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Lara Croft to get makeover for next game

Could be "more female-friendly" in future.

Dark blue icons of video game controllers on a light blue background
Image credit: Eurogamer

Eidos is looking at ways to overhaul the Tomb Raider series, including giving Lara Croft a makeover.

That doesn't necessarily mean even bigger bangers, as Gok would say - in fact, the Times reports, our heroine could end up being "more female-friendly". Scissors?

"We need to look at everything as we develop the next game," said Eidos bigwig Robert Brent. "Look at how Batman changed succesfully, from the rather sad character of the Michael Keaton era to the noir style of The Dark Knight." Making the next game "darker" then? Oh good.

The latest instalment in the series, Tomb Raider: Underworld, was released last November. In the first six weeks on shop shelves, 1.5 million copies were shifted - around 500,000 fewer than Eidos was expecting. Turns out that while us lot liked the game, our American friends were less keen.

"Europe was fine, but America was not as anticipated," said Brent. "You would normally expect Tomb Raider sales to be split half and half between Europe and North America, but this time America was considerably below that." Making the next game more appealing to the US market then? Oh good.

The previous Tomb Raider game, Legend, achieved sales of 3 million worldwide. According to the Times, Underworld will "struggle to pass two million". Eidos has warned shareholders it could run up a debt before its next big title - Batman Arkham Asylum - hits the shops later this year.

For the full lowdown on why Tomb Raider: Underworld was a bit 7/10, read our review.

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