Crystal Dynamics becomes the owner of ‘Tomb Raider’

Crystal Dynamics has officially taken control of “several game franchises,” including Tomb Raider, Deux Ex, and Legacy Of Kain.

• READ MORE: ‘Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver’ is the essential, timeless 90s vampire fantasy

The move comes after Embracer Group announced in May that it would be acquiring a number of studios from Square Enix, including Crystal Dynamics, Eidos Montréal and Square Enix Montréal – alongside various other series such as Tomb Raider, Legacy of Kain and Deus Ex.

“We are excited to inform you that Crystal Dynamics has taken control of several game franchises – including Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain – from the games’ previous owner, Square Enix Limited,” reads a statement on Crystal Dynamic’s official website.

“As a result of this change, Crystal Dynamics (or its affiliate) is now the owner of these games and the controller of the gameplay and personal data related to them.”

Eidos Montréal meanwhile has issued a similar statement, announcing that it has taken control of “the games it developed,” which include the Deus Ex and Thief games.

“As we’ve left Square Enix Ltd and joined the Embracer Group, we are starting an exciting new chapter in Eidos-Montréal’s history,” reads the statement. “To put things simply, the big change is that Eidos-Montréal (or its affiliates) is now the owner of the games it developed, like the Deus Ex and Thief games.”

Following the acquisition of Crystal Dynamics, Embracer Group expressed an interest in pursuing sequels, remakes, remasters and more for the various IPs acquired in the deal.

Furthermore, it was announced in April that a new Tomb Raider title is in development, using the recently-released Unreal Engine 5. Square Enix noted that the project would be included as part of the acquisition.

Crystal Dynamics is the developer behind a number of games in the series, having taken over development on the franchise back in 2003 with Tomb Raider Legends.

More recently, Crystal Dynamics was responsible for the first two entries of the Survivor trilogy: Tomb Raider (2013) and Rise of the Tomb Raider in 2015. Beyond Lara Croft, the developer is best known for its work on the Legacy of Kain and Gex franchises.

In other gaming news, PlayStation CEO Jim Ryan has criticised Microsoft’s three-year Call Of Duty offer as “inadequate on many levels.”