Road to Release: Tomb Raider

Release Date: March 5, 2013 (Pre-order Now)
Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Publisher: Square Enix
Developer: Crystal Dynamics



Video games long portrayed females as weak and vulnerable, needing a leading man to save them from the clutches of evil and peril. Along came Tomb Raider on the original PlayStation, and that stigma has forever been shattered by Lara Croft. Beautiful, bold, and fearless, she became a sex symbol, transcending her video game roots and solidifying a status as a pop-culture icon.

But as her sexy image saturated the market, the performance of her games suffered. It was time to reinvent the Lara Croft brand and allow her to be recognized for more than just her breasts. It was time people learned of the human side of Lara Croft—a side that showed her struggles, her pains, her origins—transforming her into a character that demands respect.

Soft and shaken, the seemingly helpless Lara stares in the face of danger, overcomes challenges, and grows into a strong, powerful, and capable character, without ever being the unstoppable force she once was. She shows emotion—her body visibly aches in pain from her wounds—but she continues on despite the great adversity she faces.

Lara has little choice. Her ship, The Endurance, split in two by a storm at sea, leaving her and her shipmates stranded on an island in the Dragon’s Triangle. There, unbeknownst to Lara, an evil awaits that will eventually will try her spirit and fortitude. From these tribulations, a survivor is born.

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