Crystal Dynamics officially owns Tomb Raider again

Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition cover detail
(Image credit: Crystal Dynamics)

Four months after its acquisition by 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 the 2013 reboot and the 2016 follow-up Rise of the Tomb Raider. Square Enix handed the series off to Eidos Montreal in 2018 for Shadow 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 Dynamics announced. "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 Montreal said 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 a new Tomb Raider game in 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.

Andy Chalk
US News Lead

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. Lots of Henry Cavill.

Read more
Lara stands in the cut training area from the Paris level of Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness
The worst Tomb Raider game is getting cut weapons, areas and voice lines restored as part of its upcoming remaster
Hi-Fi Rush screenshot
Hi-Fi Rush studio Tango Gameworks is officially reborn for the New Year, with a slightly new name
Jagged Alliance 3 keyart
Paradox is the new owner of Jagged Alliance 3 and Surviving Mars developer Haemimont Games
No Rest for the Wicked Steam early access screenshots
No Rest for the Wicked developer Moon Studios is now 'fully independent' after acquiring the rights to the game from Take-Two
Kerbal Space Program 2 characters
Private Division's 'games and franchises,' including Kerbal Space Program, are reportedly being taken over by former Annapurna Interactive employees
A tattooed lady covered in robotic accoutrements gestures towards the camera.
Metro 2033 dev pulls a reverse Fight Club twist: It's been two companies this whole time and one of them is changing its name and making a sci-fi shooter in a dystopian South America
Latest in Games
A young witch watering a smiling mushroom in a magic garden
Here's a roguelite dungeon crawler Steam reviewers call 'a botanical Diablo' and 'like Cult of the Lamb' except you manage a mystical garden
Destiny 2 Rite of the Nine: The Emissary, massive, ominously standing at the edge of a water basin.
Oops! Bungie rolled out Destiny 2's Rite of the Nine event three weeks early, and new loot is already dropping
No Rest for the Wicked Steam early access screenshots
No Rest for the Wicked developer Moon Studios is now 'fully independent' after acquiring the rights to the game from Take-Two
A hunter posing with an absurd Blangonga outfit in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Attention, fashion hunters: There's a Monster Hunter Wilds mod to disable all those obnoxious glowing buff effects that distract from your fits
Gallywix wears an uneasy smile as he's confronted by Xal'atath in WoW: The War Within.
World of Warcraft guild uses exploits to get world 'first' on the game's new raid, gets banned, puts its name backwards and does it again
Photo of BlizzCon 2023 main stage
BlizzCon 2025 isn't happening, meaning the event will miss its 20th anniversary, but it will return in 2026 to 'meaningfully elevate this iconic celebration'
Latest in News
A masked man with an axe in the woods
Rebellion CEO seems kind of awed by major studios making massive videogames: 'How do you organize a game that has 2,000 people working on it?'
A young witch watering a smiling mushroom in a magic garden
Here's a roguelite dungeon crawler Steam reviewers call 'a botanical Diablo' and 'like Cult of the Lamb' except you manage a mystical garden
Destiny 2 Rite of the Nine: The Emissary, massive, ominously standing at the edge of a water basin.
Oops! Bungie rolled out Destiny 2's Rite of the Nine event three weeks early, and new loot is already dropping
No Rest for the Wicked Steam early access screenshots
No Rest for the Wicked developer Moon Studios is now 'fully independent' after acquiring the rights to the game from Take-Two
A hunter posing with an absurd Blangonga outfit in Monster Hunter Wilds.
Attention, fashion hunters: There's a Monster Hunter Wilds mod to disable all those obnoxious glowing buff effects that distract from your fits
Fallout New Vegas Key Art
The Fallout season 2 leaks continue with videos of the New Vegas set, including a sign for Mr. House's casino