MURTI SCHOFIELD AND RICHARD MORTON TALK TOMB RAIDER

[ 2 January 2025 ]

Two former developers at Core Design have spoken to GamesRadar about their work on Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness. Murti Schofield and Richard Morton discuss hardware challenges, cut content, and story expansion. The full interview with Murti Schofield and Richard Morton is available to read on the official GamesRadar website.

According to Murti Schofield, development challenges were apparent from the outset. Core Design had to balance ambitious concepts with the limitations of early PS2 hardware, leading to the cutting of levels and narrative elements. The original vision included a grander story and locations such as Turkey, but due to time constraints, much was condensed into Paris and Prague. One key character, the shaman Putai, was also removed, much to the disappointment of the development team.

"The hardware presented a major hurdle; we were working on prototype PS2 hardware for most of the development. We'd built quite a large chunk of the environments and characters with far too much detail for what the final hardware could handle, both in terms of memory and processing," Murti Schofield tells GamesRadar.

"Another main level we cut was the scrapyard. Even with very basic wrecked cars, it was still too detailed," recalls Richard Morton. "I'm sure the scrapyard was to be part of Paris; Lara had to go there in search of a character who could help her possibly enter the sewers."

Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness follows British adventurer Lara Croft, who is drawn into the dark parallel world of a serial killer, the Monstrum, and the even darker world of blood, betrayal, and vengeance spanning hundreds of years. She becomes the target of faceless forces wielding dangerous powers she can only begin to comprehend. To clear her name, she must uncover the shroud of mystery surrounding the sinister client Eckhardt and the five Obscura Paintings.

Hop on over to GamesRadar to read the full interview with Murti Schofield and Richard Morton.

Tomb Raider The Angel of Darkness