Some fans are speculating that the new Tomb Raider game is a remake of the first, original installment in the franchise. That is unlikely the case.
Following an announcement that the next installment in the franchise is being developed in Unreal Engine 5, the official Twitter account of the franchise was updated with a reimagined artwork of the first Tomb Raider game.
The artwork as well as its new logo, reminiscent of the original logo of the first game, birthed speculations that developer Crystal Dynamics is remaking the 1996 Tomb Raider game.
Firstly, the reimagined artwork of Tomb Raider was actually part of the 25th-anniversary celebration of the franchise last year where franchise art director Brenoch Adams and other talented artists shared reimagined box arts and conceptual artworks for a number of installments in the franchise.
What would Iconic Tomb Raider box art look like if reimagined by equally iconic artists? 🎨
We’re kicking with our super-talented Franchise Art Director, Brenoch Adams. Read about his inspiration, and find downloads for the art on our official #TR25 site: https://t.co/oBThLd7cKW pic.twitter.com/2K9JYNApiN
— Tomb Raider (@tombraider) February 1, 2021
Secondly, Crystal Dynamics made it clear last year that its new Tomb Raider game will be set after the events of the rebooted trilogy. Hence, unless the developer is working on two projects that include a remake, the updated artwork is just paying homage to the franchise.
“We envision the future of Tomb Raider unfolding after [the rebooted trilogy],” said franchise game director Will Kerslake last year, “telling stories that build upon both the breadth of Core Design and Crystal Dynamics’ games and working to unify these timelines,” said Kerslake. “With Tomb Raider’s extensive history, this is not an easy task, and we ask for patience as we go through the process.”
The original Tomb Raider trilogy was released between 1996 and 1998. The rebooted Tomb Raider trilogy landed between 2013 and 2018 with Shadow of the Tomb Raider being the most recent installment in the franchise.
