Tomb Raider: Lara Croft has been totally redesigned for new game - this is why

Developers have revealed more about why they have chosen to redesign Lara Croft for the upcoming Tomb Raider games.

Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis and Tomb Raider: Catalyst are two brand new titles which were announced at The Game Awards 2025. Legacy of Atlantis is a reimagining of the 1996 original and Catalyst is the 12th mainline entry.

Crystal Dynamics, the developer, previously revealed its new upcoming games would feature a unified Croft to merge all the timelines into one.

Croft's character model in Legacy of Atlantis appears much younger than the one in Catalyst, in line with the timeline of Tomb Raider as Catalyst takes place after Underworld.

Now in a Q&A with media, developers have revealed more about the reasons behind this and why she has been redesigned in the way she has.

Lara Croft has been redesigned for the two new Tomb Raider games / Flying Wild Hog, Crystal Dynamics & Amazon Game Studios

Scot Amos, head of studio at Crystal Dynamics, said: "From a studio perspective, Crystal Dynamics has been involved with Tomb Raider for decades at this point.

"We've had the privilege and honour of actually looking at this character and being able to say 'how do we reimagine and how do we help her evolve over time?'

"That's about looking at who that character was, who that character becomes and also evolving with player tastes and perceptions of what is the right character for the right time period of how people are experiencing games today.

"For us, it's been a privilege to be able to say 'how do we take Lara to that next, new generation of who this character needs to be' but still always retaining the core DNA that's made her iconic."

Will Kerslake, game director at Crystal Dynamics, added: "On the development side, we've had the same art director who's been working on Lara for many games now.

"They always have core DNA elements they look to maintain while updating both to the realities of modern standards of what engines can handle and what is required and making sure she's in the right era for each version of the character depending on when that story is being told."

Legacy of Atlantis releases in 2026 with Catalyst out in 2027.

Elsewhere from indy100:

• The Game Awards 2025: Every trailer and announcement unveiled at event
• Tomb Raider's Lara Croft is back - and she's setting even more official world records

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