The Tomb Raider reboot trilogy was both a commercial and critical success. Unfortunately, the games started to show cracks at the end of their run. Shadow of the Tomb Raider, which came out in 2018 and was developed by Eidos-Montréal, was the “worst” of the bunch – and the most expensive project too.
Despite the criticism, the Survivor Trilogy still ended up selling around 35 million copies in total, as of the latest tally. Microsoft reportedly even paid $100 million for the rights to keep Rise of the Tomb Raider exclusive to the Xbox and the PC for one year in 2015.
TLDR; the Survivor Trilogy was a financially successful endeavor for Crystal Dynamics, which was still then owned by Square Enix.
So, you can only imagine the shock when Colin Moriarty made claims about the upcoming Tomb Raider game.
According to the proven industry insider, in his Sacred Symbols podcast (via ComicBook), the next Tomb Raider game has been designated the name “Project Jawbreaker” by Crystal Dynamics.
@xfire.com Leak hints at a recast Lara Croft for new Tomb Raider game#CrystalDynamics #TombRaider #UnrealEngine5
Moriarty explains that a leaked script hints at a potential Lara Croft recast with Crystal Dynamics featuring a more seasoned protagonist in her mid-30s that’s already “at the top of her game.” This would imply that Crystal Dynamics will use a different mo-cap actress, which is surprising considering the performance of Camilla Luddington.
What’s even more interesting about Moriarty’s leak is that the upcoming Tomb Raider title will see Croft working with a team at her side. The game will also reportedly take place “in a modern-day world rocked by a mysterious cataclysm.”
Moriarty’s claims don’t corroborate the earlier speculations that the next Tomb Raider game is a remake of the original but they don’t necessarily contradict them either.
Ultimately, the only thing guaranteed at the moment is that Crystal Dynamics is working on a new Tomb Raider game and it will be made in Unreal Engine 5. It’s wishful thinking, but we’re hoping that find out more about the next Tomb Raider game by August at Embracer Group’s Summer Gaming Showcase.
