How Tomb Raider Was Made and Why the Creators HATED It

In 1994, an aspiring game designer dreamed up a cinematic adventure that would forever change the gaming industry. Two years later, his vision became a reality with Tomb Raider, a third-person action game that immersed players in a world of ancient tombs and mythical realms, challenging players to solve puzzles and navigate deadly traps. Yet, the game's true breakthrough was its female protagonist, Lara Croft, who shattered stereotypes and won the hearts of gamers worldwide with her intelligence, fearlessness, and sheer tenacity.
Tomb Raider was a phenomenon, but success came at a price. The original team faced tremendous pressure to churn out yearly releases and meet Eidos' demands, leading to exhaustion and burnout. Despite massive royalty checks, the creators of Tomb Raider eventually had to step away from the franchise they had brought to life in 1997.
A new team was assembled, hoping to keep Lara at the forefront of gaming, but their efforts fell short, and the franchise's once-mighty reputation crumbled. In a desperate bid to salvage its image, Eidos made a fateful decision, one that would forever alter the legacy of Tomb Raider. Join us on a journey of triumphs and tragedies, of daring dreams and harsh realities, as we explore the fascinating history of how Core Design built and lost a legend
CREDTIS
- Andrew V
- Multi
- tartancroft
- Stella's Tomb Raider Site
- TheGebs24
- Footi
- Steven3517
- Core Design
- CroftEd
• Toby Gard - Playing a ...
• Tomb Raider Legend - I...
• Lara Croft Tomb Raider...
www.gamedeveloper.com/design/...
virtual-lara.tumblr.com/post/...
www.eurogamer.net/20-years-on...
archive.org/details/Electroni...
arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/0...
news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainm...
www.theguardian.com/technolog...
www.ign.com/articles/2011/11/...
web.archive.org/web/199812010...
www.ign.com/articles/2008/03/...

[@GameStudioLore]

Check out the History of UNCHARTED here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/i2K7dIBmrdOjqac

[@chickenwings6172]

Her name is Lara not Laura, Americans . lol need i say more.

[@GameStudioLore]

@@chickenwings6172 yeah for some reason it's quite hard lol. I tried my hardest to say it right every time. But at some point I just let it go 🫣

[@vanman266]

I'm playing the remasters now. Absolutely incredible games, even now ❤

[@GameStudioLore]

@@vanman266 I really need to get them!

[@onojioboardwalk9748]

14:30 Whats up with this stupid ''Scary''-music?

[@zenasparrow9668]

omg thats so depressing how the developers, who literally gave life to this franchise were treated so poorly and all the hype was given to people who really didnt care abot Lara or the game industry. Amazing video, very informative!

[@GameStudioLore]

Yup quite the sad story! Did em dirty. Thanks for watching!

[@MyUserTubeAccount]

treated poorly by being given lots of money, and expecting results? you younger generation is why the West is dead. its partly our faults for coddling you, but China doesn't give a F**K about how the young kids "don't want to work hard", Japanese ppl would rather kill themselves than be lazy. greatness isnt built on 40hr work weeks, which today is considered slavery to you people. no, i think ill take $200k/yr in 1996 and work 80+hrs a week. they made a legendary game did they not?

[@ad3mn]

Little similar how the original Infinity Ward members were treated by Activision after the MW2 release.

[@JustinW332]

It just makes me sad every time I hear about the grueling conditions everyone at core was in because of a lack of regulation in the games industry. Like, it got to a point where they tried to kill Lara off to get a rest from making games. It's just criminal how the team were treated. As much as I love the games, they weren't worth people's mental and physical health.

[@GameStudioLore]

Yeah it was wild! Seems like little has changed in the gaming industry on crunch and work hours

[@smavi4133]

I 49:25

[@smavi4133]

51:54

[@smavi4133]

55:20

[@smavi4133]

56:00

[@speedymunchlax5733]

The irony here is that, in the end, the developers weren't responsible for the demise of Lara and the Tomb Raider series. Corporate greed was. My favourite TR will always be The Last Revelation, but Angel of Darkness had the potential to be the best in the series had it been finished properly.

[@Dominosmusic]

agreed

[@GameStudioLore]

It really did, it was so ambitious lol. I feel like they needed 4+ more months tho

[@voiceinthenoise3357]

Angel of Darkness could've been brilliant. It's shocking how short sighted the Men (Monkeys) with the Money could be, after making the same mistake to rush sequels multiple times already. What a world we would have if the creative people had full funds and control of their own product.

[@Streetrocker28]

Exactly , story of AOD was good , execution was something else …

[@EQOAnostalgia]

Back in the day we never really thought about any of this. I still remember playing this with my cousin, we were smoking a J and i said "This game f'ing blows man" . . . "yeah wtf?" we felt scammed. People didn't think "i wonder if human lives were being ruined during the making due to corporate greed" it was just "Why did you do this to us?" idk... nobody really knew what was going on behind the scenes in those days. I mean, nobody sets out to make a bad game.

[@reloadpsi]

As a kid I wanted to be a game developer when I grew up. I couldn't have dodged a better bullet.

[@GameStudioLore]

Seems like it lolol

[@Streetrocker28]

Once the suits started to flood into the business , we knew it was all gonna turn to shit ….

[@iLikeTheUDK]

You can still be indie! It'll be harder to make games that are this impressive and large scale but you can still make _something._ And you'll have all the time in the world. You don't have to make the next big hit. Just making some little fun and lovely thing is enough

[@evanpetelle5669]

No doubt. I just keep hearing stories like this. Always some higher up who doesn’t do ANY programming or actual work involved with creating the game itself absolutely screwing the team over.. Usually because more money is on the table

[@bbwbryant]

McCree wrote all the music in 3 weeks... crazy!

