Tomb Raider release date shifts to 2013
Hello everyone, Below you’ll find a very important message from Darrell Gallagher, Head of Studio at Crystal Dynamics.
A Message to the Tomb Raider Community
When Crystal Dynamics first set out to reboot the Tomb Raider franchise, there were two goals that we were extremely passionate about. The first was to create a modern Tomb Raider game that would surprise and excite gamers. The second was to make this the best game of our careers, something we would be really proud to be a part of. We truly believe that we have something very special on our hands and we can’t wait to share it with you.
Our priority now is to make sure we fully deliver the very highest quality game. In order to do this, we have decided to move the game’s release date by a few months, from Fall 2012 to the first quarter of 2013.
We’re doing things that are completely new to Tomb Raider in this game and the additional development time will allow us to put the finishing touches into the game and polish it to a level that you deserve. We believe this is the right choice and I guarantee it will be worth the wait. The game is looking amazing and we can’t wait to show it to everyone at E3 in a few weeks.
Darrell Gallagher
While disappointment in having to wait a bit longer for Tomb Raider is natural, I – and the rest of the studio – firmly believe this is the right decision. I know you’ll agree when holding an exceptional experience in your hands come launch day.
I’m sure you’ve got lots of questions about the news above. We’ve created a dedicated thread in the official forums for you to voice your questions and comments. I’ll personally gather the common inquires and pose them to Darrell in the next Crystal Habit Podcast, so here’s an opportunity to make your voice heard.
To take a bit of the edge off the delay we decided to release a new screenshot hinting at content you’ll be seeing at E3. You can check it out above.
As always thank you for your continued support!
Meagan Marie
Tomb Raider Tribute: A Woman’s Clever Ways
Lara Croft was the first subject that came to mind when Crowdsource Inspiration’s Kavalier Calm approached me about ideating new song subjects together. Kavalier delivered in spades yesterday, whipping up an impressive tribute to our favorite Tomb Raider. Take a listen, and visit the original post for the full lyrics!
Kavalier has expressed interest in crafting more songs dedicated to gaming’s leading ladies, so keep an eye on the Crowdsource channel!
Lara Croft of Tomb Raider fame is the protagonist in this adventure-ballad. When Meagan Marie—who manages Official Tomb Raider Blog—suggested I write songs for the women of gaming, I happily accepted the challenge. Lara is probably my favorite female character ever, so I wrote her an epic. At five minutes plus, this is Homeric in scope. Fandom big or go home, I say. In my story, Lara raids the tomb of an ancient Undead Kingdom; rather than highlight her physical traits or her weapons, I focused on her cleverness—her distinctly feminine wisdom. The art of this is in the storytelling—the music merely provides a chugging rhythm. A lot of thought about gender differences and music went into this; you can read about the whole process here if you wish. And this is actually the second version of this song; the original was an even longer version about a race between Lara and Indiana Jones. It’s worth a listen, too, but it is less attention-span friendly. Free downloads of this epic are available here, and you can stream it on YouTube.
This song is dedicated to the many blogs that I read during my extensive research on Lara Croft: Of course, Meagan Marie and the Official Tomb Raider Blog, and also larahcroft.blog.cz, Eidos’ Tomb Raider Forums, tombraideraddiction, captivatingcroft, raidercroft, twinpistols, f***yeahlaracrofttombraider, effyeahtombraidergirls, fyeahtombraider, lara-croft, tombraidingb*tch, and laracroft. Thanks for the inspiration, bloggers! I hope you all enjoy because I am certainly enjoying playing as the #Gaming Bard. – Kavalier Calm
One week after kicking off the Tomb Raider Fanart: “By Hand” competition, we’ve already received dozens and dozens of entries! Take a peek at some of the submissions above for inspiration.
An original sketch by Tomb Raider Art Director Brian Horton is on the line for one lucky winner, with autographed prints (and bonus prizes) available for three additional fans. Check out the rules and regulations here. You’ve got until May 30 to enter!
Featured Fanart:
1) Tomb Raider inspired garden by GoggleboxUK
2) Kurtis’ Chirugai by doppeL
3) Mini axe recreation by Laragwen
4) Lara Croft illustration by Illyne
5) Mixed media Croft by Jpking
6) Lara Croft pencil drawing by Vargatomi
7) Lara drawing by Ultimate_x_Lara
8) Lara Croft cross-stich by Darya
9) Underworld painting by liliss
(vía officialtombraiderblog)
I am very excited to announce a new addition to the French Square Enix team – Catherine Vandier!
The Tomb Raider community may better know Catherine as Clara from Captain Alban. Clara is one of the hardest working and most dedicated webmasters I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with, so to have her join the Square Enix family is a perfect fit.
Catherine’s new title is PR assistant, and she’ll have her hands plenty full over the coming months.
In her own words:
“My job is all about the press: I write press releases and send out assets to magazines and websites. I also compile the press previews and reviews of our games for follow-up. We then send out those compilations to the dev teams for constructive feedback. I also assist with game previews and developer interviews for journalists.
“Coming from the press side (I was working as a journalist up until last January), it’s fun and very interesting to see the industry from this perspective. Even though I had some experience in the field, I learn a lot day by day. Working in the video game field has been a goal of mine for a long time. I applied to this job opening and when I heard I was accepted, there’s no word that can describe how happy I was (and still am!). Of course I still have a lot to learn but I am up for the challenge. And fortunately I have great teachers!”Help me welcome Catherine to her new position!
Team Tomb Raider (left to right): Tristan Perdriau, Lara Croft, Iris Gicquel, Catherine Vandier, Sacha Ramtohul
