This morning, Redwood City-based game developer Crystal Dynamics confirmed it has gained control of several of its game franchises from Square Enix, including Tomb Raider and Legacy of Kain.

　　We are excited to inform you that Crystal Dynamics has taken control of several game franchises—including TOMB RAIDER and Legacy of Kain—from the games’ previous owner, Square Enix Limited.

　　As a result of this change, Crystal Dynamics (or its affiliate) is now the owner of these games and the controller of the gameplay and personal data related to them. If you’d like to know more, please refer to our new Terms of Service and Privacy Notice.

　　We look forward to taking this new and exciting journey with you!

　　The studio was founded over thirty years ago. It was part of Eidos Interactive from 1998 to 2009 and then of Square Enix from 2009 to this year when the Japanese publisher sold it to the Embracer Group (alongside sister studio Eidos Montréal and mobile developer Square Enix Montréal) for around $300 million.

　　Crystal Dynamics first gained fame for Legacy of Kain and Soul Reaver before being put to work on Tomb Raider starting with 2006's Legend. However, the studio also released games based on other IPs such as Gex, Whiplash, and Project: Snowblind. More recently, it launched Marvel's Avengers, though that is certainly not among the franchises referred to in today's announcement.

　　Nowadays, Crystal Dynamics is working alongside The Initiative on the Perfect Dark reboot. Xbox Game Studios head Matt Booty confirmed a few days ago that a team of over a hundred developers is dedicated to the project.

　　Earlier this year, Crystal Dynamics also announced that a new Tomb Raider game is in development. Unlike previous titles, which were based on the internal tech called Foundation Engine, the studio has pledged to use Epic's Unreal Engine 5 going forward.

　　By the way, you can still get Shadow of the Tomb Raider: Definitive Edition for free via the Epic Games Store for a few more hours. Hurry up!