As far as series reboots go, Tomb Raider is one that’s set to impress; and that’s coming from someone who’s never been able to get into the series. Maybe it’s because I could get over the blatant Indiana Jones rip-off content at the core of the concept, or perhaps it’s because when I finally tried to get into the series, I played one of those poorly received franchise entries. Despite my past Lara Croft prejudice, the E3 2011 CGI trailer and subsequent gameplay walkthrough made me mentally mark Q3 2012 as a release window to watch out for.
Alas, such a release window was not meant to be, apparently, with the official word coming through via the official Tomb Raider blog that Lady Croft’s backstory has slipped to first-quarter 2013 release window. Darrell Gallagher, head of studio at Crystal Dynamics, offered this explanation.
“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.”
Reading between the lines of Darrell’s statement, it’s apparent that Crystal Dynamics want to release a truly AAA title; and, on those grounds, a few-month delay is A-Okay. To appease fans, Crystal Dynamic has also released a shot of a precariously balanced Lady Croft about to secure a hunting bow with the hint that this shot is a tease of what’s to be expected from Tomb Raider’s appearance at E3.
