Tomb Raider | |
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The logo for Tomb Raider from 2013 onwards. Multiple logos have been used through the series' lifetime.
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Genres | Action-adventure |
Developers |
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Publishers |
Eidos Interactive (1996–2009) Square Enix (2010–present) |
Creators | Toby Gard |
Platforms | Android, Dreamcast, Game Boy Advance, GameCube, iOS, Linux, Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, Mobile phone, MS-DOS, N-Gage 2.0, Nintendo DS, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Network, PlayStation Portable, Sega Saturn, Wii, Windows Mobile, Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One |
Platform of origin | Sega Saturn |
First release |
Tomb Raider 25 October 1996 |
Latest release |
Rise of the Tomb Raider 10 November 2015 |
Tomb Raider, styled as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider between 2001 and 2007, is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created by British gaming company Core Design. Formerly owned by Eidos Interactive, then by Square Enix after their acquisition of Eidos in 2009, the franchise focuses on an English archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft, who travels around the world searching for lost artifacts and infiltrating dangerous tombs and ruins. Croft was created by a team at Core Design that included Toby Gard. The gameplay generally focuses around action-adventure exploration of environments, solving puzzles, navigating hostile environments filled with traps, and fighting numerous enemies.
Development on the original Tomb Raider game began in 1993. Its success prompted Core Design to develop a new game annually for the next four years, which put a strain on staff. The sixth game, The Angel of Darkness, faced difficulties during development and was considered a failure at release. This prompted Eidos to switch development duties to Crystal Dynamics, which has been the series' primary developer since then. Other developers have contributed either to spin-off titles within the series or ports of mainline titles.
A large selection of additional media has grown up around the video game series, most notably a film adaptation in 2001 which featured Angelina Jolie as Croft. Tomb Raider games have sold over 58 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the best-selling video game franchises. The series has generally met with critical acclaim, with the series being noted as one of the pioneers of the action-adventure genre. Lara Croft herself has become one of the most recognisable video game protagonists in existence, winning numerous accolades and earning places on the Walk of Game and Guinness World Records. Alongside being praised for pioneering female characters in video games, she has also been the subject of controversy due to her sex appeal being used for marketing.