Amazon Games boss Christoph Hartmann has assured fans that development of the next Tomb Raider is progressing well, despite recent turbulence at Crystal Dynamics parent company Embracer.
Back in December 2022, it was announced that Amazon would publish the next Tomb Raider game, which will be developed by modern developer Crystal Dynamics.
Crystal Dynamics was one of numerous studios affected by layoffs last year due to a “restructuring program” that owner Embracer Group said would result in the closure of some studios and the cancellation of some projects.
In a new interview with IGN, Amazon Games boss Hartmann claimed that Crystal Dynamics was “pretty much spared” from the turmoil at Embracer and said that development on the next Tomb Raider is “progressing.”
“As far as I can tell, the studio is pretty insulated from everything that happens at Embracer,” he said. “It has to be that way, because Embracer was never a single company. It was just a collection of an incredibly large number of independent companies; and it's not just about game development, it's also about books and games and this and that.”
“And they've always been very sheltered. People obviously look at what the parent company is doing, but it's never had an impact on resources, never led to changes in management, so they're doing fine.”
Regarding Tomb Radier, Hartmann expressed expectations for the next game, which has now been in development for many years.
“I mean, when you're doing a new Tomb Raider, the bar is so high. The longer you're at it, the higher the expectations get, so it's a huge, huge task, but it's moving forward,” he said. “I mean, there are some really great ideas here. Obviously we're not going to share any of them with you, although we'd love to, but it's going well, it's moving forward.”
He added: “And from what I can tell, Crystal has been pretty sheltered. The studio has had a few ownership changes anyway, it's nothing new for them. They were making games anyway and they moved around. And so, okay, new sheriff… you know what I mean, new owner in town. Let's just keep doing what we're doing and making games.”
This summer, it was confirmed again that Amazon's Prime Video division had given a series order to a Tomb Raider adaptation directed by Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
The British actress, screenwriter and producer, who has won Emmy, Golden Globe and BAFTA awards for her work on “Fleabag,” will serve as a writer and executive producer on the television series.