[@GameStudioLore]

Yeah dude was a baller! It's wild to think that something that good was created so quickly

[@nadaqasem99]

such a sad story.. I really hate eidos for doing that.. I can't say anything but what they have done is unfair 🙁😔

[@GameStudioLore]

Yeah it really is. You would think after how much they did for them they would have at least talked to them about it. But they were just greedy corporate

[@JoshWalshMusic]

Such feelings of nostalgia. Todays games are so “epic” but I miss the old classics. Maybe I’m a boomer at heart.

[@GameStudioLore]

They don't make em like they used to

[@VespertiliKildem]

Epic doesn't mean good. At all. Always remember that.

[@chrisbfreelance]

They are epic in size, but hollow and soulless.

[@Torthrodhel]

Xer at heart, but it means much the same in terms of video game nostalgia.

[@handsoaphandsoap]

When everything is “epic” and “large-scale” then nothing is. That’s the main problem plaguing the western video game industry, everything is so homogenized that nothing seems special anymore. I think that’s why the ‘cozy’ genre and indie games have seen such success in recent years while AAA war games are losing players, gamers are clamoring for new and different experiences.

[@marianoalexanderjung]

Tomb Raider died after AOD. Still, I’m so grateful for those 6 amazing games that I’m still playing ❤

[@GameStudioLore]

They are pretty great 😁

[@SuperHitman55]

Agreed :) I love 6

[@SuicidalSummerSnowWoman]

glad the remastered versions are coming out so that i can play them too ...never got to play the OGs

[@Dan_DaiKatsu]

I believe it died after the 2013 reboot, Anniversary, Legend and Underworld were amazing.

[@EQOAnostalgia]

Nah, you just aged out of the demographic. I say RE is dead too, because to me RE8 is dogshit, and the series hasn't felt the same since they ditched fixed cam and tank controls. But RE isn't dead, and TR isn't dead, we're just old bastards lol.

[@rikkuster]

This was a great video. The classic PS1 Tomb Raider games will always hold a special place in my heart, I still enjoy going back to play them every now and then. It really really sucks how the developers were treated during the creation of the PS1 games though. That much crunch year after year working on the same game franchise much have been incredibly stressful. It's crazy to think just how similar it is with game developers nearly 30 years later too.

[@GameStudioLore]

Thank you! And yeah it doesn't seem much has changed honestly. Still massive crunch on devs. 😓

[@Torthrodhel]

One positive change is it's more known-about now, and more looked-down-on by the public because of it.

[@Victorcolongarcia]

I replayed them all last summer back to back. Really great games, I wish more games nowadays were this clever and difficult providing sense of discovery and isolation

[@Torthrodhel]

@@Victorcolongarcia I think there's still a lot of snobbery over old style game systems being looked down upon as inherently inferior, that's begun to be eroded into but still a long way from gone. Like if you suggested a grid-based game nowadays, or indeed one with tank controls, someone somewhere's probably going to sniffily conclude "oh, some funny little indie project then, how quirky!" y'know? There's just that attitude still heavily lingering isn't there. And you have the odd breakthrough thing proving them wrong (Minecraft seems like the obvious example) but they're still gonna think it regardless. I'm sure it extends to less mechanical style game aspects too, such as the sense of isolation you mention, or hell, just the idea of a large game area these days without including huge traversible stretches of designless filler in-between to spread them out. Relatively rare, right? With no reason for it to be, as it's usually actually better without. But it's newer and requires more tech so people get stuck on the idea that more technologically demanding is automatically superior. You can't actually want old stuff, right? There has to be some sort of excuse for it. lol Growing pains of a still relatively new artistic medium being taken seriously as art, isn't it? That's the source of all the snobbery. People treating it like a joke because it's the new kid, that's what it boils down to. Still a lot of that around, even if much less than there used to be.

[@Jay_Sullivan]

It would be interesting to see how different the I.P. would be if the teams were given more time to develop the game and a game to develop between each iteration. The games would have been better, surely, and it might still be going strong.

[@GameStudioLore]

Oh yeah, Eidos was obsessed with yearly releases, TR wasnt the only franchise they did this too, which is prolly why they don't exist anymore

[@Eman-wj8gq]

The fact that the team had to unexpectedly finish the game 6 weeks sooner and tighten up thw bugs is incredible. Today's developers just release game unfinished. It's like watching The Mandolorean and episode one wasn't finished on launch and they release it anyway only to add the finished edit 3 weeks later. No one would be okay with that but for some reason gamers do? It's so stupid people say it's because their is more content now. I say than don't release the game. We need to stop allow these games to be released unfinished.

[@rayvenkman2087]

These gamers allowed microtransactions to take hold on console/PC gaming with TF2 and TES IV: Oblivion instead of telling the people behind them to piss off.

[@Eman-wj8gq]

@@rayvenkman2087 tell me about it. Don't even get me started with games that require constant online access

[@GameStudioLore]

Yeah, Its because gamers keep buying games no matter what. Look at the FIFAs, CODs, and Maddens, its the same game every single year and people still buy them and spend hundreds of dollars throughout the years. Same issue with Cyberpunk, TBF that was one of my fav games ever, I had no issues on my PC. BUt it still wasnt what it was supposed to be at launch. The only way this changes is if, people stop buying the games, or the publishers decide to give the studios more time, which we did see after the cyberpunk fiasco, but in the end off the top off my head I htink all the games after Cyberpunk still didnt do well >

[@Eman-wj8gq]

@KaiG yeah that whole buying games that are released every year with very little change and paying full price is absurd. I will admit in my early 20's I was guilty I'd buy them. Those yearly releases should not be $70 I'd say tops $50.

