Next Tomb Raider Game Confirmed with Possible Release in 2018

Tomb Raider was a no-show at last night's Game Awards, but rather than leave the fans in complete suspense, Square Enix issued a brief statement via Twitter, promising more news in 2018. There was no official mention of the rumored title, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, nor did the publishers give any specifics about the game itself, supported platforms, or release date, but they did suggest that the gap between announcement and launch would be much shorter than it has been with previous games. Also, as eagle-eyed fans may have noticed, the first letters of each sentence in the announcement spells out S-H-A-D-O-W.

A message to our fans! pic.twitter.com/HlDYsUtZMs

— Tomb Raider (@tombraider) December 7, 2017

Extra Life 2017 Raffle Winners

It's official! The random number generator has worked its magic once again. Congratulations to the 48 winners of the Tomb Raider Community Team's Extra Life prize raffle. The winners have also been contacted by email. We hope to hear from you soon so we can send you your prizes.

UPDATE 12/2/17: A few of our original winners did not respond to our notifications, so alternate winners have been chosen. These are marked with an asterisk in the list below. We hope to hear back from them soon.

Legend artwork by Taryn Platt – David V. (USA)*
Lara Cross Stitch by Victoria Pheasey – Garrett P. (USA)
Signed Lara print by Inna Vjuzhanina – Richard M. (UK)
Scion Pendant by JR Milward – Simon B. (Germany)
Amulet of Horus Pendant by JR Milward – Darby M. (UK)
Lara Croft Gold print by José Cruz – Jonas L. (Argentina)
Tomb Raider Suite Gold Key package – Heavymane (Norway)
Tomb Raider Archives books – Barbara (USA)
Lara Croft GO 3D Viewmaster – Nadia (UK), Dawn J. (USA), and Alona (USA)*
20 Years of Tomb Raider book – Matt T. (UK)
Rise of the Tomb Raider for PS4 – Patrick D. (Canada), Jenny (UK)*, Clarisse (Philippines)*, and Gerard H. (Netherlands)
Reboot Comics – Brittany (USA), Kyle G. (USA)*, Maribel V. (USA)
Signed ROTTR Poster – Frankie F. (USA)* and Sarah W. (Scotland)
Lara Croft Funko POP! figure – Paulaka (UK) and JJ (USA)
Lara Croft Funko Rock Candy figure – Becca (Scotland) and cuddlebug778 (Germany)
Retro Gamer magazine – Adam M. (USA)
Classic TR Collectible Card Game – CByte (UK), Alex F. (USA), HighSector (Turkey), James H. (UK), and Seibermaki (USA)
Official Tomb Raider Files book – Leah K. (Australia)
Lara Croft and the Blade of Gwynnever novel – Brandon M. (USA)
Tomb Raider Goodie Bags – Anonymous (UK), Chris (USA), Corey O. (UK), Fabrice W. (France), Hexzell (Canada), Jhane R. (Philippines), JMynce (Bulgaria), Jonathan S. (UK), L. Chen May (Malaysia), Maddy (USA), Nash (USA), Richard F. (USA), Samantha K. (USA), Sandra (Germany), and Sean (UK).

Thanks to everyone who entered, donated to our Extra Life efforts, watched our livestreams, and helped to spread the word! By year's end we have raised $5,760 for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. The raffle has finished, but Extra Life accepts donations through the end of the year. If you haven't donated yet, you can still contribute by visiting the team's Extra Life page.

The team also wants to thank our wonderful sponsors and prize donors, José Cruz, Jennifer Milward, Matthew Nichols, Victoria Pheasey, Taryn Platt (one of the TR Community team), Inna Vjuzhanina, Rob Winward (also an Extra Life team player), Crystal Dynamics, and Square Enix Montréal, and GOG.com for helping us to make this raffle and our marathon weekend such a success. 💙

Extra Life Fundraising and Raffle Update

Now that Extra Life marathon weekend has passed, I'd like to thank the Tomb Raider Community team and everyone who has supported our fundraising efforts this year. Together we've raised $5,327 for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, and Extra Life worldwide has raised more than $8.5 million!

