Jeremy Heath-Smith and Adrian Smith, the creators of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider series of games, today announced the formation of their new game development company, Circle Studio.

Bucking the trend of numerous studio closures, Heath-Smith and Smith are confident that they can produce more world beating titles. Commenting on the new studio, managing director Heath-Smith said, 'Adrian and I are still passionate about games and have the experience and skills in-house to continue producing original and successful titles.' He continued, 'We've enjoyed working with Lara these past seven years but are looking forward to creating something or someone new.'

The company has recruited 35 former Core employees who have already begun work on two prototypes. The studio has begun developing for current generation platforms, PS2 and Xbox, whilst simultaneously preparing for the next generation systems (PS3 & Xbox2).

Adrian Smith, Development Director enthused, 'It's very exciting to be standing on our own two feet again and we're fortunate to be in a position that allows us to develop our prototypes fully whilst exploring the best route or partnership for publishing.'

Heath-Smith and Smith, together with Toby Gard, were the creators of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider games. Lara Croft is the undisputed, most recognised video game character in the world, responsible for selling in excess of 32 Million units across Playstation and PC.

Date: 2004-01-16

Posted by: Ade

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