Core Design#Sale to Rebellion
{{short description|Former British video game developer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=July 2015}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Rebellion (Derby) Ltd
| logo = Classic Core Design LTD log.png
| image = 55 Ashbourne Derby.jpg
| image_caption = The entrance of 55 Ashbourne Road in Derby where Core Design was located during the development of the original Tomb Raider
| former_name = Core Design Limited (1988–2006)
| type = Subsidiary
| industry = Video games
| fate = Dissolved
| founded = {{Start date and age|df=yes|1988|05|13}}
| founder =
| defunct = {{End date|df=yes|2010|03|17}}
| hq_location_city = Derby
| hq_location_country = England
| products = {{ubli|Rick Dangerous series|Chuck Rock series|Thunderhawk series|Tomb Raider series|Fighting Force series}}
| num_employees = 5
| num_employees_year = 2010
| parent = {{Unbulleted list|CentreGold (1994–1996)|Eidos Interactive (1996–2006)|Rebellion Developments {{small|(2006–2010)}}}}
| website = [https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.core-design.com core-design.com]
}}
Core Design Limited (known as Rebellion (Derby) Ltd between 2006 and 2010) was a British video game developer based in Derby. Founded in May 1988 by former Gremlin Graphics employees, it originally bore the name Megabrite until rebranding as Core Design in October the same year. The company was acquired by umbrella company CentreGold in December 1994, which in turn was acquired by Eidos Interactive in April 1996. In May 2006, the Core Design personnel and assets were acquired by Rebellion Developments, and the company became Rebellion Derby, which was then shut down in March 2010.
History
Based in the city of Derby, England, Core Design was founded in 1988 by Chris Shrigley, Andy Green, Rob Toone, Terry Lloyd, Simon Phipps, Dave Pridmore, Jeremy Heath-Smith, Kevin Norburn and Greg Holmes. Most were former employees of Gremlin Graphics.{{cite web |url=https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/03/it-felt-like-robbery-tomb-raider-and-the-fall-of-core-design/1/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407194918/http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2015/03/it-felt-like-robbery-tomb-raider-and-the-fall-of-core-design/1/ |title="It felt like robbery": Tomb Raider and the fall of Core Design |first=Richard |last=Moss |work=Ars Technica |publisher=Condé Nast |date=31 March 2015 |access-date=7 April 2016 |archive-date=7 April 2016 |url-status=dead |df=dmy }} The studio was part of distribution company CentreGold when it was acquired by Eidos Interactive in 1996. Heath-Smith regarded the acquisition as a relief, commenting, "The funding of development is so expensive that I doubt we could have continued to fund ourselves as an independent company."{{cite magazine |first1=David |last1=Rider |first2=Ed |last2=Semrad |title=British Invasion |magazine=Electronic Gaming Monthly |issue=101 |publisher=Ziff Davis |date=December 1997|pages=168, 175}} Eidos subsequently sold most of CentreGold, but retained U.S. Gold, the owners of Core Design.
The company is widely known for the Tomb Raider series. The first game was created by Toby Gard and Paul Douglas, released in 1996, and followed by several sequels. The success of the first Tomb Raider has been credited with making Eidos Interactive a major force in the industry, and turned Eidos's 1996 pretax loss of $2.6 million into a $14.5 million profit.{{cite web|date=9 November 1997|title=Lara Croft, The Bit Girl|publisher=Newsweek Inc.|author=Newsweek staff|url=http://www.newsweek.com/lara-croft-bit-girl-171024}} In September 1997, Sony Computer Entertainment's U.S. arm, SCEA, signed an agreement with Eidos{{cite press release|author=|publisher=Sony Computer Entertainment America|date=18 September 1997|title=Sony Computer Entertainment America Signs Exclusive Deal with Eidos for Tomb Raider Franchise; Lara Croft Videogames to Be Exclusive to the PlayStation for Game Consoles|location=Foster City, Calif.|url=http://www.tombnews.com/news/1997/09/1801/|access-date=15 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150517012117/http://www.tombnews.com/news/1997/09/1801/|archive-date=17 May 2015|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EIN/is_1997_Sept_18/ai_19760956/?tag=content;col1|title=Sony Computer Entertainment America Signs Exclusive Deal with Eidos for Tomb Raider Franchise; Lara Croft Videogames to Be Exclusive to the PlayStation for Game Consoles|date=18 September 1997|access-date=20 January 2010|publisher=CBS Interactive Business UK|work=Business Wire}} to make the sequel exclusive to the PlayStation console. The deal was extended to include Tomb Raider III. Fourth and fifth games in the franchise, Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation and Tomb Raider: Chronicles respectively, followed.