YEAR'S END UPDATE: $5,760 raised by the TR team, $10.6 million total for Extra Life.

If you haven't donated yet, there's still time. We're accepting donations through the end of the year. If you'd like to support San Jorge Children's Hospital in Puerto Rico, you can donate through my Extra Life page. Other members of the TR crew are playing for different local and international hospitals. Check out the team page for details and feel free to contact me with any questions.

I also want to express appreciation for everyone who turned out for our livestreams and helped to spread the word. You made our marathon much more fun and successful.

Special thanks to Square Enix Montréal, Crystal Dynamics, and GOG.com for providing prizes and game codes for the raffle and livestream giveaways, and to José Cruz, Jennifer Milward, Matthew Nichols, Victoria Pheasey, Taryn Platt, Inna Vjuzhanina, Rob Winward, who donated their time, talents, and resources. We are so grateful for their support!

The prize raffle runs through Saturday, November 18. Please help spread the word and encourage your friends to enter. You don't have to donate to Extra Life in order to participate in the raffle, but donors receive bonus entries. Follow the link below for details and entry form. Winners will be announced around the 20th.

Thanks again to all of you for helping to make 2017 the team's best year so far!

Extra Life Update: Prize Raffle Now Open!

The Tomb Raider Community team's Extra Life efforts are well underway. So far this year, we have raised more than $1,000 for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. As a way of thanking our generous supporters, we are giving away a collection of Tomb Raider swag, including games, books, collectibles, and fabulous fan art!

You do not have to donate in order to enter the raffle, but Extra Life donors will receive bonus entries. As always, donations of any size are welcome, and every dollar goes to help sick and injured kids. The raffle closes November 18, but we will continue collecting donations through the end of the year. Check out the team roster to see what we're up to and learn more about Extra Life.

Join us the weekend of November 4-5 for the official Extra Life gaming marathon. I'll be hosting the team on my Twitch Channel, and you can also follow our Twitch Community. In addition to the raffle prizes shown, we'll be giving away various game codes and goodies during the our livestreams.

Thank you for your support!

Special thanks to our wonderful sponsors and prize donors, José Cruz, Jennifer Milward, Matthew Nichols, Victoria Pheasey, Taryn Platt (one of the TR Community team), Inna Vjuzhanina, Rob Winward (also an Extra Life team player), Crystal Dynamics, and Square Enix Montréal, and GOG.com. We couldn't do this without you!

Gaming for the Kids of Puerto Rico – Please Sponsor Me!

As many of you know, each fall I participate in the Extra Life charity gaming marathon to raise money for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. This year I'll be playing for San Jorge Children's Hospital in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which was hit especially hard by Hurricane Maria.

San Jorge is the only private pediatrics hospital in the Caribbean. According to Healthline News, they've been without power and running on generators since the storm hit on September 20. Hispanic Federation and other relief organizations are sending aid, but I want to do all I can to help these kids once the crisis passes and the rebuilding begins.

Donations of any size are welcome. You can leave your name or contribute anonymously. Donating online is safe and easy. Just click here to get started. If you'd like to donate offline with a check or money order made out to "Children's Miracle Network Hospitals," that's fine too. Contact me and we'll work out the details. Your contribution is tax-deductible and ALL PROCEEDS go to help kids in Puerto Rico.

Maria's aftermath. Photo by Erika P. Rodriguez for The New York Times.

The official Extra Life marathon weekend is November 4-5. The team's annual prize raffle is live now, so head on over to the RAFFLE PAGE to enter for a chance to win some cool Tomb Raider Swag, and please subscribe to my Twitch Channel and follow me on social media for up-to-the-minute Extra Life news.

Gamers, if you'd like to play for Extra Life this year, it's not too late to join. You can sign up on the Tomb Raider Community Team page. Check out this Extra Life FAQ and feel free to contact me with any questions.

Thank you for caring!

2017 Awareness campaign: San Juan from CMN Hospitals on Vimeo.

Alicia Vikander Steps into Lara's Boots in the New Tomb Raider Movie

In case you missed it, Warner Brothers recently released the first trailer for the upcoming Tomb Raider movie starring Oscar winner Alicia Vikander as Lara Croft. The movie is loosely based on the 2013 reboot game and follows Lara's ascent from determined but inexperienced young woman to action hero.



