nexttombraidergame.jpg

Crystal Dynamics had announced previously that a new Tomb Raider video game was coming, but offered very little outside of it being on Unreal Engine 5. The studio has now announced that Amazon Games will be publishing it and offered a few more details about the title.

This Tomb Raider will be a multiplatform, single-player, and narrative-driven game and will include “all the elements that have made Tomb Raider one of the most revered franchises in gaming” like puzzles, exploration, and a “wide variety of enemies to face and overcome.” It will also be the biggest and most expansive Tomb Raider installment yet and is still in early development. More will be announced at a later time.

VP of Amazon Games Christoph Hartmann offered a statement on the Tomb Raider deal, praising Crystal Dynamics in the process:

“Tomb Raider is one of the most beloved IPs in entertainment history,” said Hartmann. “Amazon Games is committed to bringing players games of the highest quality, from the best developers, across all variety of platforms and genres, and we’re honored by the opportunity to work with this storied developer and franchise. Our team is incredibly excited about collaborating with the talented and visionary Crystal Dynamics team to bring the next chapter of Lara Croft’s saga to players around the world.”

Embracer Group’s deal to acquire Crystal Dynamics recently closed in August 2022, as the huge video game and media holding company bought the team from Square Enix, a publisher that frequently expressed its disappointments with its western studios (including Crystal Dynamics). Crystal Dynamics is still currently working on Marvel’s Avengers and assisting The Initiative develop the Perfect Dark reboot. Head of Studio at Crystal Dynamics Scot Amos recently spoke about this acquisition, as well as this new Tomb Raider game.

“Crystal Dynamics has an extraordinary opportunity following our acquisition by Embracer to redefine what a publishing relationship is for Tomb Raider,” said Amos. “Transformative is what we’re looking for, and with Amazon Games, we found a team that shares our creative vision, ambitions, and values for a Lara Croft universe across the spectrum of possibilities. They’re uniquely positioned to rewrite what publishing and development collaborations are, and we’re eager to forge this new path together, starting with building the biggest and best Tomb Raider game yet!”

Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider franchise includes more than 20 video games, which have sold more than 95 million copies since the first entry was released in 1996. The most recent release, “Shadow of the Tomb Raider,” marked the conclusion of Lara Croft’s origin story. The game has been adapted into movies starring Angelina Jolie and Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft. Another Tomb Raider movie is reportedly in the works, but it won’t include Vikander and will be another reboot. However, there is a Netflix anime series in production that is slated for 2023 and stars Hayley Atwell as Lara Croft.

The forthcoming Tomb Raider title is the next initiative for Amazon Games’ growing roster of externally developed titles, following the February 2022 release of “Lost Ark,” developed by Smilegate RPG. Other recently announced projects include “Blue Protocol” with Bandai Namco announced at the Game Awards; Disruptive Games’ upcoming online multiplayer action-adventure game based on original intellectual property; and an online co-op experience based on original IP by Glowmade, out of Guildford, England.

I hope they release it in 2024.