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.
Crystal Dynamics
Crystal Dynamics had been most known for developing "Legacy of Kain" and "Gex", but in 2003, the studio was also entrusted the development of the best-selling "Tomb Raider" franchise after its original developer, Core Design, failed to gain critical or commercial success with their later "Tomb Raider" games, and released its first game in the series in 2006, "", which was the fastest-selling game in the entire series, selling 4.5 million units worldwide. Crystal Dynamics co-developed "" with developer Buzz Monkey Software. "", a remake of the first "Tomb Raider" game, was released in June 2007. The next installment, "", was released the following year in October 2008. Crystal Dynamics' next release was the spin-off title "Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light", which did not feature the "Tomb Raider" branding despite utilizing the lead character. The game was released for digital distribution only.