It’s hard to believe that nearly four years have passed since Shadow of the Tomb Raider was released.
Rounding out the trilogy that saw a young Lara Croft make the transition from wannabe explorer to a fully-fledged adventurer, Shadow of the Tomb Raider divided critics and fans alike. But there’s one thing for sure: by the end of it, Lara has become the capable heroine we’ve taken control of in countless Tomb Raider games set after. And soon, we might get to see her next adventure.
Crystal Dynamics has today announced that development has started on the next Tomb Raider. The news was delivered via a tweet and a short accompanying video, though it gives little away. Basically, we know the next Tomb Raider game has begun development but little else. But there’s one piece of information that gives us something to be excited about: it’s being built using Unreal Engine 5.
Multiple demonstrations of what Unreal Engine 5 is capable of have been released already. There was the Lumen in the Land of Nanite tech demo running on PS5, for example, and the more recent The Matrix Awakens: An Unreal Engine 5 Experience, free to download on PS5 and Xbox Series consoles. Needless to say, we can expect the next Tomb Raider game to look absolutely phenomenal, immersing us in exotic locales that look more realistic than ever before.
🎉 We're thrilled to announce the next #TombRaider game will be developed on Unreal Engine 5.
Are you an experienced developer in @Unreal? Come work with us on the future of Tomb Raider!
â–¶ https://t.co/LhU9gGV5PM https://t.co/wcQiSD4k1E
— Crystal Dynamics (@CrystalDynamics) April 5, 2022
Though the question still remains: just what will the next Tomb raider game be? It’s been hinted that the next Tomb Raider game will follow the same cinematic format as the latest trilogy, but will it continue with the same Lara Croft or shake things up yet again? We hope it continues from where Shadow of the Tomb Raider left off, allowing us to further see the character we’ve grown familiar with grow, but others may not be so keen.
Regardless, with news that development on the next Tomb Raider game has started, now we play the waiting game. It might be two or even three more years before the game is finally in our hands – Crystal Dynamics has been busy with Marvel’s Avengers after all, and it’s also helping Xbox’s The initiative with development on the next Perfect Dark. But at least we know it’s on the way, and it’s going to offer a next-gen experience.
