The Tomb Raider franchise has been celebrating 25 years in 2021, and fans have wasted no time speculating about what the future may hold for heroine Lara Croft. While some are certain that Shadow of the Tomb Raider will be the last entry in the newly-rebooted franchise, a new job post made on the Crystal Dynamics LinkedIn page is raising some questions.
Earlier this year, the company announced its intention to ‘unify the timelines,’ and create a brand new title combining elements from all three series, starring Lara Croft as a seasoned adventurer. Now, it looks like that idea is starting to take shape, as Crystal Dynamics is looking for a lighting artist with experience working on AAA titles. If that doesn’t seem like enough of a lead, the company specifies that they’re looking for someone able to match the style of the first two entries in the new Tomb Raider games. Sure, this may be one massive red herring, but it isn’t too farfetched to imagine that work would be underway, given that Shadow of the Tomb Raider is already turning three. Square Enix took over for the third game, and with reviews not as positive as the first two titles, it’s possible that the developer wants to bring Crystal Dynamics back into the fold to put things back on track.
Recently, it was announced that Crystal Dynamics would be helping develop the new Perfect Dark title, which potentially could bear some resemblance to Tomb Raider. We can’t help but hope, however, that Lara Croft is, indeed, about to make her triumphant return to the gaming world.
The last main title in the series, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, was released in 2018 for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. A mobile title, Tomb Raider Reloaded, is set to release worldwide in 2021. It was soft-launched on March 16, 2021, in South East Asia, Thailand, and the Phillippines, and is a top-down shooter.
