Next ‘Tomb Raider’ video game will unite the series’ timelines
The next Tomb Raider game will reportedly unify the timelines of the Origin Trilogy and the older games, according to a new video released by Crystal Dynamics.
Tomb Raider is celebrating its 25th anniversary this 2021, and the franchise shared the news in a community update video on their official social media networks. The video teased other community features, nostalgic content, and surprises throughout the year.
In the video, game director Will Kerslake gave a hint of what’s in store for future games of the franchise’s fan favorite heroine. He said plans were underway to tie in the origin reboot trilogy that started in 2013 to the original games launched in 1996 which featured a more “seasoned and confident adventurer.”
The iconic archaeologist-adventurer Lara Croft first made her pixelated debut in the 1996 action-adventure game first released on the Sega Saturn, MS-DOS and PlayStation. The classic game featured Lara navigating levels split into multiple areas and room complexes while fighting enemies and solving puzzles to progress.
The tenth title in the Tomb Raider franchise, released in 2013 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 operates as an origin story, focusing on a younger Lara Croft.
Kerslake continued saying that the development team also saw “a future of Tomb Raider unfolding after these established adventures, telling stories that build upon the breadth of both Core Design and Crystal Dynamics’ games, working to unify these timelines.”
The video also confirmed the exciting news that streaming giant Netflix, Legendary Television and dj2 entertainment are teaming up to create a new Tomb Raider animated series, which the streaming platform previously announced via Twitter on January 27.
The most iconic heroine in video games is jumping to animation! Tomb Raider is a new anime series from @Legendary following Lara Croft after the events of the video-game reboot trilogy.
— NX (@NXOnNetflix) January 27, 2021
The upcoming Tomb Raider animated series plans to pick up after the events of the video game reboot trilogy and will follow Lara Croft’s latest adventure as a “newly minted” tomb raider.
The bow-and-arrow wielding heroine first appeared on the big screen in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) starring Angeline Jolie in the titular role, followed by the sequel Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003).
The new project marks the return of Lara Croft to the world of animation since the Tomb Raider Re\Visioned dropped nearly 15 years ago. The ten-part series consisting of various animation and comic book talent's renditions of Lara Croft, presented in the form of short animated episodes, was originally released on Turner Broadcasting's online video game service GameTap in 2007.
The Tomb Raider 25th Anniversary will officially kick off this February with official social media accounts featuring fan art, cosplay highlights, and other surprises based on the game of the month every Friday. Follow the hashtag #TR25 on Twitter for updates.
(Images via Crystal Dynamics)