Crystal Dynamics, Inc.

Crystal Dynamics (Crystal), founded in 1992 by Judy Lang, Madaline Canepa and Dave Morris, is a leading publisher and developer of interactive entertainment software for the console and personal computer (“PC”) market.

The founders wanted the name of the company to reflect the “New Technology” Compact Discs (CD) that games would be played on. So they came up with a list of C and D names, tried different combinations and felt that Crystal Dynamics worked well together; Crystal for hard, solid foundation and Dynamics for fluid, ever changing industry. At its headquarters in Menlo Park, CA, the company operates similar to an independent film studio, internally develops and markets wholly owned properties, which are then distributed to the retail marketplace through strategic relationships with distribution partners. The company was the first to develop and publish a 32-bit console-format video game, Crash 'N Burn for the 3DO, which was also their first game. In late 1998, Crystal Dynamics became incorporated into Eidos.

Crystal develops its products internally and seeks to publish and develop interactive entertainment software titles that are, or have the potential to become, franchise titles that can be leveraged across several releases and/or platforms. Crystal Dynamics’ successful franchise properties include Tomb Raider, Legacy of Kain, and others.

In August 2018, the studio opened a second operation in Seattle, Washington named Crystal Northwest, with staff largely coming from the closed Wargaming Seattle. In May 2021, Crystal Southwest was opened in Austin, Texas, led by Dallas Dickinson.

On 2 May 2022, Embracer Group AB entered into an agreement to acquire the studio along with Eidos Montréal and Square Enix Montréal from Square Enix. The acquisition was completed on 22 August 2022. From then on the three studios form Embracer's 12th operative group under the leadership of Phil Rogers and his management teams.