Some video games of Square Enix, a Japanese entertainment company, are associated with its British publishing arm. Square Enix acquired the parent company of British publisher Eidos Interactive, on 22 April 2009, which was then merged with Square Enix's European publishing wing and Square Enix London Studios and reorganized as Square Enix Europe. [1] This list includes retail, downloadable, and mobile games primarily produced by Square Enix Europe's part of the group since its formation in April 2009. [note 1] Prior to its purchase, Eidos (previously named SCi Entertainment) was the holding company for the Eidos group of companies, including publisher Eidos Interactive and development studios such as Crystal Dynamics, IO Interactive, Beautiful Game Studios, and Eidos-Montréal. [2]
In 2014, Square Enix founded indie game publishing division Square Enix Collective, and in 2018 the former Square Enix London Studios division, which handles publishing of games from third-party developers, was renamed Square Enix External Studios. [3] [4] Development studio IO Interactive was sold in 2017, and in 2022, Square Enix sold Western studios and several IPs of Square Enix, including Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal, and Square Enix Montréal, to Embracer Group. It retained the rights to the Outriders , Life Is Strange , and Just Cause franchises, developed in collaboration with third party studios. [5] [6]
Studios under Square Enix Europe developed titles belonging to franchises previously published by Eidos, such as Tomb Raider , Hitman , Deus Ex , and Championship Manager . The Championship Manager series has seen the greatest number of releases, at nine games on four platforms, followed by the Tomb Raider series at six games across eleven platforms. Several of these franchises have sold millions of copies both before and after its founding: the Tomb Raider franchise has the highest lifetime sales with over 88 million copies [7] since 1996, followed by Hitman with over 15 million copies sold since 2000. [8] Several other series, including Deus Ex, Championship Manager, and Just Cause, have also sold several million copies over their lifetimes. [8] [9]
Title | Planned system(s) | Cancellation date | Developer(s) | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Legacy of Kain: Dead Sun | Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 | 2012 | Climax Studios | [160] |
Triad Wars | Microsoft Windows | 23 December 2015 | United Front Games | [161] |
Nosgoth | Microsoft Windows | 8 April 2016 | Psyonix | [162] |
Just Cause Mobile | Android, iOS | 3 July 2023 | Square Enix Montréal | [163] [164] |
Tomb Raider, known as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider from 2001 to 2008, is a media franchise that originated with an action-adventure video game series created by British video game developer Core Design. The franchise is currently owned by CDE Entertainment; it was formerly owned by Eidos Interactive, then by Square Enix Europe after Square Enix's acquisition of Eidos in 2009 until Embracer Group purchased the intellectual property alongside Eidos in 2022. The franchise focuses on the fictional British archaeologist Lara Croft, who travels around the world searching for lost artefacts and infiltrating dangerous tombs and ruins. Gameplay generally focuses on exploration, solving puzzles, navigating hostile environments filled with traps, and fighting enemies. Additional media has been developed for the franchise in the form of film adaptations, comics and novels.
Lara Croft is a character and the main protagonist of the video game franchise Tomb Raider. She is presented as a highly intelligent and athletic British archaeologist who ventures into ancient tombs and hazardous ruins around the world. Created by a team at British developer Core Design that included Toby Gard, the character first appeared in the video game Tomb Raider in 1996.
Tomb Raider: Chronicles is an action-adventure video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. It was first released for PlayStation, Windows, and Dreamcast in 2000, then on Mac OS the following year. It is the fifth instalment in the Tomb Raider series. The narrative continues from Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation with archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft presumed dead, and three friends recall adventures from her early career. Gameplay follows Lara through linear levels, solving puzzles and fighting enemies. Some levels incorporate additional gameplay elements such as stealth.
Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation is an action-adventure video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. It was first released for PlayStation and Microsoft Windows in 1999, then on Dreamcast and Mac OS the following year. It is the fourth instalment in the Tomb Raider series. The narrative follows archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft as she races to imprison the Egyptian god Set after accidentally setting him free. Gameplay features Lara navigating levels split into multiple areas and room complexes, fighting enemies and solving puzzles to progress.
Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness is a 2003 action-adventure game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive for PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Windows. A Mac OS X port was developed by Beenox and published by Aspyr the same year. It is the sixth instalment in the Tomb Raider series, acting as a direct sequel to Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation and Tomb Raider: Chronicles. The storyline follows Lara Croft as she attempts to clear herself of being the suspect of her former mentor Werner Von Croy's murder while investigating the activities of a black magic cult. The gameplay follows series tradition, with Lara navigating platforming environments while incorporating stealth and character growth elements.
Tomb Raider: Legend is an action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive. It is the seventh main entry in the Tomb Raider series and a reboot of the series that reimagined the origins and character of series protagonist Lara Croft. The game was released in 2006 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, GameCube, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and mobile phones. A PlayStation 3 port was released in 2011 as part of The Tomb Raider Trilogy.
Tomb Raider is a 1996 action-adventure video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive as the debut entry in the Tomb Raider media franchise. It was first released on the Sega Saturn, followed shortly by versions for MS-DOS and the PlayStation. Later releases came for Mac OS (1999), Pocket PC (2002), N-Gage (2003), iOS (2013) and Android (2015). The game follows archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft, who is hired by businesswoman Jacqueline Natla to find an artefact called the Scion of Atlantis. Gameplay features Lara navigating levels split into multiple areas and room complexes while fighting enemies and solving puzzles to progress. An expansion pack subtitled Unfinished Business was released in 1997, containing new standalone levels.
