Updated
Updated · Kotaku · Jul 24
Tomb Raider: Catalyst Slips to 2028 as Sony's Jan. 2028 Disc Cutoff Makes It Digital-Only
Updated
Updated · Kotaku · Jul 24

Tomb Raider: Catalyst Slips to 2028 as Sony's Jan. 2028 Disc Cutoff Makes It Digital-Only

3 articles · Updated · Kotaku · Jul 24

Summary

  • Amazon gaming chief Jeffrey Gattis said Tomb Raider: Catalyst will now follow 2027's Legacy of Atlantis and launch in 2028, missing the 2027 window shown in its Game Awards reveal.
  • That delay pushes the next mainline Tomb Raider past Sony's January 2028 cutoff for new PlayStation disc production, making Catalyst the first confirmed new PlayStation release without a physical PS5 version.
  • Crystal Dynamics has faced fresh layoffs, and the project has been dogged by reports of development challenges; spacing it away from Legacy of Atlantis also avoids releasing two Tomb Raider games in one year.
  • Sony said earlier this month that all new PlayStation games released from January 2028 onward will be sold only in digital formats, reinforcing analyst expectations that PlayStation's next hardware will be all-digital.

Insights

Could Amazon's delay of Catalyst be a calculated move to force PlayStation gamers into a controversial digital-only future by 2028?
Will Sony's shocking 2028 ban on physical discs destroy game preservation, starting with the next generation of Tomb Raider?
With Crystal Dynamics facing layoffs, will this highly anticipated adventure survive Amazon's aggressive pivot toward cloud gaming?