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[Bullet Club]

Crystal Dynamics takes control of its most beloved games​

We are excited to inform you that Crystal Dynamics has taken control of several game franchises—including TOMB RAIDER and Legacy of Kain—from the games’ previous owner, Square Enix Limited.

As a result of this change, Crystal Dynamics (or its affiliate) is now the owner of these games and the controller of the gameplay and personal data related to them. If you’d like to know more, please refer to our new Terms of Service and Privacy Notice.

We look forward to taking this new and exciting journey with you!

Crystal Dynamics takes control of its most beloved games – Crystal Dynamics

www.crystald.com

 

[RoboFu]

That’s cool. Pretty sure they are not the same people who started crystal dynamics or those games so it’s an empty pr gesture but still I guess it’s good to keep the names together??

 

[Bernd Lauert]

Someone explain. I thought Square sold the rights and the studios to Embracer? Is this a different way of stating just that?

 

[VN1X]

Someone explain. I thought Square sold the rights and the studios to Embracer? Is this a different way of stating just that?

Missa also confused.

 

[IDKFA]

Okay. Just hurry up and give us a new Legacy of Kain game.

 

[Bragr]

Someone explain. I thought Square sold the rights and the studios to Embracer? Is this a different way of stating just that?

I think this means that Crystal Dynamics gave Embracer a good deal they were both content with, so Crystal Dynamics should at this point, own Tomb Raider themselves rather than Embracer.

Embracer owns Crystal Dynamics, but the IP rights themselves are tied to Crystal Dynamics and not Embracer.

It makes sense, it's a very important part of their studio, and I would wager they would be willing to ensure they got control of it.

At least that's my guess. So if Crystal Dynamics breaks free of Embracer, they will own their own stuff. Or I might be completely wrong, cause this was a barebones statement.

 

[Croga]

Someone explain. I thought Square sold the rights and the studios to Embracer? Is this a different way of stating just that?

Embracer owns Crystal Dynamics as well.

Just a bit of PR speak to drum up interest in the fact that any new games in these series will be developed by the same devs who did the last entries in said series.

 

[The Cockatrice]

 

[wipeout364]

Someone explain. I thought Square sold the rights and the studios to Embracer? Is this a different way of stating just that?

It seems like embracer buys a studio and doesn’t seem to try and integrate it into a large publishing monster. I feel like embracer as a logo/brand doesn’t promote itself like EA,Take 2 or Activision, but rather promotes the studio/IP.

Take 2’s approach to Rockstar would be similar where the IP lie within the studio despite being owned by Take Two interactive.

 

[crackajack]

...control of several game franchises—including TOMB RAIDER and Legacy of Kain...

what is that other than those? Their website shows Gex and Cpt America/Avengers and some pig I don't know but in their history there are no other franchises than the two they named and Gex. "Several incl" sounds like a lot more than there is?

Thief and Deus Ex is now attached to Eidos Montreal? Are those two working more separate now since their last games were to some degree co-produced?

 

[Wildebeest]

Now in total control of Tomb Raider. In translation, Embracer doesn't care about quality control or managing the IP. Simply cannot be bothered because they see themselves as just a holding company and not a game publisher.

 

[MrTroubleMaker]

Legacy of Kain
yes please

 

[Kuranghi]

The og games were made by Core Design right? Then Crystal Dynamics made the Legend trilogy? And now the new trilogy was also made by Crystal Dynamics but probably a new team by that point?

Was there any crossover between Core and Crystal in terms of staff?

 

[JohnnyFootball]

I’m assuming this PR and Embracer is just saying “hey you guys can say you own this!”

For the record, I’m more excited about Deus Ex coming back than Tomb Raider. Shadow was arguably the best and it was made by Montreal!!

 

[AlteredForms]

Assuming they control all of the Legacy of Kain games then I want them to bring back Nosgoth. I never had the chance to play it and want in:

 

[FF:Enhanced_Reality]

This is the company who are proposing the so called tomb raiders game with multiple people with lara and a new lesbian lover yes?

 

[Gudji]

Another shit tomb raider game incoming.

