Founded by Jeremy Heath-Smith in 1988, Core Design has created over fifty successful titles and is established as a leading games developer for the software industry. The company is best known for designing one of the most consistent best-selling series of all time: Tomb Raider starring Lara Croft. Combined sales for the five Tomb Raider titles now total more than twenty-five million units worldwide.
Core Design started with £16,000 and a staff of eight. Twelve years on, it employs around 90 people - some 80 of who are actively involved in software development. The company’s first game, Rick Dangerous shot straight to the top of the sales chart in the UK and subsequently went on to be named European Game of the Year.
Another early number one hit was Corporation - the original first-person perspective 'shoot `em up'. Subsequent best-sellers include classics such as Rick Dangerous, Chuck Rock, Thunderhawk, Jaguar XJ220, Heimdall, Darkmere, Battlecorps, Wonder Dog and Fighting Force.
In 1994, after establishing itself as a publisher in its own right, Core Design was acquired by the CentreGold group - made up of publisher US Gold and distributor CentreSoft. Core Design was autonomous within the group and remained so when the Eidos group acquired CentreGold itself in 1996.
Core Design is now a fully owned subsidiary of Eidos, although it is run independently. Jeremy Heath-Smith retains his title as President for the company. He also serves as Global Head of development for Eidos Interactive and is heavily involved in the company's general strategy. The Eidos group, which includes interactive entertainment publisher Eidos Interactive, is listed on the London Stock Exchange and the US NASDAQ market.
Soon after it was acquired, Core Design scored a massive hit for the group with the release of the groundbreaking Tomb Raider.
The game and its cyber-star Lara Croft are now global phenomena - critically acclaimed by the media, the titles have received numerous accolades. Core was recently awarded a BAFTA in recognition of its outstanding contribution to the interactive industry.
Lara Croft herself is variously described as a 'virtual idol', 'the first true supermodel of the cyber ages', and 'Britain's ambassador for scientific excellence'. Her popularity has grown considerably over the course of the five Tomb Raider games and she has now achieved unparalleled status as an icon for both the industry and the digital age. Her image has graced magazine covers around the world, including The Face and The Sunday Times. She has been featured in prestigious publications such as Time, Newsweek and Rolling Stone, as well as appearing regularly in national press. She became a star of the silver screen too in 2001 when Tomb Raider: The Movie was released by Paramount. Now as we enter 2003 the finishing touches are being added to the latest Lara Croft game - Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness, the first time that Lara has appeared on PlayStation 2, hot on the heels of the game release will be the movie sequel, Tomb Raider, the Cradle of Life.
