The Evolution of Lara Croft
At the center of Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis, the upcoming reimagining of the 1996 original Tomb Raider, is Lara Croft, instantly recognizable yet fully reimagined for a new generation. Brought to life by Alix Wilton Regan, this Lara carries thirty years of history in every detail while standing as something entirely new.
Here’s how the team approached her evolution.
What We Kept
“Her ‘vibe’ is the biggest thing we refused to leave behind,” says Jeff Adams, Experience Director at Crystal Dynamics. “The personality behind the dual pistols is what fans connect with most. We wanted to carry that forward into this new chapter.”
From a thousand-foot view, Lara needed to be instantly recognizable: the teal tank top, the shorts, the braid, the dual holsters. Those carry forward as key parts of her identity. But Legacy of Atlantis goes deeper than silhouette. “Lara’s intelligence, fearlessness, and thrill-seeking spirit remain completely intact,” says John Stafford, Narrative Director at Crystal Dynamics.
One quality had to survive no matter what. “Lara’s curiosity and spirit of discovery,” Stafford says. “No matter the era, Lara must always feel like someone who needs to know what’s behind the next door.”
What We Evolved
The Survivor trilogy captured the beginning of Lara’s journey, a young woman finding her strength for the first time. Legacy of Atlantis picks up with a Lara who has a wealth of experience behind her, and the team wanted every bit of that growth to carry forward.
“The Survivor trilogy is Lara’s past,” Adams says. “She wears the jade necklace proudly around her neck, and she still carries the ice axe with her on her adventures. Those events shaped who she is, but she’s not bound by them. Lara is in a different phase of her life now.”
“The Survivor era showed us Lara works well when danger has consequences,” Stafford adds. “We carried forward her physicality, emotional credibility, and sense of earned resilience. Even at her most confident and badass, this Lara still feels human.”
Raul Siqueira, Game Director at Crystal Dynamics, frames it as a natural arc: “It was important for us that when players go through Legacy of Atlantis, they could believe this is the same Lara from the Survivor trilogy but now with many more adventures on her belt. A normal person would be terrified to be in a room with deadly traps. Lara Croft enjoys the challenge of it, but only because she had her own arc to overcome her struggles and ultimately evolve into the badass adventurer she is today.”
What We Reimagined
Anniversary (2007) was the franchise’s first remake of the 1996 original. Legacy of Atlantis is something different.
“Anniversary was about retelling a classic through a modern lens,” Stafford says. “Legacy of Atlantis is about synthesizing thirty years of Lara into something new. Anniversary taught us that outside of plot points, fans remember how Lara makes them feel. We want to evoke similar emotions from across all previous eras.”
Siqueira agrees: “Anniversary was the first thing we looked at, primarily because there is a lot that can be learned from a project that has already gone through a cycle of being modernized. It gave us a better insight into what fans wanted to see, because not only did we have the game to look to but also what fans were really happy and excited about.”
“We reimagined aspects of her internal journey by drawing more directly from her past,” Adams says, “including experiences from the 2013 reboot that are now more closely connected to the canon.”
No Laras Left Behind
The visual details tell the story. The classic bangs and braid. The Survivor-era wisps. A sculpt shaped by Kam Yu, who has now built three generations of Lara Croft.
“The subtle flyaway wisps coming off Lara’s bangs are a direct nod to her Survivor-era hairstyle and a quiet visual reminder that this version of Lara lived through those past adventures,” Adams says. “Blending those details into her braided hairstyle gives just enough of a silhouette callback without taking away from her debut-inspired reimagined design.”
“Alix absolutely nails her performance as Lara Croft,” Siqueira says. “When we look at the great work other actresses have done, we’ve seen lots of different facets of Lara. Alix strikes that perfect balance of giving a performance that feels true to the original but where you can see in the nuances that the younger Lara is still there.”
For Stafford, the personality target is clear: “She’s sharp, adventurous, composed under pressure, and quietly amused by the amazing events happening around her. Returning players will probably feel echoes of Legend-era Lara most strongly, but with flashes of Classic and Survivor throughout.”
The Feeling of Being Her
“She can’t just be quips and one-liners,” Adams says. “She needs to feel like a real human beneath all of that. Someone with goals, drive, and emotional depth. That’s what we want fans to experience on-screen.”
And for someone who has never played a Tomb Raider game? Adams hopes they come away thinking Lara is “curious, clever, and determined.” Stafford takes it further: “That she’s the smartest person in the room and the boldest. That adventure isn’t something she survives; it’s something she actively pursues. And that being around her makes the world feel bigger, more exciting, and more mysterious.”
Every version of Lara that has come before has informed this one. No Laras are left behind. Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis launches February 12, 2027.
Pre-order Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis
Lara Croft’s greatest adventure begins February 12, 2027. Pre-orders are live now. Secure your edition before launch, and join us across the months ahead for new mini-documentaries, deep dives, and exclusive looks at the world of Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis.