 

[TLZ]

So give me Soul Reaver.

 

[TGO]

Mistake, should of gave Tomb Raider to Eidos Montreal.

 

[Saber]

Ok I guess...
Just don't give some generic crap boring stuff you made of Tomb Raider, or I'm out.

 

[Jaybe]

Wonder if CD will try and limit their involvement with Perfect Dark now that they officially have their own IP to invest their resources into. Seems like Perfect Dark collab was a Square Enix thing with a studio they didn’t know what to do with, but now that CD ‘owns’ Tomb Raider and are well-funded by Embracer, helping with another company’s IP doesn’t make strategic sense.

 

[SportsFan581]

Wonder if CD will try and limit their involvement with Perfect Dark now that they officially have their own IP to invest their resources into. Seems like Perfect Dark collab was a Square Enix thing with a studio they didn’t know what to do with, but now that CD ‘owns’ Tomb Raider and are well-funded by Embracer, helping with another company’s IP doesn’t make strategic sense.

I'd expect that contracts were signed long ago that stipulate what they are required to do on PD.

 

[drganon]

Good for them, I guess. Still have no interest in the next tomb raider.

 

[Darak]

I'm indifferent regarding this. I don't hate their Tomb Raiders but I don't love them either. They are as generic and safe as any AAA game could be, just more linear third person shooters with an arrow to follow and things to collect. I wish Tomb Raider went back to be about platforming, exploration, complex tombs and Lara Croft, but nobody is going to risk an expensive franchise in that way. The next one will be more of the same.

 

[Jaybe]

I'd expect that contracts were signed long ago that stipulate what they are required to do on PD.

For sure they will do what’s contracted, but many contracts have stage-gates/milestones with decisions on how to progress from those points, whether they are mutually beneficial to parties and allowing for opt-out/termination. Certainly MIcrosoft would have early termination (we saw that with Scalebound) and a smart party would have a reciprocal clause (not that Square Enix is necessarily a smart party).

 

[adamsapple]

Square Enix were an incredibly shitty parent company to them, I'm super glad these guys got their IP's back too.

 

[GamesDontSuck]

so new deus Ex game?

 

[Giallo Corsa]

Obligatory


Goosebumps every single fookin' time.

What a series/franchise gents, one of the games that spearheaded the "cinematic" era of (3D) VG's as we now know it...the music, intros, cutscenes and VO's (for it's time) were just sublime.

Oh Kain and Raziel , how I've friggin' missed you my vampire overlords...

PS: 1st YT comment on the video :
" As long as a single one of us remembers this game, we are legion"

Amazing and underrated franchise, I'd sacrifice a bunch of young virgins to lord Satan for the chance of a (good) sequel.

 

[tommib]

Another shit tomb raider game incoming.

Horizon FW-clone incoming.

 

[.Pennywise]

You own jack shit, Embracer does. But I understand the PR talk.

I also understand you can only do so much, with the new Tomb Raider and Perfect Dark, there's no room for a new Legacy of Kain or Deus Ex. So maybe let Embracer use their demonic army of devs to make them comeback?

 

[Madflavor]

Horizon FW-clone incoming.

Additionally I'm also looking forward to her being a body positive lesbian.

 

[Mr Hyde]

A new Legacy of Kain game would be awesome, especially if it's in the same vein as Blood Omen. A remake of that game would suffice too.

 

[Giallo Corsa]

Horizon FW-clone incoming.

Dunno man, it'd still be better than the generic, boring, grindy, soulless and copypasta Ubisoft clones like Immortals Fenix rising...

The new Tomb Raiders were a bastardization between Uncharted and the typical Ubisoft collect-athon and yet, they were kind of enjoyable due to the (mostly) good atmosphere.
Story-wise and VO wise they were horrible but, again, they were enjoyable - or at least - more enjoyable than the typical sandbox shit we get served these days.

 

[tommib]

Additionally I'm also looking forward to her being a body positive lesbian.

You lost me there. The more lesbians in games the better. For the straight boys, they’ll be thankful for some girl on girl action on screen.

