Alleged details surrounding the next Tomb Raider game were leaked last week, and apparently, much of it might be true.
As noted in a video shared today by the “misfits” behind Sacred Symbols, a PlayStation podcast, Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics have issued a DMCA takedown notice to the team and its Last Stand Media label after one of its members read out portions of the next Tomb Raider game’s script in a recent episode, seemingly confirming the authenticity of the leak.
While the original audio has since been removed from Sacred Symbols’ Patreon page and other sources following the DMCA, major details surrounding the next Tomb Raider game continue to be shared over social media, with a key one being that Lara Croft will lead a team of younger, like-minded adventurers in the new game.
A roundup of the leaked details shared by @MelonieMac includes a bullet point about how Croft now “struggles with loneliness,” which is presumably the reason why she’s decided to lead a team of tomb raiders.
- Codename Project Jawbreaker
- Grounded tone w/ fantastical elements
- Casting authentic British VA, 30’s, 5’6″, athletic
- Lara is experienced w/ years of “protecting artifacts” and adventures
- Familial drama left behind
- Lara’s adventures reached tabloids/ media and inspired a new generation of Tomb Raiders
- Lara Croft struggles with loneliness now
- Lara encounters a mysterious cataclysm she cannot face alone so she works with a team of Tomb Raiders
Square Enix and Crystal Dynamics’ takedown request would suggest that all of these details are largely true, although Colin Moriarty, one of Sacred Symbols’ hosts, have maintained that the team didn’t do anything illegal to get the information.
“I was acting in the notion that this is fair use, this is general interest, this is of huge general interest, I didn’t break into Crystal Dynamics to steal it,” host Colin Moriarty clarified.
Crystal Dynamics confirmed in April that it had begun developing a new Tomb Raider game with Unreal Engine 5.
“This new engine translates into next level storytelling and gameplay experiences and that’s why we are thrilled to announce today that we have just started development of our next Tomb Raider game powered by Unreal Engine 5,” a developer said.
“Our goal is to push the envelope of fidelity and to deliver the high quality cinematic action adventure experience that fans deserve both from Crystal Dynamics and the Tomb Raider franchise.”
Source: Sacred Symbols (via VGC)