Few would contest the fact that Tomb Raider is one of the greatest game franchises of all time. Players first met Lara Croft in 1996 and have been immersed in her adventures ever since. The 2013 reboot brought a fresh take on the series, focusing on character development and humanizing Lara as she evolves from an inexperienced adventurer to a hardened survivor. The origin trilogy ended with Shadow of the Tomb Raider in 2018, and this has led to speculation about the direction the games will head in next.
Now, reports suggest that a new title is in development, and it will offer players something totally new. Amazon Games will take over the publishing reins from Square Enix and may have their own ideas about how to push the franchise forward.
Amazon Games as the New Publisher
There has been a lot of uncertainty over the last year about what’s going to happen with the Tomb Raider series. Square Enix had been publishing the games for some time, but the Japanese company agreed to sell many of its flagship games and leading development studios in 2022. It sold the rights to the Tomb Raider franchise for $300 million, initially to the Swedish holding company Embracer Group.
Due to the incredible pulling power of Tomb Raider, there was no question of it fading into obscurity. It was more of a case of who would take it up next. The good news is that the new game is being developed by Crystal Dynamics, the California-based studio that made the first two games in the rebooted trilogy. The only difference now is the fact that Square Enix doesn’t own the studio, and it’s currently a subsidiary of Embracer Group. After the takeover of Square Enix’s former intellectual properties was completed in August last year, it meant that work on the new Tomb Raider game could begin.
It was recently confirmed that the new Lara Croft outing will be published by Amazon Games. The company has brought out the odd game since 2010, but it has never released a blockbuster like Tomb Raider. It’s putting a much greater focus on gaming now, with several secretive projects in collaboration with Disruptive Games and Glowmade currently in the works.
Tomb Raider Franchise is Cemented in Popular Culture
It’s no surprise that Amazon Games was keen to pick up Tomb Raider as it aims to start improving its various game offerings. It’s a franchise with endless potential, and this is highlighted by the sheer abundance of games that have been made in the series since the first game hit consoles in 1996.
On consoles, there have been 12 games so far, starting with Tomb Raider in 1996 and ending with Shadow of the Tomb Raider in 2018. The games have been made by a range of developers and have varied in quality. However, they all have common facets that keep players coming back for more. Fans of the series know what they will get from each fresh installment. They always involve adventure, exploration, puzzles, and combat.
Because of the overwhelming popularity of the console games, there have been numerous spinoffs on different platforms over the last few decades. Several of these, such as Tomb Raider: Curse of the Sword and Tomb Raider: The Prophecy were released on the Game Boy Color and the Game Boy Advance. As technology has improved, developers of the games have been getting even more inventive with their spinoffs.
For example, there are numerous Tomb Raider games for mobile, a more recent offshoot of the gaming industry that was hard for developers to ignore. In 2015, Square Enix released Lara Croft: Relic Run and Lara Croft Go for mobile. These helped to drum up a lot of interest for Rise of the Tomb Raider, which was released later that same year.
Tomb Raider can even be found in the online casino market, as this is another bustling sector that can be used to boost a franchise. Lara Croft Tomb Raider is one of the top listed slots at Electric Spins, a new online casino gambling.com recommended for its 200 percent welcome bonus and 100 extra spins. That deal is a major selling point for players, who will often stumble across the site at comparison pages showcasing the best deals. Offering games like Tomb Raider is a great way to keep players at a site once they’ve joined.
New Game May Offer a Fresh Story
When the new Tomb Raider eventually drops, it will be a monumental gaming event. The upcoming title is set to be the most realistic and detailed game ever made, as the technology available to developers has improved vastly since the last release. That one was praised for how immersive and lifelike it was. However, the upcoming title will use the Unreal 5 engine, meaning that it will be incredibly rich and immersive. Not much is known about the game’s content yet, but it’s likely that it will take the series in a new direction after the latest Survivor Trilogy.
It wouldn’t make sense for Crystal Dynamics to create a story based on a fledgling Lara Croft after the reboot had done it so recently. Instead, the new games could involve a more seasoned adventurer, embarking on quests that are wildly different from the ones she’s recently been on. It has already been reported that the new title will “unify the timelines” of the prequel games and the originals.
Many gamers are hoping that the upcoming game will combine features of modern gaming mechanics and graphics alongside nostalgic elements. It has already been teased that Lara could come up against a Tyrannosaurus rex, and some artwork with the intrepid explorer next to a pyramid has been released as well.
There’s a good chance that there will be an official announcement about the next Tomb Raider this year, with a possible release in 2024 or 2025. It has the potential to be one of the greatest games ever, with Amazon Games hoping to become a major player in the industry.
