Lara Croft is again. At The Sport Awards, two new video games within the Tomb Raider franchise have been introduced, as was the brand new face of Lara Croft.
The primary, Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, is a “reimagining” of the unique Tomb Raider, promising redesigned visuals and fashionable gameplay, set to launch in 2026. The second sport, Tomb Raider: Catalyst, is a wholly new journey set for launch in 2027 and can see Lara exploring Northern India.
Alix Wilton Regan, the British actor who was beforehand set to play Joanna Darkish within the now-cancelled Good Darkish reboot, will step into the position of Lara Croft, taking on from Camilla Luddington.
Following the announcement, Crystal Dynamics sat down for a Q&A session with VGC about each video games. Scott Amos, the pinnacle of studio at Crystal Dynamics, and Will Kerslake, sport director at Crystal Dynamics, spoke concerning the new Lara and remaking a basic.
Q&A: Crystal Dynamics on Tomb Raider’s subsequent video games
Scott Amos: Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is a love letter by followers, all of us, for followers. Trying on the alternative we had with this, we knew the thirtieth anniversary was arising and needed to do one thing particular to each have fun that second, however nonetheless pay an honor to all of Core Design’s authentic DNA and intent from this wonderful title that launched the franchise. That’s actually the debut title that’s arrange for what we’re doing now, 30 years later, as a part of Tomb Raider.
So having the ability to have all the sport constructed from scratch in Unreal 5 is why we name this a reimagining. We’ve taken all of these issues that have been essential from that first sport, after which stated, what can we do to push it by a modern-day gamer’s lens and say, that is how we will take areas which may have been a background picture within the outdated sport, now fully realized in full 3D.
replace digital camera and controls, and how you can take issues like that signature second that every one of us as avid gamers performed whenever you acquired to struggle a T.Rex in that authentic sport, and now saying, how is that reimagined at present for an epic motion journey second that may create a brand new core reminiscence for gamers who’ve by no means gotten to expertise it as that first time, or should you’re very long time fan, you now get to expertise it as a primary time once more.
Is the Lara Croft in Destiny of Atlantis the identical because the Lara Croft in Catalyst?
Will Kerslake: Sure. So there are two adventures right here, however they’re two adventures of the identical character. So, Legacy of Atlantis is a reimagining of that authentic sport, as Scott stated. Whereas Tomb Raider Catalyst is a model new journey, it’s the highest of her sport, skilled Lara Croft. So it’s the identical character, however at two distinct intervals in her life.
“We had the privilege of getting Alix with us final evening once we did the stay reveal, which is simply an enormous deal to see that and see the fan response.”
Alix Wilton-Regan is the brand new Lara Croft. Why did you solid her within the position?
JA: Alix is simply super, like from the very first second we met along with her, from the very first casting calls we did, she loves this character, she was already a fan once we met her, after which having the ability to speak to her and get a way that she has that wit, that allure and charisma that could be a pure essence and core for Lara, however she additionally has that confidence and that depth of emotionality that we’d like for telling these nice tales.
We had the privilege of getting Alix with us final evening once we did the stay reveal, which is simply an enormous deal to see that and see the fan response. It was simply so thrilling. And she or he’s simply been super to work with.
WK: From the very starting she acquired what we have been attempting to do and produce all the arrogance of the character ahead, however proceed to push on the emotional depth that we’d like for contemporary storytelling and simply was has been enthusiastic and enthusiastic about it and the entire time, which has been nice.
Is Legacy of Atlantis a remake or a reimagining? Is there a distinction?
WK: We need to honor the legacy of that authentic sport, by modernizing it with a gameplay expertise and a constancy that’s now doable in Unreal 5. 30 years of expertise have occurred since 1996, in order that’s not a simple factor to do, however in the end our purpose there’s you make it really feel prefer it felt whenever you performed it the primary time, however play like a contemporary sport. So there are very important issues that we’ve to maintain the identical.
I imply, you’ve seen within the trailer what we will do now with fashionable expertise to essentially push the expertise of those locations. You may have sure recollections, whether or not it was the bridge and falling into the wolf den or the T. rex, the place you go like, “That’s what I completely keep in mind from that sport,” and the way can we create that very same reminiscence once more for brand new gamers?
Do the brand new video games have any connection to the upcoming Amazon TV sequence?
JA: So we’re right here to speak concerning the two video games that we simply introduced final evening. We are going to say that actually our Amazon companions have been super. From the start, they’ve gotten the concept of this imaginative and prescient we’ve for this cross-media franchise throughout each the live-action issues in the course of the sequence and the 2 video games that we’re making proper now.
We’re not right here to speak about any particulars or the rest sooner or later concerning the TV sequence till in a while. However actually, it’s an important alternative for us to have all of these items going collectively and having so many issues in growth for Tomb Raider. The followers profit from all of it.
The unique sport was stuffed with instant-death traps and sometimes based mostly on trial and error. Trendy video games sometimes keep away from this sort of punishing design. Will Atlantis preserve this brutal issue for authenticity or undertake a extra forgiving strategy just like the QTE moments seen within the 2007 remake?
WK: A part of reimagining a sport is adjusting that sport, evolving for contemporary participant tastes. However, it’s core to the Tomb Raider expertise that there are puzzles and fight and traversal and death-defying motion. When you take a look at the trailer that we had for Legacy of Atlantis, you’ll see large rolling balls and the issues that you simply count on in a Tomb Raider sport are going to be there.
Is anybody from the unique staff concerned within the legacy of Atlantis remake?
JA: I’ll say that folk at Crystal who’ve been a part of Tomb Raider for a really very long time. We’ve got people who’ve been at Crystal for 30 years, and so we’ve had people throughout the gamut of all of the totally different Tomb Raider video games that we’ve ever been a part of.
We’ve got sort of an attention-grabbing crossbreed of some outdated blood and a few very new blood. For instance, Flying Wild Hog had by no means labored on a Tomb Raider sport, so there’s loads of new blood there, whereas we’ve loads of “Crystallites” who’ve come from our previous.
So mixing collectively, we’ve loads of expertise in historical past, however we even have loads of new faces and new attitudes which can be serving to actually push into that subsequent era of what Tomb Raider goes to be.
