With advanced graphics for its time and a memorable heroine, the original Tomb Raider wowed gamers and made Croft an early mascot for the industry. — Crystal Dynamics
PARIS: With a remake of the first Tomb Raider game and an original title also starring its protagonist Lara Croft in the pipeline, American studio Crystal Dynamics say they are crafting "a love letter by fans, for fans" of the classic series.
Pistol-toting heroine Lara Croft will return to PlayStation, Xbox and PC next year in Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, a remake of the very first game released in 1996.
And 2027 will bring Tomb Raider: Catalyst, the next instalment in the saga that has sold more than 100 million copies worldwide.
The remake especially is "a love letter by fans, all of us, for fans... something special to celebrate that moment" 30 years on, Crystal Dynamics boss Scot Amos said.
The remake will be "built from scratch" on the modern Unreal 5 game engine and more in line with 2020s gameplay tastes, Amos said.
"You want it to feel like it felt when you played the first time, but play like a modern game," added Will Kerslake, director of the project, which is being co-developed with Polish studio Flying Wild Hog.
With advanced graphics for its time and a memorable heroine, the original Tomb Raider wowed gamers and made Croft an early mascot for the industry.
Crystal Dynamics has been running the series since the mid-2000s, when publisher Eidos tapped them to take over from British creators Core Design following a string of lacklustre releases.
The studio already has one remake of the original Tomb Raider, released in 2006, under its belt.
Since then, the game series's story was rebooted in 2013 with a new trilogy starring a younger Lara Croft.
British actress Alix Wilton Regan will voice Lara Croft in the upcoming games, with the character also given a visual makeover – depicting a "top of her game, experienced" protagonist in Catalyst, Kerslake said.
Developed by Crystal Dynamics' lead team, Amos trailed the all-new title set in India as "the largest Tomb Raider that we've made to date".
Crystal Dynamics, owned by Sweden's Embracer group, signed a deal with Amazon's video games arm to develop the new Tomb Raider titles.
And decades after the original movies starring Angelina Jolie, a series is in development for the US tech giant's Prime Video streaming service, with Britain's Phoebe Waller-Bridge on board as writer and actress Sophie Turner playing the Lara Croft role. – AFP
