The future looks bleak for the next Tomb Raider game. The studio in charge of the project seems to be in great danger, and we wonder what this portends for the new adventures of Lara Croft.
Currently, there is panic on board at Embracer Group and its studios. Remember, the Swedish giant managed to swallow up a number of video game companies in record time, which could promise great things. Unfortunately, in recent months, the firm has embarked on a large-scale restructuring operation. The consequence ? Waves of layoffs across the board which also affected the studio behind the next Tomb Raider, Crystal Dynamics. And it won’t stop there, since terrible news has been announced by Embracer.
Embracer drops the ax
In September, the business started “multiple actions to strengthen its cash flow”. As a result, Tomb Raider teams have been reduced. Then, it continued with the separation of nine employees from the marketing department and one employee from the IT department. In short, the game was in danger, and the situation didn’t seem to be stabilizing on Embracer’s side. The latter has just revealed a frightening figure, which does not bode well for the rest of the adventures of Lara Croft.
Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors made a statement in the group’s financial statement: in three months (until the end of September), the company parted ways with almost 5% of its employees. 5% here equals 900 people, including more than 511 developers. In this period of layoffs, it is a new stone that is added to the sinister edifice. Incidentally, 15 projects would have been canceled as a result, and they were under the supervision of studios like Amplifier, Gearbox or Saber Interactive. However, their names have not been revealed. Obviously, however, Crystal Dynamics is not concerned, which may reassure some about the future of the new Tomb Raider game currently in development.
Before we get into the business details of our second quarter, I want to start this conference by personally thanking the 900 people who left Embracer during the second quarter. As you will hear today, we are committed to transforming Embracer into a more stable and stronger company. That said, it pains me to see you leave the group, and we have done and are doing everything we can to preserve jobs without changing what we need to achieve.
Lars Wingefors, CEO of Embracer
What future for the new Tomb Raider game under UE5?
Let’s be clear, this doesn’t mean that the studio in charge of Tomb Raider is immune from anything. Embracer’s restructuring plan will continue until the end of the current fiscal year, i.e. March 2024. In the meantime, studios may be closed or resold. We know that the firm was already considering the resale of Gearbox Entertainment, but it is perhaps not the only one concerned.
Starbreeze is potentially in the giant’s sights. In the review, the CEO noted that Payday 3’s results were a bit below expectations. For its part, Free Radical, the creator of TimeSplitters, is potentially facing imminent closure. For now, Crystal Dynamics appears to have escaped this tragic fate. However, Embracer has made it clear that it plans to close other studios in the coming months. If that happens, we don’t know what will happen to Tomb Raider.