Cream of The Croft

Today at the University of Derby graduation ceremony, in front of thousands of students, an honorary degree is being given out to Chris Shrigley, in recognition of his success in the gaming industry.

Any gamers out there may well recognise him as one of the founders of the former Derby based studio, Core Design, who from 1988 produced a string of hit video-games including Rick Dangerous, Thunderhawk, Project Eden and most famously, Tomb Raider.

With its Lara Croft character, Tomb Raider became one of the most successful video-game franchises of all time with total sales of 74 million units to date and a blockbuster Hollywood movie to boot.

In a message to DerbyshireLive from his home in the US, Chris said: "Receiving this award is a huge honour, and I'm truly humbled to be recognised in this way, particularly by my hometown university. It's very special, and makes the countless hours and late nights making games all worthwhile."

That ‘hometown’ university has recently climbed 25 places to make it into the top thirty of the Guardian University Guide 2019, achieved by particular focus on providing industry-relevant applied education. Over the last decade the university has invested heavily on state-of-the-art facilities for its computing and design faculties, which along with its gaming studio heritage, gives the city a strong new technology and creative sector.

Derby is proud of its fictional heroine, Lara Croft, and there is already a road named after her, but even more exciting is the fact that this September Host Students are opening a brand new hall named The Croft, in her honour!