[@Dermetsu]

Tomb Raider 1-2 will always be nostalgic for me due to playing them religiously with my dad and brothers. I hope Embracer Group brings back the reboot games as well.

[@GameStudioLore]

I really feel like now is the perfect time for some remasters with the newest unreal engine, thing looks insane! I think there is chat of a reboot series coming as well sometime in the next 2-3 years

[@warpfist3689]

Feels like Angel of darkness represents everything that can go wrong with a game that has poor management like trying to follow a game trend by including too much, deadlines that cant be met, focusing more on marketing instead of the quality of a game, scrapping too much content, and releasing an unfinished game

[@GameStudioLore]

Yeah! It was literally the cyberpunk of its era. Pretty lame Eidos was super greedy and launched it anyway! A couple more weeks and maybe CD dont own Lara >

[@BlackCroft666]

Well it still worked out better than Fallout 76

[@MatheusSSales-io2zu]

Truly this is the most complete in-depth documentary on classic tomb raider history on KZbin so far... A real must watch for every fan of the franchise and gamers in general, more than worth each and every second watched :)

[@GameStudioLore]

Hey thank you so much! That really really means a ton. I'm glad you liked it and thanks for watching!

[@Dominosmusic]

i couldnt agree more... learned so much i had no idea about

[@ValerieSparrowW]

i missed a good in depth documentary like this. every now and then my love for this franchise gets reignited and i desire to watch some good videos on it, but whaddyaknow there isnt a lot to choose from. So seeing this really blessed my eyes. its such a good video and definitley helped me relax and brighten my spirits, you have a very soothing voice. Thank you for this video and i hope to see more tomb raider content from you in the future, you have my sub

[@GameStudioLore]

thank you so much! I'm glad I could create something that was worth your time!

[@Torthrodhel]

I agree it was very cool and I like a bit of classic documentarying myself too.

[@MonoDree]

I will now forever remember and admire the work Core put into the tomb raider games, despite the short deadlines that were less than a year for each game. It's frustrating to hear that they got replaced for a more "dependable" team when they were already dependable. They were just given no time to make the games as great as they should have been, despite that they still managed to make fun games with awesome new features. Also my heart goes out to the wife that couldn't spend decent time with her husband for 2 years, that is crazy. Lesson is, if you want to make a great game, you can not rush creativity and keep it in good quality at the same time, get past the hard parts first and maybe then you can rush for the deadline. I say the last part because i can at least understand that things need to get completed, if you are too loose with time and keep adding new ideas, your work will never get finished but at the same time, if an issue pops up like coding or mechanics, they will need time to fix them and move forward as those issues can not be predicted.

[@GameStudioLore]

Yeah Eidos was suppperr money hungry and basically didn't care how good the game was as long as it was good enough for sales. There are so many "standards" now in gaming but studios still are gtting rushed and being forced to put out low quality games >

[@MonoDree]

@@GameStudioLore Exactly, and those same publishers always wonder why the game didn't get received well and then repeat the cycle. Great video btw way, you are the smallest youtuber i have discovered recently yet the quality is so good, keep it up.

[@GameStudioLore]

@@MonoDree appreciate that! Thank you

[@TheDawnofVanlife]

Your videos are great. I think we sometimes forget games were made by people and not companies. I think most of the time when games fall off it turns out the original creators are no longer associated, but because the same company label is on the box people just associate it with the same team always being involved. Developers should get more props as individual creators then they do in general.

[@GameStudioLore]

I appreciate that! Yeah, especially when a game doesn't do well, I feel the individual blame is much higher than the praise someone gets when a game does well >

[@jokermorningstar5816]

thank you for this video and bringing this happy memory of me and my dad playing tomb raider 2 back to surface. Its been 2 years since he died so this beautifull childhood memory kinda hurts, but thank you...

[@GameStudioLore]

Hey Joker, I'm sorry to hear that happened =( I'm glad I could make something that gave you happiness and some great memories back!

[@doomraven0]

Though not as wonderful as your story, Tomb Raider was responsible for causing my dad to quit smoking after 30+ years.

[@Kasia3127]

Every other year or so, I get super into my TR phase again and I love seeing how there’s actually a lot of recent content that’s really good! I haven’t gotten far, but I’m hoping to learn some new things because I feel like there’s something new every time I deep dive lol

[@GameStudioLore]

I hope my video can help ya in your yearly tr phase 😂

[@Kasia3127]

@@GameStudioLore It was perfect for getting me to turn the PS1 back on, forgot I had started TR again a few months ago! ☺️

[@RaymondKarlVeasey75]

An Awesome Video! I Love Core's Classic Tomb Raider Series. I Would Like To See Core Come Back & Take The Reigns & Bring Tomb Raider Back To It's Former Glory.

[@GameStudioLore]

yes!!! In all honestly, it wouldn't be hard at all. The hardest part would be recreating the sense of loneliness and mystery, with a horror-esque vibe. Gamers want OG Lara vibes, I don't know why its so hard to give us that. Also thanks for the compliment and thanks for watching!

