Tomb Raider is a franchise that has spanned decades, beginning on PlayStation and later finding a strong home on Xbox with the 2013 reboot. It remains a series many players hold dear, remembered not only for its adventurous gameplay but also for its memorable soundtracks.
Among those who shaped its music is Peter Connelly, a composer whose work defined much of the classic era. Recently, however, Connelly has found himself in serious trouble.
Who is Peter Connelly?
If you are familiar with the Tomb Raider franchise, Peter Connelly is a name you might recognize.
He is best known for his work on Tomb Raider III, The Last Revelation, Chronicles, and The Angel of Darkness, where his music helped define the atmosphere of the series during its classic era.
Although Connelly did not compose for later Tomb Raider titles, his influence on the franchise’s soundtracks has been lasting. Tracks such as Jeep Thrills from The Last Revelation remain fan favorites, often praised for how they capture the adventurous tone of the game.
Beyond Tomb Raider, Connelly’s career has spanned several well-known franchises. He contributed to South Park: The Fractured but Whole, Watch Dogs, and Dead Island 2, bringing his experience to a wide variety of games.
Most recently, Connelly returned to Tomb Raider by contributing additional music and sound effects for the Tomb Raider I-II-III Remastered collection.
These remasters revisit the games he originally worked on, giving both long-time fans and new players a chance to experience the games on modern hardware.
Tomb Raider’s Journey on Xbox
It wasn’t until 2006 that Tomb Raider: Legend arrived on Xbox 360, marking Xbox’s first time with Lara Croft and introducing the character to a whole new generation of players.
For me, it was my first real introduction to the franchise outside of watching my older brother play the original games on PlayStation.
From that point on, Tomb Raider has enjoyed steady support on Xbox hardware. The full franchise reboot in 2013 launched first on Xbox One and Xbox 360, remaining exclusive to those platforms for its first year.
At the time, many saw this as a controversial move, yet similar timed exclusivity deals are now commonplace across the industry, particularly on PlayStation.
The sequel, Rise of the Tomb Raider, followed in 2015 with another year-long exclusive window on Xbox before expanding to other platforms.
The trilogy then concluded with Shadow of The Tomb Raider in 2018, which released simultaneously across Xbox and PlayStation, giving players on both consoles a chance to experience the finale.
What Happened
In 2020, Connelly secured a legitimate loan of £22,000 (around $29,000) to support his music and sound production company, Peter Connelly Ltd, which specialized in sound recording, composition, and audio design services.
The loan was part of the UK Government’s Bounce Back Loan initiative, introduced to provide fast financial support to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, just a month later, Connelly submitted another application, this time inflating his company’s turnover to secure a second loan of £37,600 (roughly $50,000).
Under the rules of the initiative, each business was only permitted a single Bounce Back Loan. Despite receiving both loans, his company went into liquidation in 2021, and neither loan was ever repaid.
The Investigation and Verdict
The Insolvency Service, a UK government agency that investigates and takes action against companies or individuals involved in misconduct, fraud, or breaches of insolvency law, began looking into Connelly after his company collapsed.
Their investigation uncovered inflated turnover figures and a second Bounce Back Loan that should never have been taken out.
Connelly told investigators he had planned to use the funds to support projects re-imagining Tomb Raider music, but admitted that those plans stalled when he ran out of funds.
