Lara Croft game aiming for Christmas number one spot

15/08/2008

Tomb Raider: Underworld is soon to be announced to the world. The first Tomb Raider title to be released for Christmas in eight years is aiming to clinch the number one spot in the gaming charts with the help of a big TV ad campaign, amongst other measures.

Maker Eidos, which is owned by SCi Entertainment Group, is spending more than £1 million to launch the new title, which will be released on November 21st. The marketing will consist of adverts across a variety of platforms including TV, outdoor, online and print.

Tomb Raider: Underworld is the first title to be released on all current formats, including Xbox and PlayStation. Eidos UK marketing manager Jon Brooke said: "We have had large launches before but this is certainly the biggest for eight years."

The marketing campaign aims to reach a wide demographic, across the Christmas gift market. Eidos is hoping to sell the game to younger players as well as older fans of the Lara Croft brand.

The launch was supposed to take place in June, but was pushed back to Christmas in light of SCi's restructuring of the business in which several central departments were closed down and founder and chief executive Jane Cavanagh and her husband, Bill Ennis, were removed from their posts.