At this year's Gamescom convention in Cologne (Germany), one of the games that created a real buzz for itself was a little known reboot for a franchise starring Lara Croft. Going back to basics, the new Tomb Raider game explores the origins of its culturally influential lead character, Lara Croft, and why she comes to be the woman that she is. So as to get a better understanding of the game, I sat down with Meagan Marie (Community and Communication Manager of Crystal Dynamics) to ask as to what it is that prompted the reboot, and whether Lara Croft still resonates with gamers as a strong, emancipated feminist icon.
Now Crystal Dynamics has been in charge of the Tomb Raider franchise for some time now. Why did Square Enix decide to hand over the franchise to Crystal Dynamics, as opposed to keeping it with Core Design?
That was actually pre-Square Enix. We were only picked up by Square Enix a couple of years back. There is a whole big issue with Crystal and Core, but we did acquire the license after the Angel of Darkness game, and picked up with Legend, Anniversary and Underworld. I can't speak for all of the motivations, as that is more of a corporate topic from a while back...
The new forthcoming Tomb Raider game is a reboot...