Tomb Raider: Anniversary
"Tomb Raider" is the first game in the titular franchise, and introduced the series' gameplay standards and its protagonist Lara Croft. Developed by British studio Core Design, "Tomb Raider" was a commercial and critical success, and was followed by five successive games between 1996 and 2000. Their sixth "Tomb Raider" game "" was beset by developmental problems and rushed to release, resulting in low sales and mixed critical reception. The game's failure and Core Design's fatigue with the series prompted franchise publisher Eidos Interactive to move development of "Tomb Raider" to the American studio Crystal Dynamics, who rebooted the franchise with "". "Legend" released in 2006 to critical and commercial success.
Tomb Raider
"The Angel of Darkness" was originally the first game in a trilogy, with its sequel titled "The Lost Dominion". While "The Lost Dominion" was undergoing preliminary development, the negative reception of "The Angel of Darkness" caused the entire trilogy to be scrapped. With Eidos' approval, Core Design began development of an updated edition of the first game for the PSP called "Tomb Raider: The Anniversary Edition" in late 2005, with a projected release date of Christmas 2006. Development continued while Core Design staff were working on the platformer "Free Running". When Core Design was sold to Rebellion Developments, Eidos requested the project’s cancellation. It was suggested by staff that Eidos did not want to let outside developers handle the franchise.