Tomb Raider multiplayer developed by Eidos Montreal

Tomb Raider is just a few months away but Square Enix saved a substantial reveal for the holidays: the core series's multiplayer debut.

The multiplayer portion of the game was confirmed by a tease for the January issue of OXM, which has already reach subscribers and arrives in store on January 8.

Tomb Raider brand manager Karl Stewart confirmed the story on Twitter, but on the Eidos forums, Crystal Dynamics community manager Meagan Marie revealed a multi-studio arrangement.

"Tomb Raider will include a multiplayer offering thanks to the hard work of our sister-studio, the hugely talented Eidos Montreal. The team at Eidos Montreal has been working away at the multiplayer while we focused everything on the single-player offering," she wrote.

Eidos Montreal developed Deus Ex: Human Revolution, and is working on Thief 4, although the stealth-'em-up is yet to be officially revealed. It is not to be confused with Square Enix Montreal, a new team assigned to expand the Hitman universe.

The game's multiplayer component will be revealed over the course of the month, but in the meantime, Joystiq has word that the GAME UK listing briefly contained reference to "a variety of multiplayer modes" in which player's take on the role of "Lara's Shipmates or Yamatai's Scavengers" - Yamatai being the mystical island the ill-fated expedition was in search of.

Although spin-off Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light had co-op multiplayer, the March 5 release of Tomb Raider marks the first time a core series entry has supported more than one player. Expect it on PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Thanks, Gematsu