Rebellion Expands Yet Again, With Core Design...

Rebellion Expands Yet Again, With Core Design Acquisition

It's only been a couple of weeks since UK developer Rebellion (Rogue Trooper, Sniper Elite, Delta Force: Black Hawk Down) confirmed the acquisition of Strangelight Studios, and now another expansion follows, with the announcement that Rebellion purchased the staff and physical assets of fellow UK studio Core Design. Based in Derby, Core is best known for developing the original Tomb Raider series, all the way to the 2003 semi-flop Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness - after which Crystal Dynamics took over and brought Lara back to retail life in April 2006.

Under the agreement, the Core Design name and IPs will be retained by publisher Eidos (SCi Games), so the studio will be re-named. But at the same time, the team will continue to work with Eidos on a new, yet to be announced project.

Jason Kingsley, CEO and Creative Director of Rebellion said:

"Core is one of the UK industry's major success stories and we're delighted to have completed the deal with Eidos. With Next-Gen development upon us now, and publisher requirements changing, this studio's deep and experienced talent allows us to continue to compete at a global level." Jason continues, "We are in a position where our products such as Sniper Elite and Rogue Trooper are receiving critical acclaim and our reputation for innovative, quality titles is in the ascendant. This acquisition is a major component in maintaining this progress, and together with our business plan for 2006, it's our goal to develop Rebellion further."

(N.B. Archive text, links removed)