Tomb Raider: Anniversary is an action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and Buzz Monkey Software and published by Eidos Interactive in 2007 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable, Wii and mobile phones. It was later ported to OS X in 2008 and PlayStation 3 in 2011. The eighth overall entry in the Tomb Raider series and second in the Legend trilogy, Anniversary is a remake of the first Tomb Raider game, originally released in 1996.
Tomb Raider: Underworld is an action-adventure video game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Eidos Interactive for Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and Nintendo DS in November 2008. Later versions were released for mobile in December 2008, PlayStation 2 in 2009, and OS X in 2012. Various companies ported or developed the different versions. The ninth overall entry in the Tomb Raider series and third in the Legend trilogy, Underworld follows archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft as she searches for Mjolnir, an artefact key to entering the realm of Helheim, while confronting adversaries from her past. Gameplay features Lara navigating levels set across the world through platforming, fighting enemies and solving puzzles to progress.
Eidos Interactive Corporation is a Canadian video game developer based in Montreal and part of Embracer Group. The studio was founded by Stéphane D'Astous in 2007 under SCi Entertainment. It became part of Square Enix Europe in 2009 and CDE Entertainment in 2022.
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is an action-adventure game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix's European branch for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Android and iOS. It is part of the Tomb Raider series, but unlike previous games, the game does not carry the Tomb Raider brand and has a heavy emphasis on cooperative gameplay. In multiplayer, players take the role as either Lara Croft or a 2,000-year-old Mayan warrior named Totec. They must work together in order to stop the evil spirit Xolotl and retrieve the Mirror of Smoke. A single-player campaign mode is available that does not include the non-playable character AI following or helping Lara.
Deus Ex is a series of role-playing video games, set during the mid 21st century. Focusing on the conflict between secretive factions who wish to control the world by proxy, and the effects of transhumanistic attitudes and technologies in a dystopian near-future setting, the series also includes references to real-world conspiracy theories, historical mythologies and philosophies, and provides a commentary on capitalist values and division in society. The first two games in the series were developed by Ion Storm, and subsequent entries were developed by Eidos-Montréal, following Ion Storm's closure. The Ion Storm games were published by Eidos Interactive, and all Eidos-Montréal media was published by Square Enix until 2022, when ownership was sold to Embracer Group.
Tomb Raider is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix's European branch. It is the tenth main entry and a reboot of the Tomb Raider series, acting as the first instalment in the Survivor trilogy that reconstructs the origins of Lara Croft. The game was released for PlayStation 3, Windows, and Xbox 360 on 5 March 2013. Gameplay focuses on survival, with exploration when traversing the island and visiting various optional tombs. It is the first game in the main series to have multiplayer and the first game in the series to be published by Square Enix after the latter's acquisition of Eidos Interactive in 2009.
Tomb Raider II is a 1997 action-adventure video game developed by Core Design and published by Eidos Interactive. It was first released on Windows and PlayStation. Later releases came for Mac OS (1998), iOS (2014) and Android (2015). It is the second entry in the Tomb Raider series, and follows archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft hunting the magical Dagger of Xian in competition with an Italian cult. Gameplay features Lara navigating levels split into multiple areas and room complexes while fighting enemies and solving puzzles to progress, with some areas allowing for or requiring the use of vehicles. An expansion pack subtitled The Golden Mask was released the following year, containing new levels focused on Lara's quest to find a golden mask in Alaska.
Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris is an action-adventure game developed by Crystal Dynamics and published by Square Enix's European subsidiary for Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Stadia and Nintendo Switch. It is the sequel to the 2010 video game Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, and the second installment in Lara Croft spin-off series of the Tomb Raider franchise. The video game was announced at E3 2014 on 9 June.
Hitman Go is a turn-based puzzle video game developed by Square Enix Montréal and published by Square Enix's European subsidiary. Announced in February 2014, the game was released for iOS in April 2014 and for Android in June 2014. Windows and Windows Phone versions were released the following year in April 2015. In February 2016, a "Definitive Edition" version was released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and on Linux and Windows via Steam. It is the first game developed by Square Enix Montréal, a studio founded in 2011. Development entered full production in 2013 and was completed by eleven people using the Unity game engine.
Lara Croft Go is a puzzle video game developed by Square Enix Montreal and published by Square Enix. A spin-off of the Tomb Raider series. The player moves Lara Croft as a puzzle piece through a board game while avoiding obstacles and manipulating the environment. The developers distilled major series motifs, such as boulder-chases and reaction-based gameplay, to suit Lara Croft Go's time-independent gameplay. The game was developed as a spiritual successor to its 2014 Hitman Go, based on another Square Enix Europe franchise. It was released in August 2015 for Android, iOS, Windows, and Windows Phone devices. Versions for PlayStation 4 PlayStation Vita and Steam were released in December 2016.
Square Enix Montréal was a Canadian video game developer based in Montreal. It created the Go series of turn-based puzzle games for mobile devices based on former Eidos Interactive intellectual properties.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider is a 2018 action-adventure game developed by Eidos-Montréal and published by Square Enix's European subsidiary. The game is the sequel to Rise of the Tomb Raider and is the twelfth mainline entry in the Tomb Raider series, as well as the third and final entry of the Survivor trilogy. It was released for PlayStation 4, Windows, and Xbox One in September 2018. Versions for Linux and macOS, and Stadia, were released in November 2019. After release, the game was expanded upon with downloadable content in both a season pass and as standalone releases.