[@Adam-wr8ts]

Tragic that money and politics brought an end to creativity and soul but that is inevitable. We are lucky to have had Core, but her popularity endures. Now if we could just have that AoD remake complete...

[@GameStudioLore]

Indeed! Core was a necessity in the gaming world. They pioneered so much.

[@MonoDree]

To think that the first 2 games could have been so much better if the deadline for the developers to finish them were not so short. so many awesome features left out. I haven't felt this annoyed about past possibilities since i found out the Twilight Princess was going to get a sequel until a certain someone at Nintendo said no for their "better" idea.

[@GameStudioLore]

hahaha yeah it is annoying, too think of all the possible games though any genre that could have been created better or that we dnt even know about

[@KasumiRINA]

TR1 actually got a proper remake with the diary, dynamic lighting (which exists in ALL games with flares and torches except for first Tomb Raider) but IIRC not dynamite or grenades (Legend had those tho). Tomb Raider 2 would be super cool to have a proper remake, unfortunately, Dagger of Xian wasn't picked up after the first fanmade level.

[@MonoDree]

@@KasumiRINA yeah i would like that too

[@tasben.c]

A well written and searched video, I learned a lot about the reality of game designs and marketing than ever before. I still remember the 1st time I played TR when I was 10 yo, which was The Last Revelation and it inspired me so much. Now I see the TR games differently and it feels so sad that the main brains behind this masterpiece weren't even respected as they should. Thanks again for taking the time to elaborate this awesome video. Cheers!

[@GameStudioLore]

Thanks for watching! Im glad you enjoyed it! It was fun to make!

[@atilamachado7379]

Its weird to discover that they made all these improvements from 2 to 3, but to me they always felt like almost the same thing (except that 2 is much better) And great video btw, I love TR since tha classics and I'm always looking for content like that. Sorry about my english and kisses from Brazil.

[@GameStudioLore]

Yeah! TR2 is pretty awesome! And thank you!

[@DigitalDassie]

Have you seen Steve of War's retrospective? I'd recommend it if you enjoy these types of videos.

[@bud389]

TR3 is much better than TR2.

[@Dominosmusic]

still coming back to this and learning more

[@rjakash89]

As a huge fan. I still don't like how the Voiceover guy keeps saying LAURA every now and then. It's not a hard name

[@GameStudioLore]

I tried so hard to make sure I said LAR-A correctly. In recording I messed up so many times. lol. I had to get the video out and the few mistakes I said it wrong I just left it >

[@rjakash89]

@@GameStudioLore Its fine bud. The video was really nice so overall u did a wonderful job. I didn't even know about the burnout. I expected it to be a huge team, so it was very informative for me

[@julianscoffield9464]

The research and organisation of this video is amazing! I will be sending people to watch this video, other then trying to explain the development of the games myself. It reminds me again of the times playing the games... and of course my design course, where I was asked to do a presentation; The subject matter was of course Tomb raider games development. Great job!

[@GameStudioLore]

Thats so cool! Thank you so much! Organizing it was a painnnnn!

[@Dominosmusic]

probably took so effing long

[@emperortrevornorton3119]

Lara is one of the most important female characters in gaming and her voice made the game storytelling 100 times better then you add her design and you made a cultural icon for the mid to late 90's dude if you were to think about the only games that most original Playstation owners all had it would be one of the Resident Evil games and one of the Tomb Raider games maybe one of Crash or Spyro games depending on age of the person

[@KasumiRINA]

Tekken 3 and many people had a random Square jRPG too. But yeah, PS1 was for Tomb Raider, Capcom horrors and Crash/Spyro.

[@Thetopnoobpro]

0:00: prelude 1:08: Core Design overview 2:03: Tomb Raider I: beginnings 3:12: TR 1: Influences 6:22: TR 1: Evolution of Lara Croft 13:24: TR1: Degenerate Marketing 15:12: Release for Award and Loses 19:21: Tomb Raider II 23:51: TR2: Starring Lara Croft 24:59: Release For Award and Sanity 27:37: Tomb Raider III 33:09: TR3: The Exposure of Lara Croft 34:21: Release for Mediocrity and Ambition 35:30: Tomb Raider IV 40:10: Release for Let downs and Limits 41:36: Tomb Raider V 45:06: Release for Failure and Exhaustion 45:37: To Save Angel of Darkness 47:43: Tomb Raider VI 50:20: Release for Darkness and Doom 50:55: Aftermath 53:44: To Save Tomb Raider 55:15 Release from Theft for Royalties 55:56: The triumph and tragedy of Lara Croft

[@GameStudioLore]

I cant believe you took the time to do this! Thank you so much =)

[@sashawitwicky]

this was so fantastic…. thank you so much for making me feel good even if the story is a bit tragic. 🧡

[@GameStudioLore]

You're welcome! Thank for watching!

[@LimitlessSports]

"If you are going to be following behind her, she might as well be appealing to look at" Fair play lol😂

[@GameStudioLore]

He ain't wrong

[@Li_Tobler]

I'm replaying Underworld and Anniversary now and tbh she's SO inspiring to get your sh together and finally start working out

[@blahmoh8012]

very well done video, thank you! i never knew the actual story for the anniversary edition until now, i saw everything when it first leaked and just thought it was a scrapped project. it’s really sad what they did to the franchise in general and how it kept steering further away from what it was meant to be. i can only hope the next tomb raider game is reminiscent of the ones core design made and takes the franchise where it belongs

[@GameStudioLore]

Yeah it sucks, it happens to a ton of franchises. Its a hard balance of keeping the same and adding more without completely losing your identity. I have high hopes that the series comes back true to form. I mean they have had years to hear what people want, and if they don't make it "OG" TR then they would be utter failures lolol

[@neonxblaze2964]

i don't really leave comments but i'm a massive tomb raider and i just wanna thank you for the effort you put into this video! some of the details I didn't even know myself. just amazing, wow! I had to watch the whole thing through in one sit, that's how much u captivated me!

