A brand-new Tomb Raider game, developed by Crystal Dynamics, has just been announced during The State of Unreal 2022. The livestream event focuses on the massive multitude of game studios currently creating games using Unreal Engine 5. Following rumors of a new Tomb Raider game, it has been confirmed that the series’ next installment will utilize the powerful game engine.
The original Tomb Raider, which launched in 1996, introduced gamers to adventurous archaeologist Lara Croft and her acrobatic abilities. Since then the franchise has grown to encompass an ongoing series of games, several live-action films, an animated television show and more. In 2013 the beloved franchise was rebooted with a game merely titled Tomb Raider, which detailed the origins of Lara Croft and emphasized survival elements. The game was followed by 2015’s Rise of the Tomb Raider and 2018’s Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which together formed a reboot trilogy. Last year Crystal Dynamics revealed that future installments will unite the Tomb Raider timeline, serving as a bridge between the reboot trilogy and the original games.
Announced during State of Unreal 2022 and shared by Tomb Raider via Twitter, Crystal Dynamics General Manager Dallas Dickinson revealed that the studio has begun working on a new Tomb Raider game. Utilizing Unreal Engine 5, the upcoming fourth installment in the reboot series will strive to deliver an impressive new level of gameplay and storytelling. While very few details are provided by Dickinson, it can be assumed that the next step in Lara Croft’s journey will not release for a while. However, Unreal Engine 5 should allow for visually impressive and immersive tomb raiding.
Along with crafting another installment in the Tomb Raider franchise, Crystal Dynamics is also helping to reinvent another retro game. Crystal Dynamics is working on Perfect Dark, a reboot of Rare’s intense first-person shooter from 2000, along with main developer The Initiative. The classic shooter, a spiritual successor to GoldenEye 007, casts players as secret agent Joanna Dark and tasks them with stopping a corporate conspiracy involving hostile aliens. The Xbox-exclusive Perfect Dark reboot will apparently focus on a near-future setting ravaged by climate change, and Crystal Dynamics will use its reboot expertise to aid The Initiative in developing it.
The Tomb Raider franchise is an old and beloved staple of the gaming industry, and Crystal Dynamics successfully unearthed that treasure back in 2013. Now players will be able to journey into a fourth entry in the reboot saga, with the story potentially connecting the modern trilogy to its retro roots. While the title has just started development, the next Tomb Raider will see Lara Croft climbing cliffs and raining tombs built by the powerful Unreal Engine 5.
