One moment to chill with, because the net is usually just messy, but sometimes, it does get it right! An Australian art-toy designer got a rare mention from the official Tomb Raider account, with gamers going haywire over the custom Lara Croft action figures. And lo and behold, they’re right to go wild!
Who is Christina Cruz exactly? If you have been underground or simply not gone over every inch of Tomb Raider fan art, then this is the woman who gave us some of the most detailed and screen-accurate Lara Croft figures ever. The kind that makes people stand and ask, “Wait, why isn’t this official merchandise yet?” And this is a sentiment now repeated by the official Tomb Raider account, which tweeted gorgeous images of her work with the caption: “✨ Creator Spotlight: Christina Cruz ✨.”
The reactions ran wild. Gamers invaded the replies with auction-like pleas for mass production of the figures. @Jbiscuit694558 offered, in a rather matter-of-fact statement, “This is the Tomb Raider merch we want!” while @FenngMinn cried, “Please make Lara Croft action figures, the community needs it! I’m so tired of statues.” And, honestly? Amen to that. Because, honest to God! Most of the official gaming merch is either overpriced statues or cheap plastic with a paint job barely scraping together some quality. Christina’s work? Perfection.
Now here is where the plot thickens: that is not just about looking good (although they do). It is about how this troubled fandom has tried to find a suitable incarnation of a classic Lara for ages. @thewolfshinobii sums it as: “THIS is how you do Tomb Raider merch 💯🫶🏻❤️,” while @acm4dino joked, “Tomb Raider fandom: 😭 ‘why can’t we have nice things’ / Christina: ‘hold my beer.'”
The icing on the cake? Christina popped in the replies to thank the Tomb Raider team for the feature and tease more figures in the works. So, if you’re one of those who’ve been waiting for a Lara Croft figure that doesn’t look like it was sculpted by someone who’s never seen a human before…Well, Christina is your girl.
Now, if Square Enix or Crystal Dynamics do take the hint, that’s anyone’s guess. However, the demand is very active. Gamers are ready to throw money at this. So developers, if you actually care—consider ditching the next statue no one wants and give the people what they really want.
Until then, why don’t you just check out Christina’s work? Because if there’s one thing that this entire fiasco has shown us, it’s that talent of this caliber deserves so much more than a mere Twitter spotlight. Hopefully, it will lead to something bigger—because the Tomb Raider community is ready.
