations, comics and novels.

Development of the first Tomb Raider video game 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 to Crystal Dynamics, which has been the series' primary developer since. Other developers have contributed to spin-off titles and ports of mainline entries.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Tomb Raider” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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