Why Fans Hope Lara Croft's New Look in Call of Duty Carries on to the Next Tomb Raider

ign.com:

Activision has unveiled a new-look Lara Croft who’s set to hit Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and Warzone as part of Season 5 Reloaded, and the design has certainly set tongues wagging within the Tomb Raider community.

Lara Croft arrives in Call of Duty as a store bundle operator, with the Tracer Pack: Tomb Raider bundle adding Lara’s signature Mach-5 dual pistols based on a new sidearm coming to Call of Duty. These pistols are also used in Lara’s Play for Sport finishing move.

But it’s images of Lara in Call of Duty released by Activision that some fans are calling our first look at the new “unified” Lara Croft.

In early 2021, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Tomb Raider, developer Crystal Dynamics shared some information on its next, currently unannounced Tomb Raider, saying it's "working to unify" the timelines of Core Design's original games and its own reboot trilogy that began in 2013.

While the reboot trilogy told the origin story of Lara Croft becoming the Tomb Raider, the original games "featured a seasoned and confident adventurer", said game director Will Kerslake. The development team said it envisions "a future of Tomb Raider unfolding after these established adventures, telling stories that build upon the breadth of both Core Design and Crystal Dynamics' games, working to unify these timelines”.

More recently, Tomb Raider reemerged as PowerWash Simulator DLC that let you clean Lara Croft's mansion. There’s also a Tomb Raider animated series in the works for Netflix. Hayley Atwell, who plays Peggy Carter in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, is cast as the voice of Lara Croft.

Does Call of Duty’s Lara Croft offer a first look at the Lara we’ll see in the upcoming new game? Fans are torn, with some suggesting we’re