Tomb Raider series to see changes in the future
By Steven Perdikis - Tue Jan 13, 2009 12:28pm
| Eidos, the publisher behind the Tomb Raider series have noted that the latest instalment in the franchise, Tomb Raider: Underworld was not as successful as they had hoped. As a result, Eidos' projected profits for the financial year have been lowered. In addition, a move to focus Crystal Dynamics on the Tomb Raider IP, has seen thirty employees lose their jobs. Whilst the job-losses are a shame, particularly in light of the currently poor position of the global economy, it isn't all bad news. Eidos have stated that going forward, the Tomb Raider franchise, and even Lara Croft herself will need to evolve in order to captivate a changing demographic. Having sold 1.5 million copies in six weeks, sales figures for the title were lower than internal Eidos projections of 2 million. In a recent interview with The Times, the chief financial officer of Eidos, Robert Brent stated that sales for the title in the US were down. Europe was fine, but America was not as anticipated. You would normally expect Tomb Raider sales to be split half and half between Europe and North America, but this time America was considerably below that.This followed a statement noting that: We need to look at everything, as we develop the next game. Look at how Batman changed successfully, from the rather sad character of the Michael Keaton era to the noir style of The Dark Knight.The exact details of Ms. Croft's make-over have not been formally announced, but speculation seems to imply that the heroine may be redesigned to appeal to a female audience. If this is indeed a direction that Eidos and Crystal Dynamics intend to take, in order to appeal to seasoned gamers at the same time the new instalments will face new challenges. The lasting appeal of the Tomb Raider franchise is one which isn't easily speculated, with the series seeing both high and low-points through its long history since the launch in 1996. Direct competition with the likes of the upcoming Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, along with the freshly designed Prince of Persia, would be likely, with both titles proclaiming a challenge to the style of game play which the Tomb Raider series had previously dominated. | ) | ) | ) |
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