Leaks are par for the norm in the gaming industry. Tomb Raider, in particular, has been the subject of several leaks after Crystal Dynamics confirmed the next Tomb Raider installment made using Unreal Engine 5. The most recent set of rumors claim that the game will have a more seasoned Lara Croft lead of a team of experts and with a female love interest. Some have even taken this as a sign that the game will have multiplayer elements. Either way, we would have normally dismissed the rumors as another one for the rumor mill. But, if Square Enix is trying to take it down, we’re inclined to take it more seriously. Before anything else though, let’s address the elephant in the room - Square Enix still owns Tomb Raider. Embracer Group has technically already paid for the rights to the Tomb Raider games, among others. However, until the acquisition goes through, Square Enix can still go ahead and threaten to have the source of the leak, the Sacred Symbols podcast, taken off Patreon. Officially speaking, the only info we have about the upcoming Tomb Raider project is that it will use Unreal Engine 5 to “unify” the timelines of the older Tomb Raider games. Because of what Square Enix just pulled off, you can add the contents of the script as well. Unfortunately, none of the intel we’ve unearthed so far comes with a release date for Tomb Raider, suggesting that the project is still in its very early stages. Speaking of Tomb Raider, the status of the live-action movies of the games is in limbo. The 2018 Tomb Raider reboot landed a spot in our best video game movies ever. It also pulled in enough at the global box office to get a sequel. But, it appears that the sequel is no more after MGM Studios failed to renew its license to make Tomb Raider movies. Now, there are multiple studios bidding for the rights to make their own adaptations. Regardless of who is the winner, the expectation is that the new owners will start a new franchise with a new lead.
