Crystal Dynamics has begun hiring developers to work on its next game, a series of job listings suggests. The next release from the developer is theMarvel’s Avengersgame, which has been delayed to September, but it seems that Crystal Dynamics is also planning much further ahead.
TheCrystal Dynamicscareers page now has several job listings for its Redwood City, CA.-based development team. While none of the positions explicitly name the game that the team will be working on, some of the descriptions are more revealing than others. One listing, for a combat systems designer, says that the hired developer will get to “plan, prototype and build combat systems that directly apply to a 3rd person action adventure game.” A gameplay engineer, who will be working on the studio’s proprietary game engine, should have “experience building action/adventure gameplay including player, AI, combat, aiming, locomotion and traversal mechanics.”
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While unconfirmed, it does sound as though Crystal Dynamics is developing a newTomb Raidergame. The developer worked on the 2013 reboot of the series and its follow up,Rise of the Tomb Raiderwhich released as a timed exclusive on Xbox 360 and Xbox One in 2015. That game sold reasonably well andDLC such as the zombie mode added in theRise of the Tomb Raider: The 20 Year Celebrationpackagewere also well-received.
A newTomb Raidergame from Crystal Dynamics would help to get the series back on track afterShadow of the Tomb Raiderreleased in 2018. Crystal Dynamic provided additional development on that game but was not the main developer.
The game reviewed well butphysical sales ofShadow of the Tomb Raidersaw a huge dropcompared toTomb Raiderand Square Enix admitted that sales of the game had gotten off to a “slow start.” The company said that this was because it had failed to offer “an experience that was novel enough” compared to other games that were released around the same time.
Crystal Dynamics would also be able to do something a little fresher with the series.Shadow of the Tomb Raiderclosed out theLara Croft originstrilogy, meaning that the developer would be able to craft a grand, new adventure for the fictional female archaeologist.
However, if Crystal Dynamics is making a newTomb Raidergame, it could be a while until fans get to play it. The job listing for camera designer reveals that the game is in its “formative stages”. The developer is also planning somepost-launch DLC forMarvel’s Avengers, meaning that it could be some time until the whole team is working on the next Crystal Dynamics title.
Marvel’s Avengersreleases September 4 on PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