UPDATE: Trailer #2 released January 18, 2018.



The official synopsis, below, reveals a few key differences from the 2013 game script, along with a number of similarities. The trailer also references past games and films, including a trap sequence staright out of Legend and a humorous nod to Angelina Jolie's braid and dual H&K USP Match pistols.

Synopsis (courtesy of Warner Brothers): Lara Croft is the fiercely independent daughter of an eccentric adventurer who vanished when she was scarcely a teen. Now a young woman of 21 without any real focus or purpose, Lara navigates the chaotic streets of trendy East London as a bike courier, barely making the rent, and takes college courses, rarely making it to class. Determined to forge her own path, she refuses to take the reins of her father's global empire just as staunchly as she rejects the idea that he's truly gone. Advised to face the facts and move forward after seven years without him, even Lara can't understand what drives her to finally solve the puzzle of his mysterious death.

Going explicitly against his final wishes, she leaves everything she knows behind in search of her dad's last-known destination: a fabled tomb on a mythical island that might be somewhere off the coast of Japan. But her mission will not be an easy one; just reaching the island will be extremely treacherous. Suddenly, the stakes couldn't be higher for Lara, who—against the odds and armed with only her sharp mind, blind faith and inherently stubborn spirit—must learn to push herself beyond her limits as she journeys into the unknown. If she survives this perilous adventure, it could be the making of her, earning her the name tomb raider.

Vikander discussed her preparation for the role in this featurette, "Becoming Lara Croft":



She also spoke live with IGN on Periscope Tuesday night, when the trailer first aired:

Watch the FULL #TombRaider trailer LIVE with Lara Croft herself, Alicia Vikander! https://t.co/WVfii9U0ZA

— IGN (@IGN) September 20, 2017

Director Roar Uthaug breaks down the trailer with this director's commentary from IGN:


Tomb Raider hits theaters March 16, 2018. Visit tombraidermovie.com for the latest movie news and links to the official social media accounts.

Tomb Raider II Fan Remake Gets Playable Demo

Tomb Raider: The Dagger of Xian, Nicobass's fan remake of the second classic TR game has been in development for more than a year, but a few days ago a playable demo was released. Until now, we've only seen screenshots and a few short but mpressive videos, showing off bits of the Great Wall level. This demo lets players explore, find secrets, and and revel in a full-on nostalgia trip for about an hour of playtime.

Dagger of Xian demo screenshot by Dean Kopri, the project's musical composer.

Current Tomb Raider developer Crystal Dynamics has given the project its unofficial blessing and provided a few resources to aid in the development. Generally speaking they have been very supportive of fan endeavors, provided they don't infringe on proprietary assets or operate for profit.

For more details about the project, which is being developed by Nicobass and a small team of helpers using Unreal Engine 4, visit tombraider-dox.com. A list of system requirements is included on the demo download page.

You can also follow the project on Facebook, Twitter, and DeviantArt. For video updates, subscribe to Nicobass's YouTube channel.

Quick run-through of the first part of the level.

Longer playthrough on Ultra settings by steven35175.

All-secrets walkthrough by Tombraiders.hu

Tomb Raider: Underworld Now Playable on Xbox One

Tomb Raider: Underworld and the two Xbox-exclusive expansion packs, "Beneath the Ashes" and "Lara's Shadow," are now playable on Xbox One via backward compatibility. If you already own the game on disk, there's no need to buy it again. Just follow these instructions to install and play on Xbox One. Or, you can purchase the digital version through the Xbox Store. The main game is $19.99 (£14.99 or €19,99). Each story DLC pack is $9.99 (£6.75 or €9,49). New and used Underworld CDs can also be found on eBay, Amazon, Amazon UK, etc.

