Daryl Baxter is a British writer and podcaster from Lincoln whose work has ranged across games, technology, and the history of the medium. He has written for outlets including WIRED, TechRadar, Den of Geek, and the Radio Times, and now publishes Springboard, a free newsletter about gaming, technology, and mental health that deliberately avoids chasing SEO or relying on AI. Growing up with series including Sonic, Metal Gear and, especially, Tomb Raider, he eventually turned that fascination into his first book, The Making of Tomb Raider, published in 2021 and based on extensive interviews with the original Core Design team.
His new book, The Making of Tomb Raider: 1997–2000, picks up the story as a new team took control of the series, tracing the creation of Tomb Raider III, The Last Revelation, Chronicles and the expansions, while exploring the punishing annual release cycle and the pressure of sustaining one of gaming’s biggest phenomena.
LINKS
Daryl Baxter – website & newsletter
Daryl Baxter – official website
Springboard – Daryl’s newsletter on games, tech and mental health (free to subscribe)
The Making of Tomb Raider: 1997–2000 (out 30 October 2026)
The Making of Tomb Raider: 1997–2000 – Waterstones
The Making of Tomb Raider: 1997–2000 – Pen & Sword Books
The Making of Tomb Raider: 1997–2000 – Amazon UK
Daryl’s earlier books
The Making of Tomb Raider (2021) – Pen & Sword Books
50 Years of Boss Fights – Pen & Sword Books
Daryl’s Perfect Console
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (Mega Drive, 1994) – Wikipedia
Sonic 3 & Knuckles – Wikipedia
PlayStation Demo One disc (1995) – Wikipedia
Tomb Raider II (1997) – Wikipedia
Metal Gear Solid (1998) – Wikipedia
Half-Life 2 (2004) – Wikipedia
Also mentioned
TR30 Tomb Raider Day – Derby Quad, 24 October 2026
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis – Crystal Dynamics & Flying Wild Hog (out 12 February 2027)
Tomb Raider: Catalyst – Wikipedia
Alix Wilton Regan – the new voice of Lara Croft (Wikipedia)
Peter Connelly – Tomb Raider 4 & 5 composer (Wikipedia)
Judith Gibbons – Lara Croft’s voice in Tomb Raider II, Wikipedia
Shelley Blond – Lara Croft’s voice in Tomb Raider I
Keeley Hawes – Lara Croft in Tomb Raider: Underworld
Half-Life 2 source code leak – Wikipedia
Games Master magazine – Wikipedia
Death by Video Game – Simon Parkin (buy via Bookshop.org UK)
Support the show
My Perfect Console – episode archive and data
Support My Perfect Console on Patreon
Become a My Perfect Console supporter and receive a range of benefits at patreon.com/myperfectconsole
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