[@GameStudioLore]

Thank you so much! I was super nervous releasing it, I'm glad a hardcore fan enjoys it!

[@Dominosmusic]

SAME LOVE It

[@nicholassullivan1239]

The newer games are worth playing. The og games should remain memories.

[@dottytitan7496]

This was a great video! Being relatively new to the franchise it's really sad to see how the well intentioned studio who started the iconic series got pushed aside and used. Like I remember seeing the advertising for the early games and always found it weird how they used Lara croft as a character purely for sex appeal. I loved how you showcased the original creator's intent and vision with Lara Cruz and how he constantly had to fight to keep her as the legendary video game icon she's remembered as. It's kinda funny that if eidos had there ways we would've basically got another Nathan Drake

[@GameStudioLore]

Oh yeah, would have been huge jacked Nathan Drake lolol. Lara got used and abused, quite sad really. I wish it turned out different and if toby stayed how he would have moved the franchise if persuaded to to more sequels.

[@number0017]

The sex appeal actually ended up working fantastic over all. The problem was the company wasn't given them time off, over work them, not paying them well and given them a extremely short deadline to finish the game.

[@samguppy1130]

Loved this! Keep em coming

[@GameStudioLore]

Thank you! Thats the plan!

[@afti03]

This video was just what i needed in my life right now. I watched it when i could over the last 3 days, and i kept rewinding the thing to make sure i didn't miss any detail. I love your work and you deserve a much needed virtual hug >:D< and a new subscriber.

[@GameStudioLore]

Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it !

[@afti03]

@@GameStudioLore i did!💪

[@ImmundaDeus]

Awesome doc! You even taught this long-time tomb raider fan some new things.

[@GameStudioLore]

Haha awesome! I tried adding as much as I possibly could!

[@LethalBubbles]

there was nothing wrong with how she was marketed. it was silly of them to leave. You can be immersive and sexy at the same time. I miss that era.

[@TheGlovener1985]

0:41 Little mistake there. They brought Tomb Raider to life in 96'

[@GameStudioLore]

Rip >

[@TheGlovener1985]

@@GameStudioLore Very good video though. Enjoyed it immensely

[@BlackCroft666]

Depends on the alive part. The first demo was shown to Eidos 1995.

[@gloryplaysgames1]

Fantastic doc about the series!

[@GameStudioLore]

Thanks!

[@DJCroft]

Great Video and amazing research on the franchise! Incredible job to you! I just wish you included the newer games in this video as well.

[@GameStudioLore]

I appreciate that! I will get to the new games eventually!

[@EQOAnostalgia]

I played and beat TR 1-3 when they came out without guides and STILL it's my crowning gaming achievements lol.

[@GameStudioLore]

Kids dunno what its like not having youtube to help =) lol

[@peoalofp]

Amazing work and documentary - big fan! need more of these on different game series'

[@GameStudioLore]

Thank you! That's the plan 🙃

[@CerealKiller]

Today I've learned that Lara Croft was the first VTuber.

[@GameStudioLore]

I didn't even realize that! She is a trend setter!

[@pjthemm7607]

Brilliant video. Please keep making these!!!

[@GameStudioLore]

Thank you! Thats the plan!

[@pankasisters6028]

Great video! Really well put and it brings so much nostalgia! I was born in the year AoD was released but still played the classics on my uncle's ps2 and Underworld on pc.(the game that made me love the franchise and basically the reason I know so much about Tomb Raider as a whole) As a gamer girl, I was fascinated that I had the chance to play as a female protagonist in a video game!

[@GameStudioLore]

Thank You! And yes, Toby Gard is pretty cool for making one of the first most BA woman in gaming!

[@BlackCroft666]

"gamer girl" ? You don't seem to play much games if Lara was your only female protagonist in games. There are tons of women in games since the 80s. Also many games you can choose. Unfortunatly western companies now beat their characters especially female ones with the fugly stick. Pretty women are demonised (again).

[@pankasisters6028]

@@BlackCroft666 Since Tomb Raider is the main topic here, I didn't bother mentioning other names. Nor did I feel the need to explain much about what games I've played. Of course, I mostly played video games with male protagonists of any type and there are certainly other franchises that have awesome female characters. I just focused mainly on Lara Croft, since it is indeed one of my favorite franchises but I do get why you were left with the impression she "might be my only favourite female protagonist"! Although I can certainly name other female characters if you like! :)

[@Carnelust]

Awesome work!

[@GameStudioLore]

Thank you so much! Thanks for watching!

[@GamerzWRLD]

Dude, this was a fcking masterpiece! Fantastic editing, great voice over and great pacing! Well done! Watched it from start to finish in one sitting, I WAS HOOKED! Now we need a part 2 with the crystal dynamics Lara games and also id like to make some requests for your future videos, I'd love to see one on the drama of Duke Nukem Forever and also the rise and fall of command and conquer! 👍

[@GameStudioLore]

Appreciate it! Ive seen a lot of people around the internet asking for command and conquer vids, might be something I have to do!