The add-on levels "Beneath the Ashes" and "Lara's Shadow" were originally released in 2009, exclusively on Xbox 360. They were never available on PC or PlayStation, so this marks a new opportunity for today's gamers to try them. In "Beneath the Ashes," Lara returns to the remains of Croft Manor in order to find a powerful artifact hidden in a mysterious centuries-old labyrinth deep beneath the estate. In "Lara's Shadow," players control the doppelgänger and wield all of her powers of speed and strength. This unique gameplay experience also reveals Natla's fate following the events in the main game.

To celebrate the Xbox One announcement, Crystal Dynamics has added some previously unreleased concept art to their Underworld Flickr gallery.

Underworld is now one of more than 400 Xbox 360 games now playable on Xbox One. If you'd like Microsoft to make Legend and Anniversary backward compatible as well, cast your vote here on the Xbox website.

Lara's Shadow HD Launch Trailer from 2009 (Thanks to TombRaiderUNDERWORLD)

Tomb Raider Underworld concept art (Thanks to Crystal Dynamics)

Tomb Raider Suite Kickstarter Successfully Funded

Congratulations to Tomb Raider composer Nathan McCree on a successful Kickstarter campaign! Thanks to the support of 2,615 backers, who pledged a total of £194,120, Nathan's original Tomb Raider music will now be extended and re-recorded with a live orchestra at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Fans who supported the fundraiser will receive a variety of rewards, and the rest of the world can look forward to the album's release later this year. Visit tombraidersuite.com or follow Nathan on Twitter or Facebook for updates.

Tomb Raider Suite Kickstarter Campaign Underway

It's official! Nathan McCree's Tomb Raider Suite Kickstarter is now live. Check out the different pledge tiers—from the £5 'Passport' to the £7,500 'Infada Stone'—and pledge your support at tombraidersuite.com.

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris for Xbox One Free with Gold

Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris is now available free as part of the current Xbox Live Games With Gold promotion. Sign in on your Xbox One console or xbox.com between May 16th and June 15th to snag your free download. If you aren't yet a Gold member, you can join on your console or buy a membership card for 3, 6, or 12 months on Amazon or Amazon UK.

The game has single-player and online co-op modes for 2, 3, or 4 players. For general info or help with any of the tougher puzzles, including complete Achievements and collectibles lists, check out my Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris walkthrough.

Tomb Raider Suite to Launch Kickstarter Campaign May 26

Nathan McCree, the original Tomb Raider composer, has announced a Kickstarter campaign for the studio recording of his Tomb Raider Suite. Fans who were not able to attend the live performance last December will now have a chance to help bring this amazing music to a worldwide audience.

UPDATE: The campaign is now LIVE! Check out the different pledge tiers—from the £5 'Passport' to the £7,500 'Infada Stone' and pledge your support at tombraidersuite.com.

THE TOMB RAIDER SUITE

When Nathan McCree wrote the extraordinary and iconic music for the first three Tomb Raider games between 1996 and 1998, it was recorded using the synthesizers available at the time. But for 20 years he dreamt of hearing his music performed by a full orchestra and choir, and with the 20 Year Celebration of the Tomb Raider franchise in 2016, the timing was perfect to realise his dream.

TOMB RAIDER: LIVE IN CONCERT

On Sunday 18th December, 2016, The Tomb Raider Suite received its World Premiere in London. Performed live by the Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra and the City of London Choir, it received a standing ovation from the nearly 2,000 fans who attended the concert. It was an unmitigated success and the final event in what had been The Year of Tomb Raider.

PRE-SHOW PROMOTION TRAILER

POST-SHOW PROMOTION VIDEO "In The Blood"

OUR GOAL

The crowdfunding goal is to do a studio recording of The Tomb Raider Suite with one of England's leading orchestras in England's most famous recording studios, Abbey Road in London.

Now that Nathan's themes and cues from the first three games have been fully orchestrated for a 76-piece orchestra and 20-voice choir, it is ready to be recorded to the highest standard to release as an album in the Fall of 2017.

This is a unique opportunity for Tomb Raider fans to finally own and hear a world-class recording of the music as Nathan McCree had always intended it.

The Kickstarter campaign will kick off Friday, May 26. For details, visit tombraidersuite.com. You can also follow Nathan on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and SoundCloud for updates.

