Tomb Raider "was never going to fail," says Core Design co-founder

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"The way we had the 3D engine, the graphics and level design had never been done before"

Tomb Raider
(Image credit: Crystal Dynamics)

When the original Tomb Raider launched in 1996, players were dazzled by its expansive 3D environments, impressive visuals, immersive gameplay, and, of course, its leading lady Lara Croft. While the game might look a little rough around the edges by today's standards, there really wasn't anything like it back then, and according to Core Design co-founder Jeremy Heath-Smith, it was always destined for success.

In an interview featured in this month's Retro Gamer, Heath-Smith says, "The way we had the 3D engine, the graphics and level design had never been done before, so people were blown away by that. Secondly, there was this female character bouncing around the screen, shooting dinosaurs and tigers, and everything she shouldn't have been shooting! That was a recipe for success. It was never going to fail, looking back at it now."

And as we know, it was a resounding success. It sold millions, earned a multitude of awards and turned Lara Croft into a cultural icon. A sequel followed the very next year, offering improved visuals, bigger and more varied environments, and the ability to drive vehicles. "You have so many amazing locations around the world. You could be in Venice [...] we could have a snowmobile and a Jeep," Heath-Smith recalls.

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But all that success came at a cost to the team, who were under immense pressure to create a game that lived up to the original, with enough new ideas to keep the concept feeling fresh, and have it ready for release the very next year in 1997. 

"The turnaround was incredibly fast. People wanted the series to evolve, but they didn't realise how little time we had," Heath-Smith explains. The yearly entries continued right up until the year 2000 with the launch of Tomb Raider Chronicles before the series made the leap to PS2 and the studio began work on the ill-fated The Angel of Darkness, the last Tomb Raider game to be developed by Core Design.

The full interview features in Retro Gamer #145, now available in stores and via Magazines Direct.

Anne-Marie Ostler
Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.