Tomb Raider dev investigating multiplayer

By Robert Purchese Published 7 December, 2009

Crystal Dynamics hiring risk takers.

Tomb Raider maker Crystal Dynamics would like to employ a lead designer to "effectively create and lead the multiplayer vision and design effort" of an unannounced "AAA title".

What could it be - bearing in mind that the studio has worked on nothing but Lara Croft since 2003?

The job advert (spotted by Joystiq) asks for someone "willing to take risks" and to be familiar with PS3 and 360. Few other clues are given.

Crystal Dynamics laid off around 50 staff earlier this year to refocus efforts solely on Tomb Raider. The studio's next effort may well be an origin-story reboot, according to summertime leaks, which described a shipwrecked Lara whose soon off spelunking in mysterious underground tombs.

This rumoured Tomb Raider game will be the first published under the Square Enix Europe label, which was formed earlier this year when Eidos was acquired by Square Enix.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (25) Latest comment 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • youhavenomail #1 2 years ago

    With all those Laras running around together, I'd be inclined to make love not war.

  • riz23 #2 2 years ago

    Multiplayer Tomb Raider? No. Niet. Nein. Everybody is sick of too many guns in TR anyway, why would anyone want to run and gun at leaping, somersaulting Lara Crofts in different coloured shorts? TR is about immersive single player puzzle based adventuring. Obviously they are lookig at uncharted and going 'me too'. FAIL

  • nuanimal #3 2 years ago

    Would love the idea of a Tomb Raider MP... but Tomb Raider is about exploration and 3D plaforming. I'd hate for it to be reduced into a third person run-and-gun without making much use of level design and platforming :o( Good luck to whoever gets the job!

    EDIT: Spelling is bad!

    EDIT AGAIN: Maybe something more like an open level where two-teams work together to climb structures, swing across gaps, solving co-op puzzles, and hinder the other team - as opposed to shooting. Although, I think players would eventually find a linear path to the objective, and just play it over and over. Hmmm...

    EDIT SOME MORE: What riz23 said
    Edited by 3 at 07/12/09 @ 09:41

  • M_of_the_sys #4 2 years ago

    Yes. Obviously.

  • matrim83 #5 2 years ago

    As long as they do a good single player campaign I dont really mind the MP aspect. Hopefully they can do some sort of MP that isnt centered on guns or shooting.

    I love all three CD TR games so far. All of them have their shortcomings (the combat esp) but I think CD heart is in the right place. I cant wait for the new TR (and thats something I didnt think I would say after AoD).

  • bad09 #6 2 years ago

    Multiplayer, mutliplayer MUST HAVE multiplayer. Is anyone else playing less online the more they throw at us? These days it's L4D1/2 and that's it online for me, I'm playing far more SP than a couple of years ago.

  • Darkjinxter #7 2 years ago

    CD should copy the copier and produce an involving adventure akin to 'Uncharted'.

  • SYS64738 #8 2 years ago

    TR Multiplayer - 2 caves, whoever discovers their own first wins!

  • schnide #9 2 years ago

    nuanimal's going along the right lines - just because they're probing the idea of Tomb Raider multiplayer, doesn't mean it'll be MW2 with Lara Croft in it which obviously wouldn't be any good.

  • Mkwone #10 2 years ago

    *Cough* Uncharted 2 *Cough*

    Hey if it works and adds to the game then why not

  • Xeopuppy #11 2 years ago

    I guess no Legacy of Kain then...

    Pitty they didn't remake Soul Reaver with updated graphics and maybe join Soul Reaver 1 & 2 together, that would be fun...

  • Monkey_Puncher #12 2 years ago

    Don't need multiplayer in every bloody game!

  • Doctor_What #13 2 years ago

    @ Xeopuppy : I couldn't agree more. Updated version of Soul Reaver please!

  • Shakey_Jake33 #14 2 years ago

    I can't say I've ever sat here playing Tomb Raider and thought to myself 'wow, this would be really cool if it was multiplayer'. I'm normally thinking 'urgh, another combat section'. Coop could potentially be nice, though I've always liked the feeling of distance and loneliness in the Tomb Raider games. It's one of the reasons why the PDA communication system was unwelcome.

  • metalmonk #15 2 years ago

    Don't think there's going to be a new Soul Reaver game the way the last one ended......

    http://www .youtube.com/watch?v=KPlfHmltH9U

  • sickpuppysoftware #16 2 years ago

    Two girls one cave?

  • wanderingkid #17 2 years ago

    Not sure about TR multi-player, but as others have mentioned, 2 or maybe 3 player online co-op could be interesting.
    You could use team work to search deeper into caves/ruins and take on enemies with group tactics etc.
    (I think there might be fights over who plays as Lara though !)

  • makeamazing #18 2 years ago

    I think as long as they go the UC2 route rather than the MW2 route, they will be fine... what I mean is that adding MP to UC2 did not affect the single player experience, while in MW2 it definately did. So Im not going to complain about it for the moment, the question is if they will put the effort into both or it will end up being a crocked SP experience.

  • M_of_the_sys #19 2 years ago

    @metalmonk

    I can;t see that link at the moment but they've left it very open for another game.

  • crickson #20 2 years ago

    They'd be better off hiring a decent scriptwriter and putting more effort into hiding the collectables. Kicking over identical vases to pick up identical diamond thingys got old very fast. I was really disappointed with Underworld.

  • Slipstream #21 2 years ago

    why complain about what should be an optional feature.
    I'd like to see how they pull this one off, I'm 100% all for co-op adventures!

  • NorUraeus #22 2 years ago

    sounds like they are getting a bit desperate to keep up with Uncharted :)

  • kongzi #23 2 years ago

    Tomb Raider? Multiplayer? Hmm.. i don't see it. That guy better have some really fresh ideas.

  • JamieR #24 2 years ago

    I'm one of the few people who liked the angel of darkness I think another tomb raider like that but more polished would be better. multiplayer dose seem to be a uncharted copy but since uncharted copied tomb raider in the first place i think they could make it work. also tomb raider games need a improved story.

  • Bander #25 2 years ago

    Another 'reboot'?

    Navigating ledges and jumping onto impossibly small platforms doesn't interest me anymore at all. But maybe the gameplay could use more puzzles mixed up with time limits or chases that encourage the player to get from place to place faster. If multiplayer was done like a race to see who gets to a valuable artifact first, that could be fun. I'd be quite happy if the Tomb Raider franchise took some tips from Mirror's Edge (but ignored the ledges).

    Co-op could be good too, although it may mean an AI character would be needed in the single player mode if puzzles are going require two people to solve them. Either that, or the passages that require a helper could be optional.