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Lara Croft raids again in newly announced Tomb Raider game

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Square Enix has officially announced that a new entry in its rebooted Tomb Raider franchise is in the works. Confirmation of “Lara Croft’s defining adventure” came in a tweet from the official Tomb Raider account on December 7, promising more details at “a major event in 2018.”

A message to our fans! pic.twitter.com/HlDYsUtZMs

— Tomb Raider (@tombraider) December 7, 2017

Fans have suspected that new Tomb Raider game was in the works since shortly after the release of Rise of the Tomb Raider, when an eagle-eyed commuter caught a glimpse on a laptop of a presentation for a new game with the working title Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Square Enix’s announcement did not provide any clarification as to who is developing the new Tomb Raider game. Although the prior two entries in the extremely successful reboot came from Uncharted studio Crystal Dynamics, Eurogamer reported from inside sources that Eidos Montreal, (most recently known for their reboots of Deus Ex and Thief) would take on the franchise for this third entry.

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On the other hand, Gamespot reported in late 2016 that Crystal Dynamics had hired Ian Milham, formerly art director for the Dead Space series at Visceral Games, as franchise director for Tomb Raider. It is not yet clear whether Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal are developing separate Tomb Raider projects, or if this is the same game being shuffled around with the publisher’s studios.

The Tomb Raider franchise has twice played an instrumental role in the development of the 3D action-adventure genre: by helping establish the genre in the first place with the 1996 original and then defining its modern era with the 2013 reboot. Series protagonist Lara Croft endures as one of the most iconic figures in gaming, whether in her problematic, male-gaze-centric first instance, or her more realistically proportioned and humanized reboot form. The franchise’s second life has been so popular that Ex Machinstar Alicia Vikander will assume the role in an upcoming film adaptation (following in the footsteps of Angelina Jolie from prior cinematic versions).

Waiting until “a major event in 2018” for more news may mean we don’t learn anything until E3 in June, but we will be collecting any and all details and rumors to compile until then.

Will Fulton
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Will Fulton is a New York-based writer and theater-maker. In 2011 he co-founded mythic theater company AntiMatter Collective…
A new Tomb Raider game is in development on Unreal Engine 5
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Crystal Dynamics confirmed that it is working on a new Tomb Raider game that will use Unreal Engine 5, a game engine now available to all developers. 
At the end of Epic Games' The State of Unreal 2022 presentation, which marked the wide release of Unreal Engine 5 to all developers, Crystal Dynamics' Tomb Raider franchise general manager Dallas Dickinson confirmed the new project. No gameplay or in-engine development footage was shown, but Dickinson voiced his enthusiasm for using Unreal Engine 5 to create the project.
"This new engine translates into next-level storytelling in gameplay experiences, and that's why we are thrilled to announce today that we have just started development of our next Tomb Raider game, powered by Unreal Engine 5," he said. "Our goal is to push the envelope of fidelity and to deliver the high-quality cinematic action-adventure experience that fans deserve from both Crystal Dynamics and the Tomb Raider franchise." 
https://twitter.com/tombraider/status/1511368712279904258
There are no new story or gameplay details. However, Crystal Dynamics has previously voiced its intention to connect the most recent trilogy and the classic titles with new Tomb Raider media. Outside of Tomb Raider, Crystal Dynamics is currently working on post-launch support for Marvel's Avengers and is assisting The Initiative in developing the next Perfect Dark game, which also uses Unreal Engine 5. Eidos Montreal, not Crystal Dynamics, actually developed Shadow of the Tomb Raider, so this marks the studio's return to the series. 
The new Tomb Raider is one of several brand-new games that will use Unreal Engine 5, as many studios like Crystal Dynamics and The Witcher's CD Projekt Red have committed to using the game engine for their next titles. The new engine features notable improvements over Unreal Engine 4, namely its Lumen global illumination system and Nanite technology, allowing for increased geometric detail and fidelity.
It sounds like this new Tomb Raider is early in development, so it will likely be a while before we hear more about it. Hopefully, it's an awesome showcase of Unreal Engine 5's power when it launches, presumably only on current-gen platforms. 

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The Dragon Quest series is getting six new games, as announced during the series' 35th-anniversary livestream. The list includes Dragon Quest XII: Flames of Fate, a 2D remake of Dragon Quest III, and more.

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Tomb Raider, Life is Strange will headline Square Enix’s first digital showcase
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Square Enix will hold its first digital showcase event, called Square Enix Presents, on March 18. The presentation will reveal a new Life is Strange game, as well as news on the Tomb Raider franchise.

The digital show will broadcast on Square Enix's Twitch and YouTube channels at 10 a.m. PT on Thursday, March 18, and run for 40-minutes. Square Enix calls this the "first show" in a series that will continue throughout the year.

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