Tomb Raider Seemingly Reveals New Lara Croft Redesign

Tomb Raider fans just got remasters of the first three games in the series, but perhaps more exciting than that, they may have also gotten a first look this week at what the next design for Lara Croft will look like. The possible look at the new design comes from some artwork shared by current Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics which was shared on the official Tomb Raider site for those who've opted into the Tomb Raider membership program. And based on recent Lara Croft appearances in recent games, it sure looks like this could actually be the design the character will take on next.

The design in question can be seen below via a wallpaper downloaded from the Tomb Raider site. For those with only a cursory interest in Tomb Raider and Lara Croft, it'll look a lot like the versions of the character that you're already familiar with, but those who've been invested in the most recent games will quickly notice some differences between this look and the "Survivor" Lara Croft that's been in the newer games.

New Lara Croft Design?

This new look at Lara Croft has been shared all over social media by now, but if you want to get the wallpaper yourself and any future ones that might be shared that use this design, you have to head over to the Tomb Raider site and sign up for the "Society of Raiders" fan program. Once you've registered, you'll have the option to get the wallpaper and another that shows Lara Croft looking out over a ledge. The same site also serves as a sort of hub for all Tomb Raider news which might end up being pretty helpful considering how there are several different Tomb Raider projects in the works.

The new version of Lara Croft Crystal Dynamics is working with moving forward has been referred to as "Unified" Lara Croft in that it's meant to join the various timelines the character has existed in throughout different chapters of Tomb Raider games. And when you look at other places Tomb Raider has been recently outside of mainline games, it looks much more likely that this'll be the version of the character we see in the future. When Tomb Raider came to Magic: The Gathering, for example, a similar design was seen as it was when the character came to Call of Duty, too.

It was announced in late 2022 that Crystal Dynamics was working on a new, mainline Tomb Raider game and that Amazon would be the publisher for Lara Croft's next epic. 

"Crystal Dynamics has an extraordinary opportunity following our acquisition by Embracer to redefine what a publishing relationship is for Tomb Raider," said Crystal Dynamics studio head Scot Amos previously. "Transformative is what we're looking for, and with Amazon Games, we found a team that shares our creative vision, ambitions, and values for a Lara Croft universe across the spectrum of possibilities. They're uniquely positioned to rewrite what publishing and development collaborations are, and we're eager to forge this new path together, starting with building the biggest and best Tomb Raider game yet!"