Tomb Raider (1996 video game)
The front of the Derby Studios building where Core Design worked on the game was later used as the front of Croft Manor. It is Core's contention that the company was struggling somewhat with 32-bit development at that time. The first glints of the game were seen on Sega Saturn development kits. However, Gard stated that though Core and Sega had a deal for "Tomb Raider" to be a timed exclusive for the Saturn, the game was developed simultaneously for the Sega Saturn and the Sony PlayStation. Following the release of the Saturn version, a number of bugs were discovered that affected both versions of the game; because of the timed exclusivity, the development team fixed these bugs for the PlayStation version. While the series would see four more instalments on the original PlayStation, no additional "Tomb Raider" games were released for the Saturn. Additional Sega ports were released on the Dreamcast.
Tomb Raider
After the critical backlash of "The Angel of Darkness", Eidos decided to take production of the "Tomb Raider" series out of Core Design's hands and give it to another subsidiary studio. Production of the next game was given to Crystal Dynamics, a studio that had made its name with the "Legacy of Kain" series. Eidos CEO Ian Livingstone stated that while the critical failure of "The Angel of Darkness" was a major reason for taking the series away from Core Design, the decision was also motivated by their inordinate struggles with developing for the PlayStation 2, and by how many members of the Core team had complained that they were "burnt out" on "Tomb Raider". He added that "For a UK company, moving the development of its prized asset from Derby to California was a big decision to make but, as it turned out, absolutely the right one to make." One of the main priorities for both Eidos and Crystal Dynamics was to regain the fanbase's trust in the brand, along with helping the series reclaim the status and selling power it had before "The Angel of Darkness" release. Their main goal was to put Lara back inside tombs, with their physics-based engine enabling more intricate puzzles. After "Legend" was finished, the team decided to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the series by remaking the original game, rebuilding the environments and redesigning the story to fit in with the events and gameplay of "Legend". Alongside the development of "Anniversary", an entry for seventh-generation hardware was in development, although it used established gaming architecture from "Legend" and this caused problems for the development team. In 2009, the year after the release of "Underworld", Eidos was bought by Square Enix and later renamed Square Enix Europe, giving Square Enix ownership of the "Tomb Raider" franchise.