Tomorrow marks the significant milestone of 29 years for the legendary video game Tomb Raider. It is hard to believe that it has already been 29 years since the birth of Lara Croft, the adventurous lady who loves nothing more than exploring tombs, which dates back to 1996. The official Tomb Raider social media page gave a birthday shout-out to the event by posting a birthday message and talking about upcoming “exciting announcements,” thus confirming that a few decades of traps, risks, and exploration in the name of Superman were somewhat recognized.
What about the announcements? They consist of a free Dark Horse comic, some Christmas merchandise, and… that’s pretty much all there is, according to the mentioned article. Which is, of course, great for comic lovers and all, but… where was I? Ah, yes, gamers had a different expectation that was a bit more… substantial? Maybe a new game announcement? Remasters? Anything fresh?
The Tomb Raider community’s response has been nothing less than “vehemently split.” The community of gamers sharing different opinions on the topic is evident from the wide range of opinions they express. Some players are ecstatic about the gift and even the comics. User AnotherPlanetTV is overjoyed that his/her PS1 Lara Croft and Winston cosplays have been showcased on the official site, and he/she comments “I’M SO HAPPY!!!” with a zillion exclamation points. You can almost feel the excitement coming from the screen, and it’s actually quite adorable!
Conversely, there is the holdout in the opposite direction. Quite a few members of the fanbase—no, player base—are quite the contrary actually and feel very miserable. User MHColfer did not hold back: “29th anniversary and you didn’t share anything with fans? What a FUCKING SHAME! Lara Croft deserves a better and a more devoted team because all you give fans are crumbs.” Ouch! That is a pretty strong language indeed.
The disappointment appears to be only because of the gap between the players’ expectations and what they actually get. There were many comments asking for LAU remasters (that is Legend, Anniversary, and Underworld for those who are not deeply into the Tomb Raider mythology). User gagamultiverse was direct with his/her question: “girl where’s lau remasters?” along with a crying emoji. The gamers are not even demanding much from the developers, they just want the classic games made compatible for modern consoles so that they can enjoy them.
Another huge demand from the gamers is the remake of Tomb Raider 2. A lot of users openly asked for it, and Jbiscuit694558, for example, wrote “Tomb Raider 2 Remake” as if he/she was ordering at a fast-food drive-thru. Core Design, which actually is the original developer’s account, also contributed to the discussion by saying, “Nice, but how about new remasters announcement? 👀”. That was some serious teasing going on there.
The players’ views have been quite different since many of them even compare the anniversary of Tomb Raider with those of other franchises. User justbeingh0rny1 said “Istg Capcom is the only one who is making a game for their 30th resident evil anniversary 💀” which… yeah that’s a valid point. Resident Evil is having a new game coming out for their 30th anniversary while Tomb Raider gets a comic. MightyCroft however was very sarcastic when he/she said “girl wake up Silent Hill is more active than you” which is true? That’s a pretty savage comment considering that Silent Hill has basically been silent for years.
The frustration seems to be escalating. The user JesuisJanice said “this total and complete 8-year-old silence” referring to the absence of major game announcements. And they are right—Shadow of the Tomb Raider came out in 2018, and what have we had since then? Mostly silence. Meanwhile, other franchises are enjoying an influx of remakes and new titles.
Still, some players are attempting to stay positive. DrMemehattan appreciated the focus on TR29 events, and LaraCroftsSoul made a more cautious comment, anticipating TR12 (that’s the next major game for the TallyKeepers) to be clarified soon. However, even the positive comments are usually followed by “but we really want news about the next game” tags.
Merchandise was another area where the fans showed their positive attitude—NateTheCroft called it “cute” and rainbow_geisha liked it but complained about the high shipping costs to the UK. Because of course international shipping will always be an issue, that is just the universal gaming community experience at this stage.
What the truth is, is that there are comments like “That’s it?” or “Nothing new?” ThePandaBacon very aptly summed it up with: “Our videogame turns 29 years old and we’ve got exciting announcements! > None of the announcements is an actual videogame.” In other words, that is pretty much what the whole thing comes down to.
So what does it mean for Tomb Raider as it turns 30? The players have clearly shown that they do not want just comics and T-shirts. They want video games that answer: the remastering of the old ones, the Tomb Raider 2 remake that is always top of the players’ requests, and, most critically, the announcement of TR12. The silence about the fund’s entry is definitely taking its toll on the seasoned gamers.
Maybe next year for the 30th anniversary, the developers will showcase a major release. Or it could be just another comic book. Who can tell? For now, Happy 29th birthday, Lara Croft—may the next year bring the sort of announcements that will really excite the players rather than just… disappoint.
The Legend of Lara Croft continues to inspire fans, and upcoming content like PlayStation and Xbox releases are eagerly awaited.