 

[Madflavor]

You lost me there. The more lesbians in games the better. For the straight boys, they’ll be thankful for some girl on girl action on screen.

You say that like there will be a scene of Lara and some other hot girl making out and licking each other's nips. Dennis Reynolds isn't making the game my man.

 

[ILHASS]

Legacy of Kain collection please.

 

[kyussman]

Hey guys,we now own Legacy of Kain......we aren't ever gonna make another game,but just thought you should know,lol.

 

[GymWolf]

Just remake the 2 kain games and the 2 raziel games already.

 

[omegasc]

Tomb Raider that, DeusEx this. While all EVERYONE wants is a new Fighting Force!

 

[SmokedMeat]

I would understand them going Deus EX and another Tomb Raider first. But damn we need another Soul Reaver game.

 

[TheThreadsThatBindUs]

I would understand them going Deus EX and another Tomb Raider first. But damn we need another Soul Reaver game.

Not by the teams that made the latest TR games we don't.

I'd be happier if they formed a new team, bringing back Amy Hennig to write and direct again.

 

[00_Zer0]

Depending on who is in control at the top at Crystal Dynamics and how much Embracer Group imposes on the direction of the game or charcater/story line of Lara Croft this could be a bad thing.

I just want Tomb Raider to get back to it's roots without all the convoluted Uncharted lite garbage. I don't want an inclusive woke storyline with a group of raiders setting.

I only bought the first rebooted Tomb Raider and got the other two free on Epic Game Store. I never finished this first reboot and won't be finishing the other two either.

I won't be paying for lesbian Uncharted lite with hollywood action set pieces and storyline chosen above a solitary Tomb Raiding Lara Croft who solves devilish environment puzzles.

 

[firegamer273]

plz just give me a new deus ex .

 

[Madflavor]

I know it's a cliche to say these days, but Tomb Raider could really benefit from taking the "Dark Souls" approach, at least in terms of it's design philosophy when it comes to exploration, atmosphere, discovery, and being cryptic. I don't think the majority of TR fans want a cinematic storytelling experience, with heavy third person shooting elements. Fans want to explore Tombs. They want dark creepy atmospheres, a sense of wonder and discovery, and they don't want shit to be explained to them. Give the player a simple goal, drop Lara off at the entrance of a tomb, and just let them go. Don't constantly interrupt the pacing of the gameplay with a bunch of bullshit cutscenes. Of course you can have cutscenes, and of course there should be gunplay. But the keyword here is exploration. Let players discover things themselves. Allow a sense of excitement when they stumble upon a secret room, or a horrifying monster they stumble across in a dark lit hall.

It's called Tomb Raider. The series hasn't lived up to that name in a long time. Elden Ring should've taught the game industry that players are starved for games that don't hold their hand and want the world itself to tell them the story.

 

[Fbh]

"Good news everyone we have retained the rights to Legacy of Kain".
"But are you going to do anything with it?"

I know it's a cliche to say these days, but Tomb Raider could really benefit from taking the "Dark Souls" approach, at least in terms of it's design philosophy when it comes to exploration, atmosphere, discovery, and being cryptic. I don't think the majority of TR fans want a cinematic storytelling experience, with heavy third person shooting elements. Fans want to explore Tombs. They want dark creepy atmospheres, a sense of wonder and discovery, and they don't want shit to be explained to them. Give the player a simple goal, drop Lara off at the entrance of a tomb, and just let them go. Don't constantly interrupt the pacing of the gameplay with a bunch of bullshit cutscenes. Of course you can have cutscenes, and of course there should be gunplay. But the keyword here is exploration. Let players discover things themselves. Allow a sense of excitement when they stumble upon a secret room, or a horrifying monster they stumble across in a dark lit hall.

It's called Tomb Raider. The series hasn't lived up to that name in a long time. Elden Ring should've taught the game industry that players are starved for games that don't hold their hand and want the world itself to tell them the story.

An open world Tomb Raider designed like Elden Ring or Breath of the Wild would be awesome.
Just throw me into a jungle and let me organically explore, coming across temples, dungeons, ruins, etc.