KICKSTARTER ANNOUNCEMENT

NATHAN McCREE INTERVIEW

This post was originally published April 29 and updated with new information May 18, 2017.

Lara Croft GO Mirror of Spirits Expansion Now Available on Android and iOS

The latest expansion pack for the turn-based puzzle game Lara Croft GO has just been released for Android and iOS. The Mirror of Sprits, 11 new levels for the award-winning turn-based puzzle game from Square Enix Montréal, debuted with the PS4 and Vita release in December. Now the Mirror of Spirits expansion is available free on mobile platforms as well. If you don't already own the game, you can pick it up for 99¢ on the Play Store or $1.99 on the App Store. Lara Croft GO is also available for Windows, Linux, and OSX through Steam. Sorry, still no update for Windows Phone, but we hope to see that soon.

For help with any of the puzzles, check out my screenshot and video walkthroughs.

96-Hour Tomb Raider Marathon for Direct Relief

Our friends at Tomb Raider Marathon 2017 are about to kick off a 96-hour gaming marathon to benefit Direct Relief. Starting this afternoon, they'll be playing 7 Tomb Raider games over the course of 4 days. I hope you'll tune in for the live broadcast on Twitch and donate if you can. A schedule and more info can be found at tombraidermarathon.com. You can also follow TRMarathon17 on Twitter and Facebook.

See you there!

We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties

Just a quick update and an apology. Tombraiders.net recently changed web hosting services, when our long-time host, WiredTree, was bought by another company. The new people have been very helpful, but there have been a few unforeseen issues. I apologize for the intermittent outages over the past few days and hope to up and running soon. Meanwhile, if you receive an error message when attempting to connect to the main site, most pages are archived here on the Internet Wayback Machine. Thanks for your patience.

PSA courtesy of The Keep Calm-o-Matic

Play Tomb Raider 1 in HD with Glidos – Free

The developer of Glidos is offering the program free for a limited time. Just visit glidos.net, sign up for a free account, and then follow the instructions to download and install the program.

In case you're not familiar with Glidos, it's a utility that provides Glide emulation for DOS, allowing games like the original Tomb Raider and the Unfinished Business expansion to run in higher detail on modern computers. Features include:

• Support for the GOG and Steam versions of Tomb Raider
• Supports high-resolution textures (with optional texture packs from Tomb Raider Xtra)
• Restores PlayStation quality to the Full Motion Video cutscenes (with optional FMV pack)
• Restores full PlayStation audio tracks (with optional audio pack)
• Supports True3D via 3D monitors or red/blue anaglyph glasses

Tomb Raider before and after Glidos and Tomb Raider Xtra HD textures. Image courtesy of Edison School Blog.

Glidos also works with various other popular DOS games, including Descent II, Redguard, Carmageddon, Extreme Assault, Grand Theft Auto, Dreams to Reality, Blood, Screamer 2, and Red Baron.

If you try Glidos and end up loving it as much as I do, you can show your support by spreading the word or making a PayPal donation through the Glidos site.

Lara Croft Funko POP! Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Alison B. from the U.K.! She's won this adorable Lara Croft POP! vinyl figure from Funko.

Thanks to everyone who entered the giveaway and helped to spread the word. If you didn't win this time, we'll be giving away another Tomb Raider POP!, along with a bunch of other fabulous prizes as part of the Tomb Raider Community Team's Extra Life fundraiser in November. Follow me on social media or subscribe to this blog through Bloglovin' for updates. Or, if you must have your little Lara now, you can find her on Amazon or Amazon UK.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Lara Croft Funko POP! Giveaway

Attention collectors! I'm giving away this adorable, vinyl Tomb Raider POP! figure from Funko. She stands about 3¾ inches tall and sports Lara's classic/Anniversary inspired outfit, braid, and pistols.

This contest is open to fans worldwide.* There are four ways to enter. Use the entry form below to choose any/all that appeal to you.

1. Follow me on Twitter (@stellalune)
2. Retweet the contest announcement. Change the text if you like, but please include a link to this blog post and tag me (@stellalune) so I can see your entry. (You can do this once per day for bonus entries.)
3. Visit Stella's Tomb Raider Site on Facebook.
4. Let me know which Tomb Raider character you'd like to see as the next Funko POP! figure by clicking the link on the entry form below and then commenting on this post. (See my example below.)

