Tomb Raider Dev Hires Dead Space Veteran to Direct New Game

Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics announced today that it's hired Ian Milham to become a game director for the Tomb Raider franchise. This basically confirms more Tomb Raider games are coming, though that is of course no surprise given it's one of the biggest in all of entertainment.

Milham has been in the industry for two decades. He is perhaps best known for his work at Electronic Arts, where he served as art director on the Dead Space franchise at Visceral Games. More recently, he worked at Visceral on Battlefield Hardline and its new Star Was project.

"Ian is one of those rare veterans who combines creativity, artistry, and passion into excellence on-screen," Crystal Dynamics studio head Scot Amos said in a statement. "We're very excited to welcome Ian as the newest top-tier talent joining our studio. His attitude, aptitude, and aspirations for crafting great game experiences are perfectly aligned with who and what Crystal Dynamics is all about."

For his part, Milham said he's always enjoyed adventure games like Tomb Raider, so when the opportunity arose to join Crystal Dynamics, "I had to jump on it."

"This is the home of Lara Croft, who is a legend in action-adventure gaming and a pillar of the industry," Milham said in his own statement. "I've admired Crystal's work for a while now, as they continue to deliver top-notch narrative and spectacle, coupled with deep systems and player choice. I'm very excited about where the studio is headed and I'm eager to be a part of it."

No new Tomb Raider games have been announced. However, Square Enix has strongly suggested that the story arc that began with 2013's Tomb Raider reboot and continued with Rise of the Tomb Raider will move forward with a third game. That could be the project Milham is directing, though this is not confirmed.

Rise of the Tomb Raider comes to PlayStation 4 in October through the 20 Year Celebration edition, featuring new content and PlayStation VR support on Sony's system. The new content, including the Blood Ties single-player expansion, will also be released on Xbox One and PC.