With the announcement of lower than expected Tomb Raider: Underworld sales and the confirmation of layoffs at Underworld developer Crystal Dynamics, it seems the news about the Tomb Raider franchise continues to come in as it’s now being reported by MCV that publisher Eidos is considering a revamp of protagonist Lara Croft. The recent addition to the franchise sold 1.5 million copies globally, performing under the 2 million expectation for it. If there’s any reason for (what Eidos would consider) its underwhelming turnout in sales, CFO Robert Brent points toward the US for the less than expected sales while mentioning that European sales were fine. “You would normally expect Tomb Raider sales to be split half and half between Europe and North America, but this time America was considerably below that,” said Brent.
Commenting on the direction Lara Croft should take, Brent had this to say, “We need to look at everything, as we develop the next game. Look at how Batman changed successfully, from the rather sad character of the Michael Keaton era to the noir style of The Dark Knight.”
Now that the direction seems to be turning Ms. Croft into a superhero or at least shift her character like one, does this mean Christopher Nolan will sign on to assist in the development of the next Tomb Raider title? Hey, it’s not a crime for a fan to wonder.