One lucky winner will be chosen at random from all eligible entries and announced here (and on my social media) on Lara's birthday, February 14. As always, feel free to contact me with any questions.

a Rafflecopter giveaway *As long as you can receive mail from the United States, you're welcome to enter.

Site Migration and Possible Down Time

In addition to the exciting news about the fansite awards in my previous post, I also want to let everyone know that tombraiders.net will be migrating to new servers during the next few days. Our awesome hosting company, WiredTree, was recently acquired by LiquidWeb. So all of my sites, as well as Katie's Tomb Raider Site, will be moving over to new servers. We hope to keep down time to a minimum, but if you're unable to access the site please be patient. We should be back online soon. Meanwhile, you can contact me on Twitter and Facebook with any urgent questions and also find archived versions of most pages on the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.

Pic courtesy of keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk.

2016 Official Tomb Raider Fansite Program Awards

Crystal Dynamics has just announced the winners of its Official Tomb Raider Fansite Program Awards for the past year. Two awards were given in each category: the Community Award, nominated and voted on by the other 94 members of the Official Fansite Program, and the Crystal Award, conferred by the developers on worthy sites that might not yet be as well known by their fellow fans. Winners will receive a custom engraved coin as well as a digital badge.

I'm honored to have been chosen as the 2016 Community Ambassador and even more proud to lead the Tomb Raider Community's Extra Life team, which was recognized for Best Charity Initiative and Best Tomb Raider 20 Initiative.

Congratulations to all the winners. I'm thrilled to be part of a such a diverse, dedicated, and hardworking community!

Community Ambassador Award

An exceptional webmaster that embodies the spirit of community, be it through organizing community or charity events, answering questions online, providing helpful resources for fans, or generally embodying the spirit of the community. This warm, welcoming, and passionate webmaster showcases the best that our community has to offer by encouraging inclusivity and positivity.

Community Award Winner: Stellalune | Stella's Tomb Raider Site

Stella describes herself as the matriarch of the Tomb Raider community, and familial is exactly how many fans feel about her. Stella's content–most famously her walkthroughs–are always top notch, and she dedicates extensive time online to answering fan questions, sharing gameplay tips, and finding ways to give back. Her annual Extra Life Charity event is a unifying activity within the community each year, bolstered with smaller, continual efforts to aid those who need it, such as crowd sourcing Tomb Raider: Live in Concert tickets for those who couldn't afford them.

Crystal Award Winner: Sara Croft | Lara Croft Cosplay

Often an unsung figure within the Tomb Raider community due to her humble nature, Sara is generous with both her time and resources. She often crafts tutorials on how to cost-effectively create costumes and props as a means to get more fans into the hobby. Additionally, she eagerly goes out of her way to showcase diversity within the community, encourages cosplayer of all skill levels to be proud of their accomplishments, and even created a "Cosplay Care Package" program with her own funds as a means to help those with limited resources. Her positive attitude and giving personality easily win over those who interact with her.

Best Charity Initiative

An exceptional charity-focused initiative that creatively and effectively raised funds for a worthwhile cause. The winner is not determined by the total amount raised, but rather the execution of the fundraiser.

Community Award Winner: Stella's Tomb Raider Site | Extra Life 2016 Charity Marathon and Prize Raffle for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals

With Stella acting as team captain, the Tomb Raider Community Team's participation in the Extra Life charity marathon is something fans and followers look forward to each year. With 25 members (and growing!) the team works hard to earn donations by playing Tomb Raider games, entertaining fans while raising money for a great cause. Since their first run five years ago, the team has helped raise over $15,000 for children's hospitals, playing 1,000 hours of Tomb Raider in the process. (NOTE: Interested players can sign up for Extra Life here!)

Crystal Award Winner: Tomb Raider Online | Tomb Raider Twitch Marathon to Support SPA Refuge & Animal Welfare

Taking French fans on a nostalgic look back over 20 years, Tomb Raider Online streamed all of Lara's adventures on Twitch – including some of the more obscure titles – totaling over 150 hours of play. All profits from the stream were donated to the Animal Protection Society, raising over $2000 for a fantastic cause.

