Core Design Limited (known as Rebellion (Derby) Ltd between 2006 and 2010) was a British
video game developer
A video game developer is a broad term for a software developer specializing in video game development – the process and related disciplines of creating video games. A game developer can range from one person who undertakes all tasks to a larg ...
based in
Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gain ...
. Founded in May 1988 by former
Gremlin Graphics employees, it originally bore the name Megabrite until rebranding as Core Design in October the same year. The company was acquired by umbrella company CentreGold in December 1994, which in turn was acquired by
Eidos Interactive
Square Enix Limited (formerly Domark Limited and Eidos Interactive Limited) is a British subsidiary of the Japanese video game company Square Enix, acting as their European publishing arm. The company formerly owned ''Tomb Raider'', which was in ...
in April 1996. In May 2006, the Core Design personnel and assets were acquired by
Rebellion Developments
Rebellion Developments Limited is a British video game developer based in Oxford, England. Founded by Jason and Chris Kingsley in December 1992, the company is best known for its '' Sniper Elite'' series and multiple games in the '' Alien vs. P ...
, and the company became Rebellion Derby, which was then shut down in March 2010.
History
Based in the city of
Derby
Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gain ...
, England, Core Design was founded in 1988 by Chris Shrigley, Andy Green, Rob Toone, Terry Lloyd,
Simon Phipps, Dave Pridmore, Jeremy Heath-Smith, Kevin Norburn and Greg Holmes. Most were former employees of
Gremlin Graphics.
The studio was part of distribution company CentreGold when it was acquired by
Eidos Interactive
Square Enix Limited (formerly Domark Limited and Eidos Interactive Limited) is a British subsidiary of the Japanese video game company Square Enix, acting as their European publishing arm. The company formerly owned ''Tomb Raider'', which was in ...
in 1996.
[ Heath-Smith regarded the acquisition as a relief, commenting, "The funding of development is so expensive that I doubt we could have continued to fund ourselves as an independent company."] Eidos subsequently sold most of CentreGold, but retained U.S. Gold, the owners of Core Design.
The company is widely known for the ''Tomb Raider
''Tomb Raider'', also known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created by British gaming company Core Design. Formerly owned by Eidos Interactive, th ...
'' series. The first game was created by Toby Gard and Paul Douglas, released in 1996, and followed by several sequels. The success of the first ''Tomb Raider
''Tomb Raider'', also known as ''Lara Croft: Tomb Raider'' from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created by British gaming company Core Design. Formerly owned by Eidos Interactive, th ...
'' has been credited with making Eidos Interactive a major force in the industry,[ and turned Eidos's 1996 pretax loss of $2.6 million into a $14.5 million profit. In September 1997, Sony Computer Entertainment's U.S. arm, ]SCEA
''Scea'' is a genus of moths of the family Notodontidae.
Species
This genus consists of the following species:
*'' Scea angustimargo'' Warren, 1905
*''Scea auriflamma'' (Geyer, 827
*'' Scea bellona'' (Druce, 1906)
*'' Scea bryki'' Hering, 1943 ...
, signed an agreement with Eidos to keep the franchise exclusive to the PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a di ...
console. The deal was extended to include ''Tomb Raider III
''Tomb Raider III: Adventures of Lara Croft'' is an action-adventure video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. It was released for the PlayStation and Microsoft Windows platforms in 1998. ''Tomb Raider III'' is t ...
''. Fourth and fifth games in the franchise, '' Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation'' and ''Tomb Raider Chronicles
''Tomb Raider Chronicles'' is an action-adventure platform video game developed by Core Design and published in 2000 by Eidos Interactive for PlayStation, Microsoft Windows and Dreamcast. Following '' Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation'', seri ...
'' respectively, followed.
After the critical failure of '' Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness'' in 2003, parent company Eidos put Crystal Dynamics
Crystal Dynamics, Inc. is an American video game developer based in San Mateo, California and part of Embracer Group. The studio developed the ''Gex'', '' Legacy of Kain'', and ''Tomb Raider'' series. Founded in 1992 by Madeline Canepa, Judy ...
, another Eidos-owned studio, in charge of ''Tomb Raider'' franchise development. This prompted members of the Core Design management team and development staff to leave the company and establish a new company, Circle Studio
Circle Studio was a video game developer located in Derby, United Kingdom.
The company was formed and staffed in October 2003 by a group of former employees at Core Design, a studio owned by Eidos Interactive. The founders of the new company, ...
.
In May 2006, Eidos announced that independent developer Rebellion Developments
Rebellion Developments Limited is a British video game developer based in Oxford, England. Founded by Jason and Chris Kingsley in December 1992, the company is best known for its '' Sniper Elite'' series and multiple games in the '' Alien vs. P ...
had acquired Core Design's assets and staff, while the Core brand and intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
, including ''Tomb Raider'', remained in Eidos' possession.
In June 2006, Crystal Dynamics was confirmed to have a PSP anniversary edition of the original ''Tomb Raider'' in development. Remnants of the Core Design team (under the banner of Rebellion) went on to work on several titles in years since, including '' Shellshock 2: Blood Trails'' and '' Rogue Warrior''. Starting in January 2010, due to an expiring lease on Rebellion Derby's offices, Rebellion Developments started seeking restructuring opportunities for the studio. As no other possibility than closure was found, Rebellion Derby was closed down effective on 17 March 2010.
Legacy
In July 2010, shortly after the closure of the studio, a nearby road in Derby was named "Lara Croft Way", in honour of the studio's contribution to the creative industries.
Games developed
References
{{Authority control
Square Enix
Eidos
Rebellion Developments
Defunct companies of England
Software companies of England
Video game companies established in 1988
Video game companies disestablished in 2010
Defunct video game companies of the United Kingdom
Video game development companies
Companies based in Derby
1988 establishments in England
2010 disestablishments in England