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 (1996 video game)
As one of the top-selling games of the PlayStation console, it was one of the first to be released on PlayStation's "Platinum" series, and its success made "Tomb Raider II" the most anticipated game of 1997. It also won a multitude of Game of the Year awards from leading industry publications. In 1998, "Tomb Raider" won the Origins Award for "Best Action Computer Game of 1997". The Lara Croft character was prominently featured in the popular media outside the realm of video gaming, for instance on the cover of pop culture magazine "The Face" in June 1997. In the final issue of the "Official UK PlayStation Magazine", the game was chosen as the fourth-best game of all time. "Tomb Raider", along with its successor, "Tomb Raider II", are the two best-selling games in the franchise.