Best Collaborative Fansite Project

An exceptional collaborative project that united more than one fansite towards a common goal of celebrating Lara Croft, Tomb Raider, and the community.

Community Award Winner: Alex's Tomb Raider Blog | Tomb Raider World | Croft Generation | RaidersZone | Tomb Raider Saga | Tomb Raider Collection | Living Tomb Raider | Tomb Raider Spain – Spanish Tomb Raider Community Project

The Spanish Tomb Raider community collaborated in a big way on a very high-production live event in Madrid to celebrate 20 years of Tomb Raider. The event kicked off with a rousing speech, included a scavenger hunt with custom 3D printed artifacts, a cosplay contest, and community dinner. Despite some pesky rain, the event brought fans together from around Spain, solidifying online friendships in the process.

Crystal Award Winner: Lara's Look a Like | Tombeau Croft – 2016 Lara Croft Cosplay Calendar

Lara's Look a Like has been creating a Croft cosplay calendar for years, and they've become more and more impressive with each annual release. The 2016 calendar was a collaboration between Lara's Look a Like and fellow French fansite Tombeau Croft, focusing on depicting Lara with her trusty weapons. The great design work juxtaposed in-game snapshots and fantastic cosplay photos.

Best New Fansite

An exceptional new fansite that joined the program in 2016 and has provide unique and engaging content that sets a high standard for their future contributions.

Community Award Winner: Living Tomb Raider

Spanish fansite Living Tomb Raider shows great potential as a new addition to the official program, exploring the myths behind games, publishing reviews, and showcasing merchandise, among other content contributions. A noble goal of Living Tomb Raider is to help the Spanish fan community grow by aiding with the coordination of live events, and we're excited to see how this goal plays out in 2017.

Crystal Award Winner: Okh Eshivar

Okh Eshivar is one of many wonderful new additions to the Official Fansite Program. The webmaster's strength is in diversity of content, with entries balanced between news, reviews, interviews, weekly recaps, researched articles, downloads, and more. One standout article describes how Lara has inspired the webmaster, detailing a 14,000 foot trek to the top of Mt. Rainier. We hope 2017 holds more adventures for Okh Eshivar.

Best Investigative/Research Article

An exceptional article authored by a member of the Official Fansite Program that unearthed new findings or information about the Tomb Raider franchise, which required extensive research and critical thinking to achieve.

Community Award Winner: Archaeology of Tomb Raider | Tomb Raider Tidbit: The Time Lara Croft Almost Visited Mali

A very interesting article inspired by a keen eye, Archaeology of Tomb Raider's winning article features an unused piece of concept art from Tomb Raider: Legend that implies Lara may have been headed to the West African country of Mali. The article explored the unique architecture of the country, and included links to more information for those intrigued by the subject matter.

Crystal Award Winner: World of Tomb Raider | Article about the etymology of words "Lara" and "Croft"

World of Tomb Raider's study of the etymology of our favorite heroine's name is a fascinating, and a very original article. The piece dives into the meaning of Lara's given and family name, in addition to taking a look at other famous bearers of the name throughout history and within pop culture.

Best Live Event

An exceptional live event organized by a member of the Official Fansite Program that brought together Tomb Raider fans in-person to celebrate the franchise.

Community Award Winner: Tomb of Ash | Tomb Raider 20th Anniversary Panel at PLAY Expo Manchester

An impressive, multi-faceted event that took nearly a year to organize, festivities at PLAY Expo were full of nostalgia for classic Tomb Raider fans. Highlights included a Core Design panel with many key creatives from the original development team and photo opportunities with premiere Lara Croft model Natalie Cook. The panel was streamed to share with fans online at a later date, and interviews resulted in new insights from those who started it all.

