Published , by TJ Denzer
Published , by TJ Denzer
PlayStation Studio developer Bend Studio recently lost veteran talent in Days Gone game director Jeff Ross and writer/director John Garvin, who were vocal about internal conflict over what Bend Studio would be doing next. It looks like Ross is casting his lot elsewhere, having announced his move over to Square Enix developer Crystal Dynamics following the latter’s announcement of a new Tomb Raider game in the works on Unreal Engine 5.
Jeff Ross announced his move over to Crystal Dynamics as its new design director alongside repping a number of open job positions via his personal Twitter on April 5, 2022. Ross was previously at various positions with PlayStation Studios since the mid-1990s where Bend Studio was previously known as Eidetic. Unfortunately, it seemed there was some conflict over what Bend Studio was working on. For instance, the team was interested in pursuing a Days Gone 2, but Sony passed on the idea and Bend Studio was regulated to assisting in work on The Last of Us franchise. This may have very contributed to Ross and Garvin’s exit.
Ross’s move over to Crystal Dynamics comes with a major announcement at the studio. Today, Crystal Dynamics announced it was actively working on a new Tomb Raider with Unreal Engine 5 as the foundation. It is unknown if Ross will be directly moving into work on the project. However, Crystal Dynamics also announced a number of job openings that are presumedly related to the project.
Nonetheless, with Ross onboard, Crystal Dynamics gains a major veteran in the gaming industry with decades of PlayStation experience behind him. As Ross and Crystal Dynamics begin to work together on the studio’s future in Unreal Engine 5, stay tuned for further updates and reveals right here at Shacknews. We’ll share more on the new Tomb Raider as details become available.