Core Design
Core Design were the designers of the first six Tomb Raider games. They were the original creators of Lara Croft with Toby Gard as the chief designer, and father of Lara. Core Design had large amounts of success with the early Tomb Raider games. They have sold 25 million units connected to the Tomb Raider franchise worldwide. Their success started to dwindle during the release of The Last Revelation, since ideas began to run out. By the time Chronicles was released, the days of Tomb Raider at Core Design were limited. Fans and critics called it bland, not challenging and old news. Core wanted to hit back and so they set out for the new generation of Tomb Raider games, leaving the Tomb Raider Classic behind. With advanced graphics, AI and a new look for Lara; The Angel of Darkness was anticipated. But it was ridiculed mercilessly at having atrocious controls and camera angles. The criticism continued onto the game levels. Fans were very disappointed at the lack of Tombs and historical settings in the game which took place in a mostly urban environment. The poor success of the Angel of Darkness pulled the last straw. The publisher Eidos Interactive sacked Core Design and gave the responsibility of Lara Croft revival to Crystal Dynamics.
