Crystal Dynamics, the Tomb Raider reboot trilogy creator, has a new job listing for an unannounced AAA game. Currently, the studio is still actively developing its Marvel’s Avengers game. However, that isn’t to say that other projects aren’t on the timeline for the developer. William Kerslake, game director for the Tomb Raider series, recently said that the next title in the series would unify both the original trilogy created by Core Design and the modern trilogy his team created.
Publisher Square Enix will be hosting what it calls Square Enix Presents on March 18, a new series for showcasing projects and updates on games throughout the year. During the show, a segment dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Tomb Raider is planned, though what will be discussed is still unknown. While Crystal Dynamics has no plans to announce the next title in the series, there is some expectation that the leaked trilogy bundle will be formally announced.
As reported by Game Rant, the listing is for a gameplay camera designer for a new AAA game coming from Crystal Dynamics’ Redwood City studio. This position manages and designs the in-game camera during gameplay and cinematics. On the company’s website, multiple other listings relating to AAA game development pop up as well. One of them is for a lead combat designer with a specific focus on ranged combat and traversal in a multiplayer environment. This listing also says that their duties will be to “design, implement and extensively test combat systems for weapons, gear, traversal and player abilities.”
Another listing is for a lead economy designer whose focus will be designing and implementing online player progression systems. All of these listings suggest that Crystal Dynamic’s next game will be an online multiplayer shooter, or, based on the need for traversal, a battle royale. It could also mean that the game will feature a dedicated online multiplayer component in addition to a single-player story, ideally for the next Tomb Raider. Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood introduced multiplayer by letting players take Assassins and Templars’ roles in fighting against one another. This multiplayer feature could be the Crystal Dynamics version of that multiplayer mode.
Regardless of what game Crystal Dynamics makes next, there may be a bit of time before any concrete news comes out about it. Avengers is still a priority for the team, despite questionable changes to its progression and content structure. The team may want to focus more on fixing that game before brashly charging ahead with any new projects.
