Tomb Raider on Lease; Amazon Ready to Pay (Rumor)
Apparently, Amazon is not satisfied with its role as publisher of the latest Tomb Raider. The overseas giant intends to lease the brand. This is suggested by the latest rumor.
The future of the Tomb Raider series has been the subject of various speculations lately, although the story does not lack hard facts as well. Last May it was announced that Embracer Group acquired the rights to the brand along with Crystal Dynamics - the developer working on the new installment of the series. In turn, the latest rumors suggest that the franchise has just been leased by Amazon (which has so far been acting as the publisher of the latest game) for 600 million (the currency was not specified, but it is likely to be Swedish kronor - in which case it would be $57 million).
The information was first presented by the website Fellowship of Fans, which claims to have exclusive access to the insider information.
"Embracer Group has just leased the brand license for Tomb Raider to Amazon in a deal worth about about 600 million. This makes it the second-largest deal of its kind involving Amazon after the purchase of the rights to create Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power [the cost was $250 million - editor's note]."
Recall that in May 2022 Embracer bought the rights to brands such as Tomb Raider, Deus Ex and Legacy of Kain. It has allocated the sum of $300 million for this purpose.
Currently, Crystal Dynamics (part of the Embracer Group) is working on a new installment of Tomb Raider. The game is being developed on Unreal Engine 5 and may be revealed this year. Last August, we wrote about the alleged content of this title - Lara is to be thirty-something in it, and she will be accompanied on her adventures by other explorers (along the lines of companions from the Uncharted series). Unfortunately, moving the rights to the brand from hand to hand may prolong the game's development period, so you should be patient while waiting for more information.
