Following this morning’s announcement that the Tomb Raider IP (amongst others) is to be sold by Square Enix and acquired by the Embracer Group, Crystal Dynamics has shared some interesting information on the ongoing popularity of the franchise. It’s revealed an impressive number of lifetime sales figures for the Tomb Raider games.
The information was shared in a live stream earlier, fresh off the back of today’s acquisition reveal. In the announcement, it’s been shared that Embracer Group will purchase the Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal and Square Enix Montréal studios, as well as the entire Tomb Raider IP.
According to Crystal Dynamics Studio Head Scot Amos, global lifetime sales of games in the Tomb Raider series have now reached 88 million. The live stream also gave some insight into the specific titles that have sold well from within these figures. Of the 88 million lifetime AAA units sold so far, 38 million of those sales came from titles in the reboot trilogy. This means that Tomb Raider (2013), Rise of the Tomb Raider (2015) and Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018) have contributed massively to the franchise’s overall success.
Really importantly, looking at 2013, 2015 and 2018, the reboot trilogy, 38 million of those come from those three games alone, which really speaks to the appetite, the durability and the extendability of this franchise.
Scot Amos, Studio Head, Crystal Dynamics
The figures encompass the total number of units sold since 1996, the year the original and first game graced our consoles. To watch the live stream in full, in which the news of today’s acquisition agreement is discussed alongside some further interesting sales figures and insights, check out the video right here.
The continued demand and obvious enjoyment of the franchise should come as good news to members of the Embracer group, who will no doubt be extremely excited over their latest acquisition. With this information along with the news of a brand new game currently in development, it’s clear that Lara Croft’s adventures are still far from over.