[@GamerzWRLD]

@@GameStudioLore Definitely, such a classic franchise, would love to see it return to its glory days when it was one of the biggest and best releases of the year! Also might be cool to look into Bullfrog and their classics such as dungeon keeper, theme hospital etc

[@Dominosmusic]

TOO GOOD

[@ExploringwithGemini]

Well put together, I’m still watching, but I gotta make sure I say something before I forget haha awesome video of knowledge on the game the depth is amazing. I gotta thank you for this one! 🙏🏽

[@GameStudioLore]

Thank you so much for watching! Your comment means a lot!

[@tisurame]

Extremely well told and interesting to watch. Congratulations! Great video.

[@GameStudioLore]

Thank you!

[@KasumiRINA]

Some of the info about Tomb Raider 4 seems to be from pre-release interview: there's no Diary with lore and hints in the game, that feature would only be added to Legend and Anniversary, and they didn't eliminate lock-on with weapons. PC version being its own thing is true, though, both that and Dreamcast look different from PS1 and bump mapping still works on PC if you install dgvoodoo or a sourceport. I wish we get a remaster and a new game based on TR4-5 style of moves, kinda like we got Crash 4 after original trilogy's remake. P.S. Also no, Lara isn't alive in TR5, it's called Chronicles because it's a collection of stories from her past in a memorial service, she is presumed to be MiA, missing and Von Croy finds her backpack in ending, suggesting it's open whether she survived. It's Angel of Darkness where she apparently survives but since it's unfinished and canon was reset, for all intents and purposes TLR killing her off worked. The Legend timeline is unrelated. Also critics were pretty weird criticizing better designed games for being more of the same when that was what people wanted.

[@Dominosmusic]

AYEE A FULL DOCUMENTARY!?!

[@GameStudioLore]

Yessir!

[@callumbus7690]

Loved your video great work, I would love to see you make similar videos about other game series, such as resident evil etc etc

[@GameStudioLore]

Appreciate it! That's the plan! Thanks for watching!

[@feditissaoui5845]

I know this story like the back of my hand, I don’t know it with THIS much detail however! Great job! Please do another video picking up where you left, Legend and on!

[@GameStudioLore]

hey thanks for watching! Thats the plan, eventually. I'm so Lara'd out right now I need a break from the TR story lolol

[@feditissaoui5845]

@@GameStudioLore how core design of you hahaha. Well i'll be on the lookout for the inevitable part 2!

[@WillieCorley]

Wow, I knew nothing about the game development of the Tomb Raider games until I watched this video. That's sad what they went through. :(

[@GameStudioLore]

Indeed it was! One of the saddest out there. Thanks for watching!

[@WillieCorley]

@@GameStudioLore I hope your channel grows a lot from this video doing well in the algorithm. You did an excellent job putting this video together.

[@timaeby]

Thank you for this in depth, well narrated video. The story of Tomb Raider is a fascinating one!

[@GameStudioLore]

I appreciate that! Thanks for watching!

[@ricigri1242]

This was one of the best video suggestions in 2023... Thank you.

[@GameStudioLore]

Wow what a comment! Thank you so much! Means a lot!

[@ricigri1242]

@@GameStudioLore Please continue the excellent work 💪

[@LionmaneElsie08]

I was obsessed with Tomb Raider 1 - as soon as I saw it I needed to play it. The second one is possibly my favorite but from 3 (3 has some strong moments however) up to 6 I didn’t care much for… I like AOD but it’s too unfinished, a real shame Awesome video btw 🤩 👏🏻 👍🏻

[@GameStudioLore]

Thank you so much! Nothing beats the OG games!

[@latyak2531]

TR4 is a good game, give it a shot.

[@LionmaneElsie08]

@@latyak2531 I didn’t like 4 at all, and I played it when it came out and I was obsessed with the games. I just didn’t like how it felt and played

[@latyak2531]

@@LionmaneElsie08 Oh, I see. I had similar feelings about TR3 and TR5 (and about whole rebooted trilogy. I call it the Tomb Rambo trilogy.)

[@katanabluebird]

"Are you seeing another woman??" I mean, technically, yeah...

[@GameStudioLore]

hahah thats funny and not funny at the same time >

[@katanabluebird]

@@GameStudioLore felt bad for his marriage, for real

[@antonysimpson9759]

Loved this! Are you thinking of doing the new generation of Tomb Raider games?

[@GameStudioLore]

Thank you! I will eventually, I put in so much time reading/watching so much on TR that I'm super burnt out from that story right now lolol. But I will make a history video on the Crystal Dynamic games eventually

[@MalooYT]

Amazing Video !

[@GameStudioLore]

Thank You!

[@Elyseon]

It would be hilarious if it turned out that Lara's torpedoes had been meant as a designer prank that somehow got approved.

[@GameStudioLore]

bruh >< lol

[@graduator14]

Great video! Sad that so many classic games are without their original creators...

[@GameStudioLore]

It really is. if you really think about its A LOT of games :/

[@vijzon3223]

I appreciate Ed Boon for staying with Mortal Kombat. I think he is the only original creator left from the first game.

[@Streetrocker28]

@@vijzon3223he also sold MK out , why do you think there’s less revealing clothes with female fighters , and still no fan favorite gameplay ? He sold out to Warner , if Tobias was still there it wouldn’t have happened …

[@HannibalOrJustRex]

8:25 I immediately started yelling "Go go hurry go!" in my head

[@GameStudioLore]

😂😂

[@captainm8889]

Hey, great work on the video!

[@GameStudioLore]

Thank you!