After the critical failure of Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness in 2003, parent company Eidos put Crystal Dynamics, another Eidos-owned studio, in charge of Tomb Raider franchise development.{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/derbyshire/3112271.stm |title=Lara leaves UK |work=BBC News |date=31 July 2003 |access-date=1 July 2009}} This prompted the Core Design management team, Jeremy Heath-Smith along with his brother Adrian, to leave the company and establish a new one, Circle Studio.{{cite web|last=Fox |first=Fennec |url=http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=30220 |title=Tomb Raider Co-Creator Steps Down |publisher=GamePro.com |date=15 July 2003 |access-date=1 July 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080123002355/http://www.gamepro.com/news.cfm?article_id=30220|archive-date=23 January 2008}} According to the brothers they hired many of Core Design's creative staff "We asked 37 people to join us and 36 came." and that "Core Design is now floundering around with a handful of people trying to get a project off the ground, and no real leadership, which is sad."{{Cite journal |date=March 2004 |title=Life After Lara |url=https://archive.org/details/edge-020/Edge-134/page/n59/mode/2up |journal=Edge Magazine |issue=134}}
The remaining staff at Core Design worked on a puzzle game, Smart Bomb, for the PlayStation Portable, released in summer 2005. The company then worked on a proposal to remake the original Tomb Raider game, also for the PlayStation Portable. This version was cancelled by the publisher, Eidos, in favour of franchise development remaining with Crystal Dynamics.
In May 2006, Eidos announced that independent developer Rebellion Developments had acquired Core Design's assets and staff,{{cite web|date= 16 June 2006|url=http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/rebellion-acquires-core-design-staff-and-assets|title=Rebellion acquires Core Design staff and assets|website=GamesIndustry.biz|author=Gibson, Ellie}} while the Core brand and intellectual property, including Tomb Raider, remained in Eidos' possession.{{cite web|date=16 June 2006|url=http://www.gamespot.com/articles/rebellion-finalizes-core-buyout/1100-6152833|website=GameSpot|author=Elliott, Phil|title=Rebellion finalizes Core buyout}}{{cite web|url=http://www.core-design.com/about.html|title=History of the company|publisher=Core Design|quote=2006: The company is acquired by Rebellion (Rebellion Derby), but Eidos retains the name and IPs. Rebellion Derby closed its doors later in 2010.}} Under the new banner of Rebellion, the company went on to work on several titles including Free Running, Shellshock 2: Blood Trails and Rogue Warrior.{{cite web|last=Robinson |first=Martin |url=http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/106/1061121p1.html |title=Aliens vs. Predator Campaign Hands-on |publisher=ign.com |date=14 January 2010 |access-date=18 January 2010}} Starting in January 2010, due to an expiring lease on Rebellion Derby's offices, Rebellion Developments started seeking restructuring opportunities for the studio.{{cite web |url=https://www.mcvuk.com/development/rebellion-confirms-restructure |title = Rebellion confirms restructure - MCV/DEVELOP| website=MCV | date=12 January 2010 }} As no other possibility than closure was found, Rebellion Derby was closed down effective on 17 March 2010.{{Cite web|url=https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/rebellion-confirms-derby-closure-cuts-at-oxford-studio|title=Rebellion confirms Derby closure, cuts at Oxford studio|date=17 March 2010 }}
Legacy
In July 2010, shortly after the closure of the studio, a nearby road in Derby was named "Lara Croft Way", in honour of the studio's contribution to the creative industries.{{Cite web|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2016-10-27-20-years-on-the-tomb-raider-story-told-by-the-people-who-were-there|title = 20 years on, the Tomb Raider story told by the people who were there|website = Eurogamer|date = 30 October 2016}}
Games developed
| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year !! Game !! Platform(s) | ||
