Tomb Raider has cemented itself as one of the best-selling video game franchises in history. The total sales of all titles in the series about Lara Croft’s adventures are now approaching the 100 million mark.
Shadow Of The Tomb Raider cover art, by Frédéric Bennett
As spotted by TweakTown, Amazon Games disclosed the data earlier this month after announcing that it will be publishing a new Tomb Raider game from Crystal Dynamics.
The franchise has sold more than 95 million units since the first title came out in 1996, according to a press release. This is seven million copies more than Embracer Group reported after acquiring Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal from Square Enix for €300 million.
Overall, the Tomb Raider franchise has 12 main games and multiple spin-offs. It is worth noting that the reboot trilogy — Tomb Raider (2013), Rise of the Tomb Raider, and Shadow of the Tomb Raider — accounts for nearly half of total sales.
This makes Tomb Raider one of the best-selling video game franchises of all time, sitting between the likes of Monster Hunter (88 million units sold), Halo (81 million units sold), Resident Evil (130 million), and The Sims (175 million).
According to TweakTown, Mario remains the best-selling gaming IP with over 776 million units sold globally. It is followed by Tetris (495 million), Pokemon (440 million), Call of Duty (425 million), and GTA (325 million).
What is known about the next Tomb Raider game?
The new Tomb Raider project was first mentioned in April during a keynote dedicated to the launch of Unreal Engine 5. Crystal Dynamics then announced the transition from its proprietary technology to Epic Games’ engine.
“Our goal is to push the envilope of fidelity and to deliver the high-quality cinematic action adventure experience that fans deserve from both Crystal Dynamics and the Tomb Raider franchise,” Dallas Dickinson, who was the Tomb Raider general manager at the time, said.
Shortly after the announcement, Days Gone game director Jeff Ross joined Crystal Dynamics as a design director. “I’m thrilled with the project, and especially the team of really wonderful people,” he said.
In September, Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal revealed that they have taken control over some of its IPs previously owned by Square Enix, including Legacy of Kain, Deus Ex, and Tomb Raider.
Of course, the next game about Lara Croft is in the early stages of production right now, so it won’t come out anytime soon. We only know that it will include elements familiar to fans of the series like exploration, puzzles, and action. Crystal Dynamics calls this project “the biggest, most expansive Tomb Raider game to date.”
The title will be published by Amazon Games, with Crystal Dynamics head Scot Amos saying that the studio “has an extraordinary opportunity following our acquisition by Embracer to redefine what a publishing relationship is for Tomb Raider.”