14 DAY TRIAL // Square Enix, as the publisher, and Crystal Dynamics, as the developer, have announced that they will be launching a new Lara Croft-powered game called Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, set to be delivered in the later part of 2010.
Neither of the two parties has mentioned the platforms on which the new videogame will arrive, but considering the fact that it's a downloadable-only title, we can probably expect it on Xbox Live from Microsoft, the PlayStation Network from Sony and, probably, WiiWare from Nintendo.
Crystal Dynamics has not detailed how the title will play but it’s unlikely that the studio will deviate much from the time tested formula of exploration, environmental puzzles and combat.
Lara Croft's latest outing has been in Tomb Raider: Underworld, which arrived in late 2008 and failed to perform at retail, with publisher Eidos losing money and ending up being bought by Japanese company Square Enix. With Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light being delivered by download, only if it's successful will Square Enix turn the whole effort into an episodic series.
Signs of change are evident in the fact that the Tomb Raider moniker has been dropped from the name of the new release, freeing developers to focus more on the Lara Croft character herself and add some sections that are not set in damp, poorly lit dungeons or in green, threatening jungles. More details are set to be offered at GDC.
Darrell Gallagher, who is the general manager of Crystal Dynamics, stated that “This is a really exciting project for Crystal Dynamics, we have created something completely new and very different to what people might be expecting. Lara Croft is such an iconic character in videogames, with Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light we have created what we believe is a truly original digital experience.”