Rifan Muazin
Thirty years after Lara Croft first stepped into the tomb-filled landscapes that would define the action-adventure genre, the world’s most famous archaeologist is preparing for her grandest evolution yet. With Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis currently in development, Crystal Dynamics is tasked with the monumental challenge of honoring a legacy that spans three decades while ushering the franchise into a new, modern era.
At this year’s Summer Game Fest, we had the exclusive opportunity to sit down with Experience Director Jeff Adams, Game Director Raul Siqueira, and Art Director Arek Tomaszewski of Fly Wild Hog. Our conversation provided a deep dive into the studio’s design philosophy, the influence of the recent Survivor trilogy, and what fans can expect as Lara enters her most mature chapter to date.
The Legacy of an Icon: A Thirty-Year Journey
The Tomb Raider franchise has undergone multiple reinventions since its 1996 debut. From the low-polygon puzzle-solving of the original PlayStation era to the cinematic, survival-heavy focus of the 2013 reboot and its successors, Lara Croft has remained a cultural touchstone.
Legacy of Atlantis arrives at a pivotal moment. With a live-action series also in development at Amazon—featuring Sophie Turner as the iconic explorer—the brand is undergoing a comprehensive multimedia expansion. For the development team, the challenge is not just technical; it is spiritual. They are tasked with balancing the nostalgia of the classic era with the high-fidelity, player-agency-focused gameplay that defined the Survivor years.
Development Philosophy: Preservation vs. Innovation
One of the most pressing questions for the community is whether Legacy of Atlantis serves as a traditional remake or a radical departure. According to Jeff Adams, the studio is shunning the temptation to leave a heavy-handed, transformative "fingerprint" on the source material.
"We never come into it like we want to put our fingerprints on it," Adams explained during our interview. "That’s not the end goal. We want to make sure we aren’t alienating a group of people who spent a lot of hours, a lot of time, immersing themselves in this world. We want to make sure that you are seeing key moments and key locations recreated in a higher fidelity than we’ve ever seen before."
However, Adams clarified that "fidelity" does not mean a shot-for-shot recreation. The team is intentionally leaving the door open to "take some creative chances," ensuring that the game feels appropriately tailored for modern gaming audiences who expect depth, narrative complexity, and fluid traversal.
Raul Siqueira, the game’s director, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing the team’s personal connection to the IP. "We all grew up with that game, too," Siqueira noted. "There’s that level of—we were fans before we were developers. It’s not about putting a fingerprint on it; it’s about preserving that feeling that was so special for us and for everyone else who played this in ’96."
Gameplay Mechanics: The Return to Immersion
One standout feature of the early demo is the lack of "hand-holding" mechanics. In an industry currently saturated with HUD markers and waypoints, Legacy of Atlantis feels like a breath of fresh air.
"One of the beautiful things about the old games is that Lara feels like she’s out there in the world," Adams said. "She’s not getting hit over the head with sensory [input] all the time. We’re trying to get that feeling back, but we have so many cool new tools we can use with subtle application, like the music score, to make the whole thing feel way more cinematic."
When asked about accessibility, the team confirmed that while options will be present, they refuse to sacrifice the integrity of the challenge. "If we feel like we’re hand-holding anyone, then we’re not doing our job correctly," Adams stated. "If the feedback is ‘I don’t know where to go,’ and we say, ‘cool, here’s neon paint on the wall,’ that’s not the right path forward. The path forward is to ask: what are we not doing to make the environment feel intuitive?"
Siqueira added that the original 1996 game was, at its core, a "cerebral challenge." The team is currently fine-tuning the balance between the exploratory, lost-in-the-wild feeling of the original and the mechanical accessibility required for a 2026 release.
The Survivor Influence and the New Canon
Perhaps the most significant revelation during our sit-down was the clarification regarding the timeline and the version of Lara Croft players will control. For years, fans have speculated about how the various iterations of the character connect.
"The elephant in the room," Adams remarked. "I can confidently report that the Lara you see right there is the same Lara that was in the Survivor series. She is in a different phase of her career; she is unfettered from the past, she’s at a new place, and she’s enjoying doing what she does at the top of her game."
This confirmation suggests that Legacy of Atlantis serves as a bridge, synthesizing the character growth seen in the Survivor trilogy—which focused on her transformation from survivor to tomb raider—with the confident, globe-trotting adventurer archetype of the classic games.
Siqueira explained that this fusion extends to the gameplay mechanics as well. "We looked at a lot of what we did in the Survivor trilogy and how that resonated with players. You probably noticed the traversal mechanics are not exactly the same as in Survivor, but you can see there is a correlation. We don’t just make a game and throw it away; we look at what players liked and bring that forward."
Looking Ahead: The 30th Anniversary
As Crystal Dynamics prepares for the official launch, the atmosphere among the development team is one of cautious excitement. Having spent years in the development cycle, the act of showing the game at Summer Game Fest was a cathartic experience.
"It’s like taking your kid to pre-school," Siqueira joked. "Go out there, make friends. It’ll be OK."
Art Director Arek Tomaszewski noted that the response from those who have played the pre-alpha build has been overwhelmingly positive. "There’s a bunch of people who played the original but don’t remember that much," Tomaszewski observed. "I have this feeling that it’s really good timing for Lara to come back in the way that she does. We’re bringing something fresh."
Regarding the potential for legacy content—such as classic outfits or nods to previous iterations—the team remained tight-lipped but encouraged exploration. "People are going to collect things," Adams hinted. "There are going to be some cool outfits that Lara is going to be able to put on. You should keep looking."
Implications for the Franchise
The release of Tomb Raider: Legacy of Atlantis represents a significant turning point. By acknowledging the Survivor trilogy as canon, Crystal Dynamics is providing a sense of cohesion that the series has lacked for years. The move toward a more "cerebral" and less guided gameplay loop suggests a pivot back to the series’ roots in puzzle-solving and environmental mystery, rather than pure action-set-piece delivery.
If the studio succeeds in balancing these elements, Legacy of Atlantis could be the title that defines the next decade of the franchise. It isn’t just a remake; it is a synthesis of thirty years of history, designed to satisfy the veteran who played the 1996 original and the newcomer who fell in love with the modern cinematic vision.
As the industry watches, the message from the development team is clear: Lara Croft is back, she is at the top of her game, and she is ready to explore the unknown once more. With the 30th-anniversary celebrations in full swing and a new live-action series on the horizon, the Tomb Raider brand has never looked more robust. The journey into Atlantis is just beginning.
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