Former Game Director on Days Gone, Jeff Ross, has joined Tomb Raider studio Crystal Dynamics.
Ross, who left Sony Bend by the end of 2020, announced his new position at Square Enix-owned developer Crystal Dynamics just now. Earlier today, the California-based studio announced a new Unreal Engine 5-powered entry in the Tomb Raider series.
Crystal Dynamics is proud to be a part of the launch of Unreal Engine 5. This new engine translates into next-level storytelling and gameplay experiences. And that's why we are thrilled to announce that we have just started developer of our next Tomb Raider game, powered by Unreal Engine 5. Our goal is to push the envelope of fidelity and to deliver the high-quality cinematic action-adventure experience that fans deserve from both Crystal Dynamics and the Tomb Raider franchise. We can't wait to take this journey together. Thank you, and congratulations again to the Epic Games team.
At Crystal Dynamics, Ross has taken the position of Design Director. Further details weren't shared by Ross, although he did reveal that he's “thrilled” by the project he's currently working on.
“I'm excited to announce I now work at the amazing Crystal Dynamics as Design Director", Ross writes on Twitter. “That's all I can say other than I'm thrilled with the project, and especially the team of really wonderful people. I will become a Seattleite this summer.”
Whether the former Days Gone Game Director is now directly working on the new Tomb Raider entry remains to be seen, but the timing of his announcement is interesting, to say the least.
Of course, there's also the possibility that Ross is helping out Microsoft's The Initiative on the upcoming Perfect Dark reboot. Recent rumors suggest that Crystal Dynamics is currently leading development on that highly-anticipated title after recent claims that Microsoft's first-party studio lost half of its core developers over the past year.
