'The Making of Tomb Raider: 1997-2000' is now available!
TR30 will be one to remember for years
It's finally in people's hands. 'The Making of Tomb Raider: 1997-2000' is available to buy, and at TR30 in Derby on October 24, many attendees bought their copies. It's taken three years to get here, and it's all been worth it to create a worthy sequel to the 2021 book.
Already, the comments for the sequel have been great to hear and see. Many were also surprised by how many pages there are, but quickly understood why! As I type this, I'm being tagged in Instagram stories of others starting their reads and already enjoying the book. But that wasn't all at TR30.
At the Core
I took part in three talks: Andy Sandham's TR3 Aldwych Debrief, the 'The Making of Tomb Raider: 1997-2000' Talk with Laura Griffiths, and the Core Design talk, which had been in the making for two years.
The TR3 Aldwych Debrief is something I thought would be great for TR30. Over the years I've heard of many players struggling with Aldwych and Lud's Gate, and while I understand why Andy made the choices he did via our chats for the book, I thought others would like to hear it. What followed was a great run-through of the level and a great Q&A with the audience and Andy to wrap it up. Perhaps there should be similar talks in the future.
The 'The Making of Tomb Raider: 1997-2000' Talk with Laura Griffiths is exactly what it says on the tin, and it was fun. From how the book came to be to favourite chapter titles and Angel of Darkness, it was also great to take questions from the audience about Tomb Raider's marketing these days, crunch, and how I approached the book after writing for several outlets since 2021.
But the big one was the Core Design talk. After deciding to do one in 2024 at the end of TR28, organiser Luke Earle and I knew that it had to include those who hadn't been to Derby in years. I reached out to Mike Schmitt, who helped on the expansion packs, and Jamie Morton, who was a tester at Core Design before becoming a designer on Tomb Raider 3, 4, and a Game Boy game. They both managed to attend, and it only strengthened the line-up and the talk.
The talk turned out exactly as I had envisaged in 2024. Everyone had their time to shine, everyone had fun anecdotes to share, and the three who have sadly died - Joss Charmet, Neal Boyd, and Troy Horton - also had their time and applause from the audience.
The standing ovation for them was unexpected but moving. It felt like it kept going for five minutes, and it was well deserved for all of them.
If you're reading the book right now and you want to share your thoughts, please get in touch. I'm really proud of how it turned out, and TR30 was a great example of how a community comes together.
Right now, I'm taking a break from Tomb Raider for the rest of the year as I recover from the weekend, but TR30 will be an event I'll remember for years. I've added a bunch of links below from various outlets that covered the book over the past few months - thank you to everyone who did.
Daryl Baxter
Daryl Baxter
Daryl Baxter
Olly Smith