| 1988 | Action Fighter | rowspan="2" | Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum |
| rowspan="4" | 1989 | Dynamite Düx | |
| Rick Dangerous | Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | |
| Saint and Greavsie | Amiga | |
| Switchblade | Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad GX4000 | |
| rowspan="8" | 1990 | Torvak the Warrior | Amiga, Atari ST |
| Corporation | Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Sega Genesis | |
| Monty Python's Flying Circus: The Computer Game | Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | |
| Axel's Magic Hammer | rowspan="2" | Amiga, Atari ST | |
| Skidz | ||
| Impossamole | Amiga, Atari ST, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Turbografx-16 | |
| Rick Dangerous 2 | Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum | |
| CarVup | rowspan="2" | Amiga | |
| rowspan="4" | 1991 | War Zone | |
| Chuck Rock | Acorn, Amiga, Amiga CD32, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Sega CD, Game Gear, Sega Genesis, SNES, Master System | |
| Heimdall | Acorn, Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Sega CD | |
| Frenetic | rowspan="2" | Amiga, Atari ST | |
| rowspan="10" | 1992 | Doodlebug | |
| Chuck Rock II: Son of Chuck | Amiga, CD32, Sega CD, Game Gear, Sega Genesis, Master System | |
| Curse of Enchantia | Amiga, MS-DOS | |
| Hook | Sega CD, Sega Genesis | |
| Premiere | Amiga, CD32 | |
| The Adventurers | Amiga | |
| Thunderhawk | Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, Sega CD | |
| Wolfchild | Amiga, Atari ST, Sega CD, Game Gear, Sega Genesis, SNES | |
| Jaguar XJ220 | rowspan="2" | Amiga, Sega CD | |
| Wonder Dog | ||
| rowspan="6" | 1993 | Asterix and the Great Rescue | Game Gear, Sega Genesis, Master System |
| Encore | MS-DOS | |
| Blastar | rowspan="5" | Amiga | |
| Blob | ||
| Cyberpunks | ||
| Darkmere | ||
| rowspan="9" | 1994 | Corkers | |
| BC Racers | Sega 32X, 3DO, Sega CD, MS-DOS | |
| Heimdall 2 | rowspan="2" | Amiga, CD32, MS-DOS | |
| Universe | ||
| Banshee | rowspan="2" | Amiga, CD32 | |
| Dragonstone | ||
| Battlecorps | rowspan="2" | Sega CD | |
| Soulstar | ||
| Bubba 'n' Stix | rowspan="2" | Amiga, CD32, Sega Genesis | |
| rowspan="5" | 1995 | Skeleton Krew | |
| Asterix and the Power of the Gods | Sega Genesis | |
| The Big Red Adventure | Amiga, MS-DOS | |
| The Scottish Open: Virtual Golf
| rowspan="4" |MS-DOS, PlayStation, Saturn | ||
| Firestorm: Thunderhawk 2 | ||
| rowspan="3" |1996 | ||
| Tomb Raider | ||
| Blam! Machinehead | rowspan="2" | PlayStation, Saturn | |
| rowspan="3" | 1997 | Swagman | |
| Fighting Force | rowspan="2" | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation | |
| Tomb Raider II | ||
| rowspan="2" | 1998 | Ninja: Shadow of Darkness | PlayStation |
| Tomb Raider III | Classic Mac OS, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation | |
| rowspan="2" | 1999 | Fighting Force 2 | Dreamcast, PlayStation |
| Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation | rowspan="2" | Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation | |
| rowspan="2" | 2000 | Tomb Raider: Chronicles | |
| Tomb Raider | rowspan="2" | Game Boy Color | |
| rowspan="3" | 2001 | Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword | |
| Project Eden | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 | |
| Thunderhawk: Operation Phoenix | rowspan="2" | PlayStation 2 | |
| rowspan="2" | 2002 | Herdy Gerdy | |
| Tomb Raider: The Prophecy | Game Boy Advance | |
| 2003 | Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness | Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2 |
| 2005 | Smart Bomb | rowspan=2 |PlayStation Portable |
| 2007 | Free Running |
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Core Design}}
{{Authority control}}
Category:Rebellion Developments
Category:Defunct companies of England
Category:Software companies of England
Category:Video game companies established in 1988
Category:Video game companies disestablished in 2010
Category:Defunct video game companies of the United Kingdom
Category:Video game development companies
Category:Companies based in Derby