[@jeremymoon2]

This video looks great

[@timtim4732]

This is the type of content that will get you millions of subscribers! P.S a bit dissapointed you didnt at least mentioned new games hahaha

[@GameStudioLore]

Wow I appreciate that! Thank you. I did think about mentioning them but the video was really focused on core and their story. I do plan on making a history video of the crystal dynamics side but I read and researched so much for that video I need a break from anything Lara Croft right now lol but it will be coming eventually 🙃

[@AC-hj9tv]

Let's boost this guy 😎

[@theguyinthere]

quoting nakey jakey here but games that should bang tomb raider and red faction. imagine classic tomb raider where you could do some geo mod stuff and find your own way through a level.....

[@GameStudioLore]

All I saw was "bang tomb raider" and started laughing lol. But yeah, something like that would be kinda wild. Feels almost Portal-y, It could work as somekind of artifact Lara finds!

[@darthkahn45]

Tomb Raider was doomed before it even began. Not just because of of Eidios, but because the head of Core was in with them and everything they were about. He was one of THEM.He would join the Eidos executive board not long after the franchise began.

[@JayFolipurba]

The sexuality is a part of Lara, but not her only trait. She's always been a strong, intelligent, classy, badass, interesting and charismatic character. Of course woke media swings the other way, stripping her of any sexuality, because apparently strong women can't be sexy and sexy characters can't be strong/intelligent?

[@GameStudioLore]

It's sad that it appears one or the other. But I do think the new Lara def isn't ugly

[@MissMedeiros]

the modern woman in games has become a robot. without outstanding personality, without charisma, without beauty, and without a single feature that defines it as different from the others. It's forbidden to be sexy. in this case old Lara >>>> new Lara

[@BlackCroft666]

Don't forget feminine. Strong women can't be feminine anymore. They must be masculine nowadays.

[@SuperHitman55]

Old Lara was 🔥

[@Zireael83]

would have been nice to have the new games/movie also in this documentation but else, well done :)

[@GameStudioLore]

Aye thanks! That will come eventually!

[@kavehnamvar]

All of tombraider from 1st to last are great in their own ways , some people may don't like last trilogy or AOD or legend or... but it doesn't mean that these games are bad tor poorly developed (except AOD since it was too complicated like be ahead of it's time and not enough time to develop it properly) I played all of them from 1996 until now . And I send my huge thanks to all people who created,developed and produced these games even the ones that I may didn't like much as the others❤

[@AC-hj9tv]

Super good man

[@GameStudioLore]

Appreciate it!

[@doomraven0]

Beautiful video, easy subscribe, thanks for all the hard work for one of my favorite game series ever.

[@GameStudioLore]

I appreciate that! Thank you for watching! It was rough to complete, but I'm glad I did it

[@fuckinyutub]

Thank you! So amazing to see my favourite game, so much information! This is the sad happening when our false god is money! it will kill anything, regardless of what it is, people will exploit you, and people will let them be exploited. Also my all time favorite Tomb Raiders are: The last revelation and angel of darkness. The core studio had something in them. The 3 new ones after these, legend, anniv and underworld feels completely soulless and artificial.

[@timbrosius]

One big takeaway is how much corporate Eidos is terrible. I hate hearing stories of passionate artists ruining their family lives and health. These are great games and it is amazing what the devs could do under such duress. Thank you to the devs, but damn Eidos, 8 months development time is just gross.

[@GameStudioLore]

Yeah it's wild. Really went to far with that

[@JabamiLain]

Not gonna lie, her old design was incredibly creepy, especially when she smiled. But I can not deny the creepiness added to the vibe of ancient scary mysteries.

[@GameStudioLore]

Yeahhh, Not a lot to work with back then lol

[@HappyGodFlower]

Great video. 👍🏻

[@GameStudioLore]

Thank you!

[@HappyGodFlower]

@KaiG I'm a 90s -200s kid/teen individual . And yes. That was what happened to TR. Sexual objectification of Lara was somewhat of a case - BUT - it was a judicial discussion during that time. And that... will make a great topic for a future video. But gamers, throughout the years, will definitely say that the magic of TR being entertaining and engaging was still MADE GREAT but stale.

[@Jay_Sullivan]

"Lara Croft is a legend, and legends never truly die." It seems as if he hasn't heard of the new trilogy. Lara is dead.

[@GameStudioLore]

=(

[@BlackCroft666]

Well I doubt taht the wannabe Lara will ever replace the real Lara though. Considering current easter eggs in other games they mostly show classic Lara.

[@Jay_Sullivan]

@@BlackCroft666 , that's a good point. Unfortunately, the owners of the I.P. could change that, and I won't be surprised if they do.

[@Joeharden92]

Amazing video, very detailed and informative.

[@GameStudioLore]

Appreciate it! I'm glad you liked it!

[@mcmike89]

Tomb Raider 1-3 remastered is going to take us back nearly 30 years which is crazy once the game releases on February 14th and to top it off, that day is Lara Croft's birthday. She would be turning 56 years old this year since she was born in 1968, she was only 28 years old when she started her first adventure in Peru back in 1996. Also, Indiana Jones started in Peru in Raiders of the Lost Ark as the first Indiana Jones movie back in 1981, time flies when you are having fun. These are some really interesting fun facts as well.

[@GameStudioLore]

Appreciate the little facts! ALways fun! I hope the remasters serve the OG lara well!

[@mcmike89]

@@GameStudioLore They need to remaster Tomb Raider The Last Revelation, Chronicles and the Angel of Darkness, but fix the existing bugs that really hurt that game very badly.

