At the tail end of yesterday's State of Unreal 2022 Keynote Presentation, Crystal Dynamics Franchise General Manager Dallas Dickinson announced that the studio has "just started development of [the] next Tomb Raider game, powered by Unreal Engine 5." No further details or visuals were revealed, but Dickinson said, "This new engine translates into next-level storytelling and gameplay experiences.... 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." This new logo, reminiscent of the trapezoid-shaped boxes from the classic games, was also unveiled.


Although a mobile game, Netflix Anime, and Live Experience venue were announced last year during the 25th anniversary celebrations, the only significant news about the main series came in a January 2021 community update, in which Game Director Will Kerslake introduced the concept of a "unified timeline" for future Tomb Raider adventures, combining elements of classic, Legend era, and Survivor era storylines. With Tomb Raider 12 still untitled and still in the early stages of development, it will likely be years before release, but fans can look forward to gorgeous visuals and exciting stories...eventually.

Watch the whole State of Unreal presentation here, or just the Tomb Raider announcement on Twitter.


Also, check out this Unreal Engine 5 tech demo from May 2020, exuding some serious Tomb Raider vibes.


I'd love to hear your impressions, hopes, and concerns about the upcoming game. Leave a comment below, or get in touch on Twitter or through my main site.

Crystal Dynamics has revealed some ambitious plans for 2021, the 25th anniversary of the Tomb Raider series, the biggest bombshell being that the next game will unify the separate timelines of the Classic, Legend, and Survivor eras. Fans will have plenty of time to speculate about how they'll manage this feat, as the next game will not be announced any time soon. Meanwhile, a new mobile game and animated series are in the works, and the TR25 celebration kicks off this month with a look back at the original 1996 Tomb Raider. Check out this video for additional details.


A quick recap of what we know as of February 1:

Netflix and Legendary Television will be teaming up to produce a Tomb Raider animated series set after the Survivor trilogy. Details are still sparse, but Tasha Huo has been brought on as writer and showrunner. Her previous credits include Child of Light and The Witcher: Blood Origin.

Tomb Raider Reloaded, announced in November 2020, is a free-to-play action/arcade game developed by Emerald City Games and published by Square Enix London Mobile. A release date has not yet been announced. If you haven't already seen the teaser trailer, you'll find it on the Square Enix YouTube channel. A quick YouTube search will also turn up various gameplay previews.

Thanks to the pandemic, there hasn't been much forward movement on the upcoming Tomb Raider movie sequel, but Alicia Vikander has signed on again as Lara Croft. Director Ben Wheatley was originally attached to the project, but news surfaced last week that Misha Green (Underground, Lovecraft Country) will take the helm.

New Zealand-based special effects and prop company Weta Workshop has announced plans for a Tomb Raider 25th Anniversary statue. Details have not been announced, but this concept art released back in October shows a classic-inspired Lara battling prehistoric raptors.


For all the latest Tomb Raider news and nostalgic TR25 content, follow the official Tomb Raider social media accounts and check out Square Enix's Tomb Raider 25-Year Celebration site, which will be featuring one game each month, starting with the original Tomb Raider in February.

Edit: Added Weta statue info and link to the new Square Enix site 2/2/21.