Jeremy Heath-Smith and Adrian Smith, the founders of Core Design and the cocreators of Lara Croft and the Tomb Raider series, have today announced the formation of a new development company called Circle Studio. Around 35 former Core employees have already been recruited to work at the company, and development on two prototypes for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox is already under way.

　　"Adrian and I are still passionate about games and have the experience and skills, in-house, to continue producing original and successful titles," said Jeremy Heath-Smith. "We've enjoyed working with Lara these past seven years but are looking forward to creating something or someone new."

　　"It's very exciting to be standing on our own two feet again, and we're fortunate to be in a position that allows us to develop our prototypes fully whilst exploring the best route or partnership for publishing," added Adrian Smith.

　　We'll bring you more information on Circle Studio's projects, in addition to their preparations for next-generation consoles, as soon as it becomes available.