[@KasumiRINA]

@@mcmike89 yeah it's hard to launch TLR and Chronicles on PC as is without third party mods like dgvoodoo or tomb4/tomb5 sourceports, and AoD fan patch basically remakes tons of stuff, I am not even sure how remaster can work when the game's main issue is puzzle logic and unfinished content.

[@mcmike89]

@@KasumiRINA With the unfinished content from AOD, they would have to come up with something new to add on to the existing storyline which takes more work rather than remastering the game from it's original release.

[@Baldur1975]

Ahh, diese Musik. Wunderbar. Wird mich ein Leben lang begleiten.

[@GameStudioLore]

Ja dieses musik ist sehr gut! Danke für zuschauen (it's been a minute, so if that's wrong I'm sorry lolol)

[@Baldur1975]

@@GameStudioLore Oh , I watch complete now. Had to buy something before 20pm XD (sorry for my bad English) Greets from Germany 👋😃

[@SevenDeMagnus]

Thanks Core Design and Indiana Jones. God bless.

[@Spinozin]

Sprite control was terrible in this game from the beginning. They never addressed it.

[@hgfgdgsytdyugkjyt]

Loved tomb raider 1 and liked 2, 3 just lost me I only enjoyed her house in 3 and never bought a tomb raider after 3...however I am very excited for the remastered that is coming soon

[@GameStudioLore]

The remasters will hopefully be great like the OG!

Good job on the summarizing the classics history.

[@GameStudioLore]

Thank you very much! Thanks for watching

[@ryanc5572]

Last Revelation's main theme is so good. I don't really care for the game, since 1 and 2 are my faves, but its theme is so epic and grand.

[@GameStudioLore]

There are so many good tracks in the TR series.

[@markaitkenguitar]

This was fascinating and so well done. Thank you for the history, and for the walk down memory lane! Long live O.G. Tomb Raider!

[@GameStudioLore]

Appreciate this! This video was a beast to make, as it was my first attempt at this style. Im glad people are still enjoying it =)

[@luigi-1545]

47:13 ok but you just did not overlap the name of Kurtis Trent (a legend btw) with footage of the herbalist willowtree and also, whomever that was behind the computer obviously didn't finish his damn job because the herbalist was infamously unable to move his mouth lol Thank you for your research and all the hard work put into this video! This tale is a classic one to us old TR fans, as these details of the tragedy befell upon TR were revisited again and again in online forums and discord servers. Though there were bits that I personally didn't know of (like the fact that CD developers used to earn THE coin and Lara's mansion being modeled after CD headquarters). The biggest casualty of all of this is definitely Angel of Darkness which deserves the videogame with most potential ever award, it was shaping up to be a masterpiece but sadly, it just could not. I still like it tho!

[@GameStudioLore]

Hahahaha I didn't even catch that 🤣🤣and thank you! Yeah AOD really could have been great. It was highly ambitious tho, they said they needed like a couple more weeks but when reading it felt like it should've been months lol they had so much left to do. Really a causality of corporate idiots 😓

[@NebLleb]

Question: What is the best way to play the very first Tomb Raider? PS1 Emulation (which I have an ISO for) or the Automated Fix fan-patch?

[@GameStudioLore]

Honestly I have no idea >

[@NebLleb]

@@GameStudioLore I ultimately went for another fan patch, Tomb1Main, and it's fantastic. Honestly, Tomb Raider has some pretty solid tank controls and does everything to make them feel bearable. Helps that Tomb1Main adds controller support as controller tank controls are better than keyboard tank. And yes. Core went through severe anguish making the franchise, but Tomb Raider is still a fantastic game that has more than earnt its reputation.

[@tulilintu]

It frustrates me to think about what the later gamer could've been if Eidos hadn't put so much pressure on the shoulders of the developers and had just let them work in peace for even some months more. Especially AoD could've been one of the best TR's in the franchise, had it been worked on longer and bugs and horrible controls fixed before release.

[@claytonfrancy]

what a breakdown ,,, cheers to your work --

[@GameStudioLore]

Thank you!

[@JordanFrostV]

Frost fact: Rhona Mitra also released an album as Lara Croft. It's called Female Icon.

[@GameStudioLore]

I did see this in my research! So crazy lol

[@SevenDeMagnus]

Cool studio, a victorian mansion. God bless.

[@herczegmarton9972]

Probably the most tragic and infuriating game developer histories I have ever heard, and I heard a few.

[@GameStudioLore]

yeah it was bad. Corporate sucks

[@WanderlustZero]

23:47 It'd would've been fun to see Lara ride a horse! :D

[@GameStudioLore]

oh yeah lolol

[@Blarglesnarfe]

The people who created the series and the character, the group behind it all... were hurt in almost every way and blamed. And Eidos just flatly got away with it. Crystal Dynamics got away with it too. It makes me sad.

[@GameStudioLore]

Yuh, its a pretty sad story =(

[@foxstep83]

Legendary characters and timeless games Giving the IP to Crystal Dynamics was a mistake

[@GameStudioLore]

Yeah. They attempted to create a "AAA" blockbuster-esque. While not terrible, it wasn't Tomb Raider

[@shadowman5567]

It's so strange how critics were complaining about the sequels being too much of the same. Like, what were they expecting? Lara turning into a werewolf? I don't get it. It must suck as a dev, especially when putting in so much effort. Well, at least we have the Remasters to appreciate these games all over again. Hopefully, they'll remaster the rest of them.