Yesterday, Crystal Dynamics, the developer behind Tomb Raider and Marvel’s Avengers, revealed its updated list of available job positions at its California, Washington, and Texas-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 Gone Director Jeff Ross just revealed that he had taken a position as Design Director at Crystal Dynamics’ Washington studio.
The former Days Gone Director 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 precisely Crystal Dynamics’ Washington studio is working on. One possibility is that he’s signed on to develop the new Tomb Raider game. 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 of Days Gone in 2019, he was best known for the Syphon Filter series of third-person stealth shooters. He was one of the two most senior developers behind Days 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 with Days Gone’s performance and shot down a proposed sequel.
Square Enix opened its Washington Office, Crystal Northwest, in 2018. At the time, the studio’s focus was on Marvel’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 that Crystal Dynamics announced the next Tomb Raider game during 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’s design director Drew Murray left the company last year. His replacement, former Tomb Raider director Dan Neuburger, followed suit in March. Meanwhile, Ross’ experience with stealth action games like Syphon Filter could make him a good fit for the Perfect Dark reboot or the next Tomb Raider. Hopefully, fans of both franchises will get more information soon.