Days Gone director Jeff Ross joining Crystal Dynamics could yield gold for the new Tomb Raider project

Crystal Dynamics has been in the news for all the positive reasons, including the recent Unreal Engine 5 developers' sneak peek. It has appeared that the studio is working on a brand new Tomb Raider game that Epic's latest engine will enhance.

The new engine is known for its potential open-world capabilities, but Crystal Dynamics may be able to enjoy even more expertise. As per the official news, former Bend Studio game director Jeff Ross has joined the Tomb Raider-makers as design director.

The Tomb Raider games have shown the necessary amount of finesse that fans can expect from the franchise. It has been some time since the last game was released. A new project is in the making that could benefit from Jeff Ross joining. He brings with him the expertise from the development of Days Gone and its open-world environment.

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Days Gone director Jeff Ross has joined Tomb Raider maker Crystal Dynamics

Earlier on April 5, Jeff Ross informed his decision on his own Twitter account. He also explained his new role, which he will be undertaking at Crystal Dynamics.

Additionally, Ross also announced the opening of several places for new talent acquisition. The fresh set of news comes on the backdrop of events from December 2021.

Ross reportedly left Bend Studio due to a lack of understanding with Sony over a possible sequel for Days Gone. In December 2021, Ross had mentioned his ideas for a potential sequel and how he wanted to build on the open-world formula of Days Gone.

While that chapter may have closed, Ross' new employers could benefit massively from this latest recruitment. The company is co-creating Perfect Dark with Xbox Studios. The recent news also stated that the development of a new Tomb Raider game has started.

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How can Crystal Dynamics and Tomb Raider potentially benefit from Jeff Ross?

The decision not to make a sequel to Days Gone was down to its sales. While the exact reason wasn't stated, many believe that critic ratings and sales numbers were the major reasons behind Sony's U-turn.

Ross had previously stated that Days Gone had sold 8 million copies, just like Ghost of Tsushima in December. However, he felt hard done by the differential treatment given to the two games over the exact sales figures.

While the exact comparison may not have been entirely valid, Ross had stated his ambitions over the canceled plans for the sequel. He admitted that there had been shortcomings with the first game. Things could have been done better, but Ross also stated that they had diligently studied the reasons for the game's failures.

What the sequel to Days Gone would have been will never be known. Word of mouth hints towards a dark hole for the IP that saw just one game. It would be improbable if Sony decided to pursue the IP in the future.

Ross's expertise, however, could help Crystal Dynamics with their projects. In addition, his position as Design Director will align his duties with a say in game design. Tomb Raider games haven't traditionally been open-world. But there's nothing to say that the next game won't change its traditional nature.

Even if the new game isn't open world, Ross could contribute massively with its world design. For all the negatives surrounding Days Gone, its world design was never criticized. This could allow Ross' new studio to utilize what he wants to implement in the sequel.

Only the future will tell what kind of contributions Crystal Dynamic's new Design Director will have. Nevertheless, it's a fresh start for Jeff Ross, and there will never be a better opportunity to get one over his former employers.