Tomb Raider would be wise to strike while the iron is hot

tomb raider is still considered one of the most influential video game franchises ever created, with its original PS1 entry redefining the action-adventure genre since its debut in 1996. Although it occasionally takes a brief year or two off, the tomb raider the franchise has continued to churn out new entries fairly consistently over the past nearly three decades, ranging from main titles to reboots and remasters and even some mobile spin-offs.

tomb raider it's still a renowned franchise with an impressive and well-known legacy behind it, but it's long past its golden age. Having said that, tomb raider has actually had a surprisingly busy year, and its new owners Embracer Group shouldn't waste the franchise's recent revival.

The Tomb Raider franchise had a great year

Lara Croft made her way into the gaming industry in 2024

In recent years, tomb raiderHis Lara Croft quickly became one of the most prolific characters in gaming, appearing in a multitude of games as a cameo character or skin. In 2023 Lara Croft appeared Fall Guys, Magic: The Gathering, The Walking Dead: Survivorsand Call of dutyand the illustrious Croft Manor made its appearance in the very PowerWash simulator.

Lara Croft's tour around the gaming world continued throughout 2024, with the iconic adventurer appearing in War of Heroes, Survival statusand Naraka: Bladepoint. But by far Lara Croft's most memorable cameo this year came in July, with the hero appearing as a new playable survivor in the asymmetric horror game. Dead in daylight along with some unique perks that refer to her distinct ability to attack tombs.

Lara Croft's own ventures have done well

In addition to all her cameos, Lara Croft has also starred in several of her own franchise projects. The developed Aspyr Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered released in February of this year, taking the beloved original tomb raider trilogy and giving it a fresh coat of paint, some revamped controls, some quality of life improvements, and a handful of new gameplay mechanics and features.

Just last month, Lara Croft got an animated adaptation, with Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft launched Netflix in October. This 8 episode series takes place in the same continuity as Crystal Dynamics tomb raider Survivor Trilogy, which takes place shortly after the events of 2018 Shadow of the Tomb Raider. Hayley Atwell – of MCU fame – voices Lara in this adaptation.

while Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered received a solid 75 on Metacritic, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft it didn't fare as well, with the Netflix animated series sitting at 65 on the same site. That being said, both tomb raider projects seems to have been successful enough as Aspyr is preparing to launch a Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered trilogy for next year and The Legend of Lara Croft was renewed for a second season.

Amazon is also developing a live action
tomb raider
series, with Sophie Turner reportedly in the running to play Lara Croft.

The Tomb Raider franchise should strike while the iron is hot

After all the Lara Croft cameos over the past few years and the recent Netflix show and the remastered trilogy, sort of tomb raider slowly creeping back into the spotlight. But it's not there yet and while Tomb Raider 4-6 Remastered will probably do a good job keeping the franchise in the public consciousness, it will take something a little bigger to deliver tomb raider the impetus it needs to enter a new golden age.

In 2022, Crystal Dynamics announced that a new tomb raider was in development and that it would try to unify all of the franchise's timelines. Earlier this year, the studio revealed its new design for Lara Croft. But there's still no official reveal on the horizon for the next one tomb raider entrance, and this recent revival is the perfect opportunity to finally provide one.