Yesterday,Crystal Dynamics, the developer behindTomb RaiderandMarvel’s Avengers, revealed its updated list of available job positions at its California, Washington, andTexas-based studios. The Square Enix subsidiary hopes to fill various positions from artists, animators, programmers, and audio specialists to accountants, social media managers, and HR professionals.
However, while many jobs are likely still available, at least one major position has already been filled.Day’s GoneDirector Jeff Ross just revealed that he had taken a position as Design Director atCrystal Dynamics’Washington studio.
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The formerDays GoneDirector announced his new job on Twitter Tuesday morning Pacific time. Ross stated that he is planning a move to Seattle this summer and expressed his excitement about the studio’s upcoming project. Unfortunately, Ross wasn’t able to say much about what preciselyCrystal Dynamics’ Washington studiois working on. One possibility is that he’s signed on to develop the newTomb Raidergame. However, his cryptic statements could indicate that Crystal Dynamics may have another new, unannounced game in the early stages of production.
Jeff Ross has developed PlayStation games since the 1990s, having worked with the Oregon-based Bend Studio almost since its founding. Before the release ofDays Gonein 2019, he was best known fortheSyphon Filterseriesof third-person stealth shooters. He was one of the two most senior developers behindDays Gone, the other being Writer/Director John Garvin. Both men left Bend Studio in December 2020. Based on a USA Today interview from January, their departures were at least partly due to tensions with Sony executives, who were disappointed withDays Gone’sperformance and shot down a proposed sequel.
Square Enix opened its Washington Office, Crystal Northwest, in 2018. At the time, the studio’s focus was onMarvel’s Avengers, which Crystal Dynamics released in 2020. However, the recent hiring push and Ross’s unwillingness to talk about specifics indicate that Crystal Dynamics has something new coming down the pipeline. It also may not be a coincidence that Ross revealed his new job the same day thatCrystal Dynamics announced the nextTomb Raidergameduring Epic Games’ State of Unreal 2022 showcase. Unfortunately, the studio’s yet to confirm any details other than that the game is being developed with the new Unreal Engine 5.
Jeff Ross’ arrival is a big win for Crystal Dynamics, who have lost some important talent over the last few years.Perfect Dark’sdesign director Drew Murray left the company last year. His replacement, formerTomb Raiderdirector Dan Neuburger, followed suit in March. Meanwhile, Ross’ experience with stealth action games like Syphon Filter could make him a good fit forthePerfect Darkrebootor the nextTomb Raider. Hopefully, fans of both franchises will get more information soon.
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