With Galleon in stores and Confounding Factor shutting down for good, the world questioned what would become of founder Toby Gard, best known as the creator of Lara Craft. Wonder no more - Eidos today sent along word that the briefly unemployed Toby Gard has joined Crystal Dynamics as a senior designer on the upcoming Tomb Raider VII.

"Toby will complement the existing talented team creating the next Tomb Raider title," commented the Eidos rep. "As the creator of the Lara Croft character, he brings a unique perspective to the development process. The Tomb Raider team is drawing upon a great deal of research, consumer and editorial feedback, and game development talent to build a title they'll be proud of...and one you'll want to play."

This marks the first Tomb Raider title to be made with Gard's input since the series debuted. After the success of the original Tomb Raider, Gard left CORE Design alongside Paul Douglas to found Confounding Factor. The studio's only game, Galleon, just recently shipped to stores in North America after spending nearly seven years in development. During those seven years, the Tomb Raider franchise saw five additional installments, each gathering less critical praise than the previous release. After last year's Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness, franchise-holder Eidos removed CORE Design from the next Tomb Raider project, instead handing development responsibilities to subsidiary Crystal Dynamics.

According to a recent statement from Top Cow, who publishes the Tomb Raider comic book, Tomb Raider VII is expected to ship during the summer of 2005.