Crystal Dynamics has announced a new Tomb Raider game during a special presentation of Unreal Engine 5 by Epic Games. The general release of the engine is scheduled to coincide with the launch of the next Tomb Raider title, though no release date or release window has been revealed for either the game or the engine quite yet.
How the next Tomb Raider game will use Unreal Engine 5
Crystal Dynamics is incredibly excited about the future of Unreal and how it will help us take our storytelling to the next level. That's why we're proud to announce that our next #tombraider game is being built on Unreal Engine 5! pic.twitter.com/UFMiWzJAZc
— Tomb Raider (@tombraider) April 5, 2022
In a snippet of the presentation posted in a tweet on the official Tomb Raider account, Crystal Dynamics is excited to build the next Tomb Raider game using the power of the engine:
“This new engine translates to next-level storytelling and gameplay experiences, and that’s why we’re thrilled to announce today that we’ve just started development of our next Tomb Raider game, powered by Unreal Engine 5.”
If it can harness the same graphical strength as the Epic Games’ The Matrix Awakens demo which has been used to showcase the rendering power of Unreal Engine 5, then the next Tomb Raider game looks to be in safe hands:
“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.”
In a March 2021 financial report from Square Enix, the publisher admitted that its mistakes with games-as-a-service titles has forced it to re-examine its live-service strategy moving forward. Square Enix highlighted the “need to select game designs that mesh with the unique attributes and tastes of our studios and development teams.”
So it is fantastic to see that Square Enix is following through with this and finally allowing Crystal Dynamics to spend less time on Marvel’s Avengers and return to developing what it knows best: single-player action games.
In other news, Ubisoft has announced Rainbow Six Mobile with its closed alpha registration now open, and the next lineup of games for Xbox Game Pass have been revealed.
