Tomb Raider team explains Lara Croft's 30-year redesign
Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog staff detail hair-card tech, body scans and real costumes in a PlayStation.Blog retrospective on Lara Croft.
PlayStation.Blog published an article and video on October 22 looking back at how Lara Croft has changed over 30 years of the Tomb Raider series, from the 1996 original through the upcoming Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis. According to news.denfaminicogamer.jp, the piece was written by Michael Rovan of Amazon Game Studios, with staff from Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog explaining how they preserved Lara's identity in the new game.
Crystal Dynamics' Brendon Bengston said the 1996 original design was constrained by the polygon counts and textures available at the time. The modern build uses hair-card techniques to animate bangs, a ponytail and braids, along with light scattering through skin and facial wrinkles that shift with expressions.
The team also 3D-printed Lara's body at life size, dressed it in real clothing and scanned it, because denim, silk, chiffon, cotton and wool wrinkle differently. For one outfit, a tailor was hired to make a real costume, which was dressed on a mannequin, scanned and turned into digital reference data.
Narrative director Jon Stafford described the approach as "preserve, evolve and rebuild," saying Lara's curiosity and urge to explore must stay intact for fans of every era.
Release date
Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis is scheduled for release on February 12, 2027, and pre-orders are open on the PlayStation Store.
Quick answers
When does Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis come out?
It is scheduled for release on February 12, 2027.
Can I pre-order Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis?
Yes, pre-orders are open on the PlayStation Store.
Who is developing Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis?
The article features staff from Crystal Dynamics and Flying Wild Hog discussing the project.