Tomb Raider creators describe 2-year push behind Lara Croft

Core Design veterans Paul Douglas and Heather Stevens described a two-year, 1994-to-1996 sprint to build Tomb Raider in a Guardian feature published Nov. 2.

The account gives fresh industry context to Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider remake, which Atlas360 reported Oct. 25 had kept a Feb. 12 date for PS5, Xbox and PC, 30 years after the 1996 original.

Douglas, lead programmer and co-creator, said Toby Gard had brought him early drawings, the name Tomb Raider and cover art built around a woman with two guns. Gard then pushed him away from another project, Douglas said: “If I had stuck to the golf game, I would have had a much easier life.”

Douglas said the design rested on four elements: platforming, puzzles, combat and story. The team narrowed possible archaeological settings to Peru, Greece, Egypt and Atlantis, while Lara Croft shifted from an originally Latina character to a British aristocrat, a change Douglas attributed to scriptwriter Vicky Arnold.

Stevens, a level designer, said Lara’s weapons served the movement system as much as combat. “Giving Lara pistols enabled us to show off her acrobatic movement,” she told the Guardian, adding that the team pushed limited memory and processor power to make stitched-together rooms feel like large spaces.

The interviews also underline how unusual Lara’s role appeared inside the industry at the time. Stevens said management initially doubted players would want a woman as the central character, but the team continued; she said Lara was independent, restrained and mysterious, and that “Women hadn’t really been portrayed like that before.”

Douglas said Core launched the game as 3D play was moving into the mainstream and as action-adventure games had room to differentiate. He credited the timing, the distinct format and Lara’s commercial appeal, while saying publisher Eidos Interactive expanded the character’s market presence.

The same account points to costs behind the franchise’s rise. Douglas said he took three days off across two years and worked into the early morning for much of the final year, including weekends; he also said Gard became ill from stress and that combat remained the weakest part because the team lacked time to improve it.

Both creators raised concerns about how Lara was later sold. Douglas said he believed the game’s quality stood apart from its sexualised presentation, while Stevens said Eidos was right to recognise Lara’s appeal but “went a bit too far” in some clothing and pose choices used for marketing.

Stevens said the financial impact became clear only after she saw sales figures, though the Guardian feature did not include a unit-sales total. “People who were skint before were suddenly pulling up in sports cars,” she said, adding that royalties enabled her to buy a house.

The next dated marker for the franchise is Crystal Dynamics’ Feb. 12 remake release plan for PS5, Xbox and PC, as reported by Atlas360 in October.