Over a decade, Lara Croft has been known as the female game heroine with a large chest, tiny waist whilst traveling around in nothing more then revealing a little shirt and pair shorts. Though now Eidos are having doubts about the original look of Lara Croft, fearing her appearance has now become officially uninteresting and repetetive, so a change for their icon is in place. "The publisher’s suggestions have come forward as the recent release of Tomb Raider: Underworld missed sales expectations by some £20 million, while developer Crystal Dynamics has been subjected to layoffs to focus the team's output to the core IP". Eidos are suggesting the modern video game icon Lara Croft should go under a more family friendly redesign, this could possibly mean losing her iconic appearance and possible sex appeal to appear more "realistic" and suitable to cater to different markets.
As Tomb Raider is failing to bring happiness to its fans, it is suspected that Lara’s popularity , as a character, is fading particularly in the US. And, as the commercial success of all Tomb Raider games have always had a degree of dependence on Lara’s image, this may prompt a fresh face for the heroine in her next title. Her image doesn't seem to be achieving success, since Tomb Raider: Underworld was released and it failed to get anywhere. There are other reasons as to why the most recent Tomb Raider title flopped. It is possible during late 2008, was in competetion of other big selling new games such as "LittleBigPlanet" and "Spore". These games did incredibly well in terms of sales, it wouldn't surprise me this also caused Underworld's fall.
As Tomb Raider is failing to bring happiness to its fans, it is suspected that Lara’s popularity , as a character, is fading particularly in the US. And, as the commercial success of all Tomb Raider games have always had a degree of dependence on Lara’s image, this may prompt a fresh face for the heroine in her next title. Her image doesn't seem to be achieving success, since Tomb Raider: Underworld was released and it failed to get anywhere. There are other reasons as to why the most recent Tomb Raider title flopped. It is possible during late 2008, was in competetion of other big selling new games such as "LittleBigPlanet" and "Spore". These games did incredibly well in terms of sales, it wouldn't surprise me this also caused Underworld's fall.
According to Eidos CFO Robert Brent, “we need to look at everything, as we develop the next game. Look at how Batman changed succesfully, from the rather sad character of the Michael Keaton era to the noir style of The Dark Knight"
"The Tomb Raider franchise has been through a popularity rollercoaster in its 12 years, hitting the heights of Lara’s image on the cover of the (now defunct) lifestyle magazine and “fashion bible” The Face, while the heroine’s sixth adventure, The Angel of Darkness, was critically panned and failed to make an impact at the retailers." As Angel of Darkness put a stop on the Tomb Raider series, considering how poorly it was acclaimed to be, Core Design were stuck in a hole and needed serious help.
"The franchise then enjoyed a revival as its development moved from Core Design to Californian outfit Crystal Dynamics, which released Tomb Raider: Legend in 2006 to critical praise and commercial success." Strangely enough Angel of Darkness failed, yet was designed by Core Design. Underworld was designed by Crystal Dynamics, yet that too failed. So what exactly is going wrong and how did two completely different design companies let Eidos down?
Now, as Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider: Underworld missed its sales targets, despite positive reviews , Eidos is pondering that Lara’s image needs to cater to different markets. Lara enthusiasts will no doubt know that the full-figured archaeologist had previously gone under the knife to more directly appeal to her current audience as shown in Tomb Raider: Legend, Anniversary and Underworld.
[Resources]
-http://www.edge-online.com/news/lara-faces-family-friendly-redesign
(One of the early Lara Croft models, Lara Weller from "Tomb Raider: Revelation")
(The newest Lara Croft model, Alison Caroll from "Tomb Raider: Underworld")
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