The rebooted line of Tomb Raider games have met with critical and commercial success, so it makes sense that publisher Square Enix would continue making new games in the series. While not formally announced, rumors of a possible Shadow of the Tomb Raider have been flying for a while. Those rumors have intensified after the discovery of what appear to be Tomb Raider logos and images of Lara Croft in a picture found on an marketing agency’s website.
The above image was found on the site for TAKEOFF and shared on video game forum NeoGAF. The original site has been taken down and replaced with text stating “Our website is undergoing maintenance please check back later!” TAKEOFF is a marketing agency who has previously worked with Square Enix.
In the image, we see several different takes on the Shadow of the Tomb Raider logo. Many of these images look like the Rise of the Tomb Raider logo, but with words swapped out. According to the image, these are to test out different textures and layouts of the game’s logo. There are also some rough sketches of Lara Croft with the words “Key Art: Multiple proposals ranging in environment, lighting, pose, etc.”
The sketches of Lara Croft feature some poses we’ve come to expect from the rebooted franchise, like Lara standing with a bow and arrow and covered in various amounts of grime and mud. However, some new poses could hint at the gameplay changes coming to Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
The first pose that sticks out is in the second image, where Lara is holding some kind of spear. It also seems like there are hieroglyphics in the background. The fifth image again shows Lara with the spear, but now she is also holding a machete. In this picture, Lara is outside with what looks like a big pyramid structure behind her.
Based on these images, it seems likely Lara’s next adventure will take her to Mayan ruins in Mexico and Central America. This would explain the hieroglyphics in the background of some images as well as the step-pyramid seen in at least three of the pictures.
All of this should be considered rumors for now, or at least until Square Enix confirms or denies that the next game in the series is called Shadow of the Tomb Raider. If that does end up being the next game’s title, it’s very likely this leak will prove to be legitimate.
So what do you think? Would you be interested in seeing a Tomb Raider game set in ancient Mayan ruins? Do you think this is all some elaborate hoax? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
