2013 Tomb Raider reboot sells 8.5 million copies

Crystal Dynamics’ 2013 reboot of the Tomb Raider franchise, Tomb Raider, has sold more than 8.5 million copies worldwide, the studio announced today.

The landmark means that critically acclaimed, award-winning, title is the biggest selling game in the franchise’s history.

“Tomb Raider ignited and expanded the fan base, pushing the series to a new level,” said Darrell Gallagher, Head of Studios at Crystal Dynamics. “The game’s incredible sales success reflects the passionate response of players. Our studio is proud of what we accomplished with the game.”

Launching back in March 2013, the game went on to receive critical acclaim worldwide for its incredibly detailed environments, its emotional & immersive story and the performance of Camilla Luddington, who plays Lara Croft.

Winning over 40 end of year awards, Tomb Raider was also nominated for numerous Game of the Year awards. A whopping 3.4 million copies were sold during its first month, making it the biggest opening for a game at that time, and sold over 4 million copies by August 2013.

A Definitive Edition for Tomb Raider was released in later released for next-gen consoles.

A sequel is currently in development and was officially announced last year during E3. It was later revealed the sequel would be a Xbox One exclusive, much to the anger of many fans.

When it was first announced, fans took to social media to vent their anger and disappointment with the deal, with some launching petitions, noting the title’s birth on PlayStation and much more.

Crystal Dynamics’ Darrell Gallagher, took to Tumblr shortly after the announcement to defend the decision.

A few days later, Xbox head Phil Spencer revealed that the exclusivity was actually a timed exclusive but refused to reveal how long for.

The President of Sony Worldwide Studios, Shuhei Yoshida, previously said that he hopes that Rise of the Tomb Raider will come to PlayStation 4.

The sequel will be set following the events of Tomb Raider and follows Lara Croft as she must use her survival skills, learn to trust new friends, and ultimately accept her destiny as the Tomb Raider.

Lara will also travel across the world, visiting locations filled with exploration spaces.

Camilla Luddington will reprise her role as Lara Croft whilst Rhianna Pratchett will also return as the writer.

It will be available on Xbox One and Xbox 360 in the 2015 holidays.