Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Before Crystal Dynamics gave us Tomb Raider: Anniversary, the original creators built a completely different remake—and it was tragically canceled. This is the story of Core Design’s lost legacy.
In the mid-2000s, as the Tomb Raider franchise approached its 10th anniversary, Core Design—the original studio behind Lara Croft’s debut—embarked on an ambitious project: a ground-up remake of the 1996 classic, tentatively titled Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition. Leveraging the engine from their 2005 title Free Running, the team aimed to modernize the game’s mechanics, visuals, and level design while preserving the atmospheric tension that defined the series’ early entries. Development targeted PlayStation Portable as the lead platform, alongside PlayStation 2 and PC, with early builds showcasing remastered environments alongside refined animations and a Lara model stylistically aligned with Tomb Raider: Legend.
The alpha build of 10th Anniversary Edition featured a modified Free Running engine tailored for Tomb Raider’s signature movement and puzzle-solving mechanics. The game’s animations were reworked to reflect modern standards, while retaining the core gameplay loop that made the 1996 title a landmark in 3D adventure gaming.
Yet, the project’s fate was sealed by corporate upheaval. Following Eidos’ acquisition by SCi in 2005 and Core Design’s subsequent sale to Rebellion Developments in 2006, the publisher opted to consolidate Tomb Raider development under Crystal Dynamics—the studio behind Tomb Raider: Legend (2006). Eidos’ decision was reportedly influenced by Crystal Dynamics’ demonstrated capability to deliver multi-platform releases, as well as a reluctance to outsource the franchise to a third-party developer. Core Design’s 10th Anniversary Edition was canceled in mid-2006, despite reaching an alpha state with functional core mechanics and multiple completed levels.
The cancellation did not mark the end of the story. In June 2006, a trailer leaked online, offering a glimpse of the remake’s progress—only to vanish as Eidos clamped down on its distribution due to copyright concerns. More intriguingly, Core Design briefly repurposed the build as an Indiana Jones demo, complete with a re-skinned Lara model and Nazi-themed alterations to Natla’s Mines, to secure a license, but LucasArts "didn’t bite". Another attempt to salvage their work, to turn it into a National Treasure game, also failed. The assets from this era resurfaced in 2020–2021, when fan groups like Tomb of Ash uploaded an early build to archive.org and began restoring the game to a playable state.
While Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider: Anniversary (2007) ultimately filled the void, Core Design’s vision remains a tantalizing "what if" for series purists. Would its PSP-first design have limited its ambition, or could it have delivered a more faithful recreation of the original’s isolating, puzzle-driven gameplay? The lost build offers clues—but the full experience may never be known.
This video shows the PSP build. The main differences between the PSP and the PC build are additional animations and various lighting effects that make it look much more impressive on the PSP.
What do you think? Would you have preferred this faithful Core Design version over the Crystal Dynamics remake? Let us know in the comments!
00:00 Title Screen
00:16 Beginning of a New Adventure
01:16 Secret 1
02:04 Secret 2
02:44 No Way Back
04:49 Dancing with Wolves
06:06 The Bridge
07:11 Overgrown Ruins
08:10 Secret 3
09:47 The Long Room
11:05 City of Vilcabamba
13:56 Further Impressions
#TombRaider #CoreDesign #Eidos #RetroGaming #Gaming #PSP #Unreleased
Before Crystal Dynamics gave us Tomb Raider: Anniversary, the original creators built a completely different remake—and it was tragically canceled. This is the story of Core Design’s lost legacy.
In the mid-2000s, as the Tomb Raider franchise approached its 10th anniversary, Core Design—the original studio behind Lara Croft’s debut—embarked on an ambitious project: a ground-up remake of the 1996 classic, tentatively titled Tomb Raider: 10th Anniversary Edition. Leveraging the engine from their 2005 title Free Running, the team aimed to modernize the game’s mechanics, visuals, and level design while preserving the atmospheric tension that defined the series’ early entries. Development targeted PlayStation Portable as the lead platform, alongside PlayStation 2 and PC, with early builds showcasing remastered environments alongside refined animations and a Lara model stylistically aligned with Tomb Raider: Legend.
The alpha build of 10th Anniversary Edition featured a modified Free Running engine tailored for Tomb Raider’s signature movement and puzzle-solving mechanics. The game’s animations were reworked to reflect modern standards, while retaining the core gameplay loop that made the 1996 title a landmark in 3D adventure gaming.
Yet, the project’s fate was sealed by corporate upheaval. Following Eidos’ acquisition by SCi in 2005 and Core Design’s subsequent sale to Rebellion Developments in 2006, the publisher opted to consolidate Tomb Raider development under Crystal Dynamics—the studio behind Tomb Raider: Legend (2006). Eidos’ decision was reportedly influenced by Crystal Dynamics’ demonstrated capability to deliver multi-platform releases, as well as a reluctance to outsource the franchise to a third-party developer. Core Design’s 10th Anniversary Edition was canceled in mid-2006, despite reaching an alpha state with functional core mechanics and multiple completed levels.
The cancellation did not mark the end of the story. In June 2006, a trailer leaked online, offering a glimpse of the remake’s progress—only to vanish as Eidos clamped down on its distribution due to copyright concerns. More intriguingly, Core Design briefly repurposed the build as an Indiana Jones demo, complete with a re-skinned Lara model and Nazi-themed alterations to Natla’s Mines, to secure a license, but LucasArts "didn’t bite". Another attempt to salvage their work, to turn it into a National Treasure game, also failed. The assets from this era resurfaced in 2020–2021, when fan groups like Tomb of Ash uploaded an early build to archive.org and began restoring the game to a playable state.
While Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider: Anniversary (2007) ultimately filled the void, Core Design’s vision remains a tantalizing "what if" for series purists. Would its PSP-first design have limited its ambition, or could it have delivered a more faithful recreation of the original’s isolating, puzzle-driven gameplay? The lost build offers clues—but the full experience may never be known.
This video shows the PSP build. The main differences between the PSP and the PC build are additional animations and various lighting effects that make it look much more impressive on the PSP.
What do you think? Would you have preferred this faithful Core Design version over the Crystal Dynamics remake? Let us know in the comments!
00:00 Title Screen
00:16 Beginning of a New Adventure
01:16 Secret 1
02:04 Secret 2
02:44 No Way Back
04:49 Dancing with Wolves
06:06 The Bridge
07:11 Overgrown Ruins
08:10 Secret 3
09:47 The Long Room
11:05 City of Vilcabamba
13:56 Further Impressions
#TombRaider #CoreDesign #Eidos #RetroGaming #Gaming #PSP #Unreleased
