1988
Founding - Derby, England
Jeremy Heath-Smith and Chris Shrigley, both formerly of Gremlin Graphics in Sheffield, founded Core Design in Derby, England. Operating initially as a small development-for-hire studio, they quickly established a reputation for technically accomplished action games across Amiga, Atari ST, and Commodore 64 platforms.
1989
Rick Dangerous - The Breakthrough
Rick Dangerous, developed by Simon Phipps and Stuart Gregg and published by Firebird Software, made Core Design’s name. The Indiana Jones-inspired platformer featured five levels of trap-laden action - South American jungle, Egyptian pyramids, Schwarzendumpf Castle, missile base - and a distinctive death sound recorded by Phipps himself: the now-legendary “Waaaahh!” The C64 soundtrack by Dave Pridmore cemented the game’s status across platforms.
1990
Rick Dangerous 2 - Wider Reach
The sequel arrived in 1990, published by Microprose Software, extending the platform coverage further and refining the formula. Dave Pridmore returned for the C64 soundtrack. The game consolidated Core’s reputation as masters of challenging, humour-tinged action platforming.
1991
Chuck Rock & Heimdall - Creative Peak
Chuck Rock, published by Virgin Games, brought prehistoric humour to the platformer genre. With animation by Lee Pullen and music by Martin Iveson, it sold across Amiga, C64, Genesis, SNES, and Game Gear. In the same year, Heimdall offered a Norse mythology RPG - a striking tonal departure featuring cover art by Steve Simmons and Iveson’s atmospheric Amiga tracker score.
1992–1994
Console Expansion
Core broadened its reach with licensed titles (Jaguar XJ220, Hook) and original properties (Wolfchild, Chuck Rock 2, Thunderhawk). Bubba ’n’ Stix (1994) became a showcase title for the Amiga CD32. Jeremy Heath-Smith drove the studio’s expansion into CD-based platforms. Core Design became a subsidiary of CentreGold plc.
1996
Tomb Raider - CentreGold to Eidos
CentreGold was acquired by Eidos Interactive, bringing Core Design into the Eidos stable. In the same year Core released Tomb Raider for PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and DOS - featuring Lara Croft, designed by Toby Gard. The game was an immediate critical and commercial phenomenon, transforming Eidos into one of the world’s leading publishers and generating a franchise that would define the late 1990s.
1997–2000
The Annual Tomb Raider Cycle
Under pressure from Eidos, Core released a new Tomb Raider title every year: Tomb Raider II (1997), Tomb Raider III (1998), The Last Revelation (1999), and Tomb Raider Chronicles (2000). Toby Gard, creator of Lara Croft, departed during the development of Tomb Raider II, dissatisfied with Eidos’ commercialisation of the character. The annual release schedule took a mounting toll on the studio’s creative energy and staff.
2003
Angel of Darkness - The Turning Point
Tomb Raider: The Angel of Darkness suffered a troubled, drawn-out development and launched in poor condition. Critics and players were disappointed; the game failed to meet expectations. Following the release, Eidos took the Tomb Raider franchise away from Core Design and transferred it to Crystal Dynamics in California. Core Design had created six Tomb Raider games in seven years.
2004–2006
Aftermath & Closure
Without the Tomb Raider franchise, Core Design continued on smaller projects for Eidos. In 2006, Eidos officially closed the Derby studio. The building that had housed one of Britain’s most creative game studios was redeveloped. Jeremy Heath-Smith had already departed; the team that had built Rick Dangerous, Chuck Rock, and Lara Croft dispersed across the industry.