Crystal Dynamics officially owns Tomb Raider again
And Eidos Montreal has reclaimed control of Deus Ex and Thief.
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Four months after itsacquisitionby sleeper videogame behemoth Embracer Group, Crystal Dynamics has formally announced that it once again owns Tomb Raider.
Crystal Dynamics didn’t create the Tomb Raider series—that honor goes to Core Design—but it put its stamp on the series more than a decade ago with Tomb Raider: Legend and then followed up with several more successful additions to the series, including the2013 rebootand the 2016 follow-upRise of the Tomb Raider. Square Enix handed the series off to Eidos Montreal in 2018 forShadow of the Tomb Raider, but now that Embracer owns all of it, it’s officially putting things back in place.
“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,” Crystal Dynamicsannounced. “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.”
“We look forward to taking this new and exciting journey with you!”
In a separate statement,Eidos Montrealsaid that it too “is now the owner of the games it developed, like the Deus Ex and Thief games.”
The actual point of both messages is to announce, as I’m sure is required by law, changes to the terms and conditions and privacy policies of all impacted games that switches your partner in these legal pacts from Square Enix to Crystal Dynamics or Eidos Montreal. But even though Crystal Dynamics, Tomb Raider, and all the rest were already contained under one roof, there’s an undeniably sentimental aspect to the idea of games returning to their rightful homes.
Whether that will add up to better games remains to be seen, but the process has already begun: Crystal Dynamics announced in April, before the Embracer acquisition, that it had begun development on anew Tomb Raider gamein Unreal Engine 5. Now if we can just convince Eidos Montreal to get rolling on a new Deus Ex, all will once again be well with the world.
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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill.Lotsof Henry Cavill.
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