Crystal Award Winner: Tomb Raider Italia | Gamerome Event with Tomb Raider Italia

Organized by Tomb Raider Italia and executed at Gamerome, the event also marked the Italian website's 10th anniversary. Tomb Raider Italia's webmaster impressively managed to secure the attendance of Lara's Italian voice actress, as well the actor for Conrad Roth. Additional activities included a cosplay flash-mob, raffle, quiz, and professional photographers to capture the two-day celebration.

Best Video or Streaming Project

An exceptional video or streaming project created by a member of the Official Fansite Program that celebrated Lara Croft, Tomb Raider, and the community.

Community Award Winner: Turning Point | "20 Years of Tomb Raider" video tribute by Fear Effect Inferno

Fear Effect Inferno's video tribute packed a major punch into 60 seconds. "20 Years of Tomb Raider" touched on the major events in Lara's two-decade evolution, with great use of timing, transitions, and a beautiful custom score inspired by Nathan McCree's original soundtrack.

Crystal Award Winner: Tomb of Ash | Lara's Diary: Baba Yaga

Tomb of Ash's video provided additional depth to Rise of the Tomb Raider's Baba Yaga DLC drop, introducing fans to the Russian/Slav folklore that inspired the content. Narrated by original Croft voice actress Shelley Blond, the high-production video featured beautiful illustrations by Inna Vjuzhanina, impressive animations, a well-developed script, and was translated into many additional languages to share with the global Tomb Raider community.

Best Interview

An exceptional interview conducted by a member of the Official Fansite Program focused on the Tomb Raider franchise which required extensive research and critical thinking to achieve.

Community Award Winner: Tomb Raider Source | Nicobass: Remake de Tomb Raider II

Tomb Raider Source dove deep into the upcoming Tomb Raider II fan remake by Nicobass, exploring his vision for the project, detailing software used, and discussing the challenges of such an ambitious task. It's always fun to see fans interview fellow fans in acknowledgement of amazing work.

Crystal Award Winner: Music of Tomb Raider | Ashley Revell Interview

An interesting and exclusive interview with Ashley Revell, the music editor on Lara' Croft's first Hollywood outing and brother to composer Graeme Revell. Music of Tomb Raider caught up with Ashley in person in Auckland, and the in-depth nature of the interview is sure to appeal to fellow music and cinema fans.

Best Photo or Art Project

An exceptional project created or curated by a member of the Official Fansite Program celebrating Lara Croft, Tomb Raider, and the community through a visual medium, be it art, photography, or other visual platforms.

Community Award Winner: Tomb Raider Univers | 20 Years of Tomb Raider Art Collection

The 20 Years of Tomb Raider Art Collection is a beautiful, curated gallery of original art, featuring pieces spanning old-school and modern interpretations of Lara Croft. The online exhibit was made even more noteworthy due to beautiful branding and an engaging website.

Crystal Award Winner: Tomb Raider China | Travel with Lara Croft Photo Contest

A very creative contest organized by Tomb Raider China, which asked fans to take a Lara Croft figure with them as they explored the world. Submitted photos were then marked on a world map, illustrating the global impact of the franchise. The initial submissions were exceptionally creative, and we expect the final winners to be equally impressive.

Best Tomb Raider 20 Initiative

An exceptional project of any kind – event, interview, video, and so on – created by a member of the Official Fansite Program that captured the spirit of #TombRaider20.

Community Award Winner: Stella's Tomb Raider Site | Extra Life 2016 Charity Marathon and Prize Raffle for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals

For all the reasons outlined above, Team Tomb Raider's Extra Life charity videogame marathon was considered one of the most noteworthy community programs of the year by fellow fans. The marathon showcased content from the full history of the franchise, uniting fans new and old for a fantastic cause.

Crystal Award Winner: Survivor Reborn | Tomb Raider: Retrospective Series

A very thorough and well-written retrospective series examining each game in the Tomb Raider series, as well as relevant cultural events such as E3. Each explores a wide breadth of content – the gameplay and character evolutions, as well as marketing, reception, challenges, and successes of each game.

Crystal Award Winner: Lara Croft PT | #TombRaider20 – Lara Croft PT

A very impressive tribute video totaling a whopping 40+ minutes of content, including interviews by an array of voice actors, composers, official models, comic artists, fans, industry influencers, more. Also, pancake art!