They could have a simple setup, something like some sort of major temple with a sealed door that requieres 4 medallions to open or something like that. And then they just open up the world to you to go find them.

 

[tommib]

I know it's a cliche to say these days, but Tomb Raider could really benefit from taking the "Dark Souls" approach, at least in terms of it's design philosophy when it comes to exploration, atmosphere, discovery, and being cryptic. I don't think the majority of TR fans want a cinematic storytelling experience, with heavy third person shooting elements. Fans want to explore Tombs. They want dark creepy atmospheres, a sense of wonder and discovery, and they don't want shit to be explained to them. Give the player a simple goal, drop Lara off at the entrance of a tomb, and just let them go. Don't constantly interrupt the pacing of the gameplay with a bunch of bullshit cutscenes. Of course you can have cutscenes, and of course there should be gunplay. But the keyword here is exploration. Let players discover things themselves. Allow a sense of excitement when they stumble upon a secret room, or a horrifying monster they stumble across in a dark lit hall.

It's called Tomb Raider. The series hasn't lived up to that name in a long time. Elden Ring should've taught the game industry that players are starved for games that don't hold their hand and want the world itself to tell them the story.

You’re super on point. One of the things that made me love Demon’s Souls back in 2009 was how it reminded me of the original Tomb Raider. 2-2 and 4-2 in particular. They’re pure Tomb Raider levels in the way you explore them.

 

[CamHostage]

Someone explain. I thought Square sold the rights and the studios to Embracer? Is this a different way of stating just that?

A. Business deals take time and negotiation, even after the initial disclosure of intent. From the original text, "Embracer Group AB (”Embracer”) has entered into an agreement to acquire the development studios Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal, Square Enix Montréal, and a catalogue of IPs including Tomb Raider, Deus Ex, Thief, Legacy of Kain and more than 50 back-catalogue games from SQUARE ENIX HOLDINGS CO., LTD. (“Square Enix Holdings”). " Those core games listed are fundamental deal terms, so it's not like they'd be negotiated out, but the situation was fluid and exactly how the brands would transfer wasn't necessarily in Crystal Dynamics' control between these two titans. So this is kind of an announcement that everything went as planned and that CD is the manager of titles you'd assume they would manage. (Also, as somebody pointed out, CD being the "owner" of its brands is notable, as even though they themselves are owned by Embracer, there's still an important chain-of-title for Crystal Dynamics owning these brands.

B. They have to let people know that personal data was transferred. TR isn't an online game like say Destiny (although there were the Lara Croft multiplayer games,) but they do have user data on file for whatever reason it was collected. Thus, half of the message in this announcement is about the TOS and Privacy policy.

The og games were made by Core Design right?
Was there any crossover between Core and Crystal in terms of staff?

Maybe, but Core Design was based in the UK; Crystal Dynamics is in the US, so it never would have been a huge percentage of staff. Also, Core Design is no more; the team was sold to Rebellion about a decade ago (and had lost the Tomb Raider franchise even longer ago than that when Eidos pulled the plug on their version of Tomb Raider Anniversary and gave Crystal Dynamics a go at it.

 

[Braag]

We need a new Legacy of Kain game.

 

[John Wick]

Someone explain. I thought Square sold the rights and the studios to Embracer? Is this a different way of stating just that?

Just shows how stupid Square Enix really is. Under different developers Tomb Raider and Duex Ex are massive IP that could be hugely successful.
Just shows how dumb Jimbo Ryan is that he didn't aquire all this for peanuts including the IP.

 

[elbourreau]

Obligatory


Goosebumps every single fookin' time.

What a series/franchise gents, one of the games that spearheaded the "cinematic" era of (3D) VG's as we now know it...the music, intros, cutscenes and VO's (for it's time) were just sublime.

Oh Kain and Raziel , how I've friggin' missed you my vampire overlords...

PS: 1st YT comment on the video :
" As long as a single one of us remembers this game, we are legion"

Amazing and underrated franchise, I'd sacrifice a bunch of young virgins to lord Satan for the chance of a (good) sequel.