GamesIndustry.biz details the making of Tomb Raider Chronicles, the fifth mainline Tomb Raider game, and the tension that surrounded its creation at Core Design. After Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation, the team expected to move on to a PlayStation 2 project, but Eidos wanted another release to keep the franchise visible and the balance sheet healthy.
That meant a new game had to ship by the end of 2000, even though the studio was already exhausted from the annual cadence. Developers describe a near-unanimous refusal at first, with the team pushing to do the next-gen version instead. Eidos ultimately persuaded them with financial incentives and a promise that the PS2 project would follow.
The story also shows how far the series had drifted from the original plan. Early ideas for Chronicles included skill growth tied to player actions, narrative branching, and a more ambitious structure, but the reality became another nine-month AAA sprint. By the time work began, the mood in the studio had shifted from camaraderie to burnout and silence.
For developers, this is a familiar cautionary tale about franchise momentum versus team sustainability. It’s a reminder that annualized production can keep a brand alive in the short term, but it can also flatten creative ambition and wear down the people making it.
