Crystal Dynamics Announces The Next ‘Tomb Raider’ Will Utilize Unreal Engine 5

Crystal Dynamics, known most recently for working on Marvel’s Avengers, confirmed at the recent State of Unreal presentation that they’re working on a new Tomb Raider title. Of course, Crystal Dynamics is responsible for the first two titles in the Tomb Raider remake series, both of which received high reviews and became some of the best selling titles in the game franchise’s history.

Despite the success of both titles, Crystal Dynamics was unable to work on the third installment of the series as they began work on Marvel’s Avengers, a massive undertaking requiring five development teams in all to complete the title. Development of the third Tomb Raider remake shifted hands to Eidos Montreal, who released Shadow of the Tomb Raider in 2018.

Since then, the Tomb Raider franchise has lied dormant.

Tomb Raider General Manager Dallas Dickinson spoke a bit about the developer’s plans for the series in the future, which includes using Unreal Engine 5 in the new game’s development. “Crystal Dynamics is proud to be a part of the launch of Unreal Engine 5. This new engine translates to next-level storytelling and gameplay experiences,” he said. “And that’s why we are thrilled to announce today that we have just started development of our next Tomb Raider game, powered by Unreal Engine 5. Our goal is to push the envelope of fidelity, and to deliver the high quality cinematic action-adventure experience that fans deserve from both Crystal Dynamics, and the Tomb Raider franchise. We can’t wait to take this journey together.”

Currently, this means Crystal Dynamics has three major projects in development. The company is aiding The Initiative to their work on Perfect Dark and are continuing development on Marvel’s Avengers, while also working on this upcoming Tomb Raider installment.

No platforms or timetables have been announced for the upcoming Tomb Raider game.